Nut, Turkish delight, and raisin cake
This nut, Turkish delight, and raisin sweet bread is something I've made many times, starting from a recipe from Merișor. I've experimented until I reached this version with everything – both raisins and Turkish delight. There were times when the oven or gas played tricks on me, but even if they deflated a bit at the end, they always tasted good and disappeared quickly from the table. Quick Info Total time: about 4 hours Preparation time: 2 hours (including rising time) Baking time: 40-50 minutes Servings: 2 large sweet breads (or 4 smaller ones) Difficulty: medium Recipe type: classic festive sweet bread Ingredients For the dough: - 1.7 kg flour (sifted) - 75 g fresh yeast - 300 g sugar - 9 egg yolks - 6 tablespoons sour cream (40% fat) - 300 ml oil (as neutral as possible) - 750 ml milk (warm) - 1 teaspoon salt - grated zest from 2 lemons - 150 g raisins For the filling: - 6 egg whites - 150 g sugar - 400 g ground walnuts - 150 g colored Turkish delight For brushing: - 1 egg - brown sugar (for sprinkling on top) - poppy seeds (optional, for decoration) Preparation Method 1. All ingredients should be at room temperature before you start. Sift the flour into a large bowl. Make a well in the center. 2. Place the crumbled yeast, a teaspoon of sugar, and the salt in the center. Pour a little warm milk (just enough to dissolve the yeast) and let it activate for 10 minutes. 3. Beat the egg yolks with the remaining sugar. Add the grated lemon zest and then the remaining warm milk. 4. Pour the egg yolk mixture over the yeast mixture in the bowl. Gradually incorporate the flour, then add the sour cream and raisins. Mix everything together and finally add the warm oil, a little at a time. 5. Knead well at first with a spoon, then with your hands. It’s ready when the dough becomes elastic and pulls away easily from your hands. Cover the bowl with a clean cloth and let it rise for about 2 hours in a warm place, away from drafts. 6. Meanwhile, prepare the filling. Beat the egg whites until foamy (they don’t need to be stiff, just until combined). Add the sugar, then the ground walnuts. Mix just until combined. Cut the Turkish delight into small pieces so it distributes evenly in the sweet bread. 7. Prepare the sweet bread pans by lining them with parchment paper. 8. Once the dough has doubled in size, divide it into four equal parts. Each piece is then divided in half again. 9. Take one half, roll it out with your hands or a rolling pin, spread the walnut filling, and sprinkle the chopped Turkish delight. Roll it up tightly. 10. Braid two rolls together and place them in a sweet bread pan. Repeat with the remaining dough and filling. 11. Let the sweet breads rise for another 20 minutes in the pans. 12. Beat the egg and brush the tops of the sweet breads. Sprinkle with brown sugar and, if desired, a bit of poppy seeds. 13. Bake in a preheated oven at moderate heat for 40-50 minutes. If they brown too quickly on top, place a piece of parchment paper over them in the last 10-15 minutes. 14. Check if they are baked with a toothpick: it should come out clean. Remove the pans from the oven and let the sweet breads cool slightly before taking them out of the pans. Why I Make This Recipe Often I love that they always come out fragrant and don’t dry out even after two days. I combine walnuts, Turkish delight, and raisins to keep it simple without multiple fillings. If there are leftovers, they can be enjoyed for breakfast or as a simple dessert. Tips and Variations Tips - Ingredients should be taken out in advance so they don’t slow down the rising. - The egg whites should not be beaten too stiff, just until combined with the sugar. - If they brown too quickly, place a piece of parchment paper on top. Substitutions - The sour cream can be replaced with thick yogurt, but the texture will be slightly different. - If you don’t have Turkish delight, you can leave the sweet bread with just walnuts and raisins. - The milk can be whole or semi-skimmed; it’s important that it’s warm, not hot. Variations - You can also add grated orange zest for a more pronounced flavor. - If you don’t want raisins, you can omit them or replace them with cranberries. Serving Ideas - Cut into thick slices, plain or with a little butter. - Pairs well with coffee or tea. - You can also make mini sweet breads from the same recipe, using smaller shapes. Frequently Asked Questions 1. Why does the sweet bread sink after I take it out of the oven? It can sink if the yeast has risen too much or if the oven door was opened too often. This happens sometimes, but it doesn’t affect the taste. 2. Can I use dry yeast? Yes, you can use it, but the conversion is important: for 75 g fresh yeast, use about 25-30 g dry yeast. 3. If I don’t have poppy seeds, can I skip them? Sure, the poppy seeds are just decorative. You can just sprinkle sugar or leave it plain. 4. How do I know if the dough has risen enough? It should double in volume and feel elastic to the touch. 5. If I don’t have parchment paper, can I grease the pan? Yes, grease the pan well with oil or butter, but the sweet bread will come out more easily with parchment paper. Nutritional Values (estimated, per 100 g of sweet bread) Calories: 370-400 kcal Protein: 7 g Carbohydrates: 55 g Fat: 13 g Values are approximate and can vary depending on how much Turkish delight, walnuts, or sugar remains in each slice. The recipe is quite substantial, but an average slice does not exceed 200 kcal. Storage and Reheating The sweet bread keeps well for 2-3 days, wrapped in a clean cloth or foil, at room temperature. If it dries out, a slice can be warmed slightly in the oven or microwave, but not too much, so it doesn’t become crumbly. For longer storage, it can be frozen, but it’s best enjoyed in the first two days.
Preparation
We sift the flour into a large bowl, make a well in the center, and add the crumbled yeast, salt, and a teaspoon of sugar. We dilute with a little warm milk and let it rise for about 10 minutes. We beat the egg yolks with the sugar, add the lemon zest and warm milk. We pour this mixture over the yeast and start incorporating the flour, adding sour cream and raisins, and finally the warm oil. We knead well until the dough comes off our hands. We cover the bowl with a cloth and let it rise for about 2 hours. While the dough rises, we prepare the filling, beating the egg whites into a foam with sugar, adding walnuts. We cut the Turkish delight into small pieces. After the dough has risen, we prepare the loaf pans, which I lined with parchment paper. We divide the dough into four. We take one piece and divide it in two. We roll each piece out, spread it with the walnut filling, and add small pieces of Turkish delight, roll it up, and then braid the two pieces, placing them in the pan and letting them rise for another 20 minutes. We brush each loaf with well-beaten egg, sprinkle with brown sugar and poppy seeds. After they have risen, we put the pans in the preheated oven at moderate heat for about 40-50 minutes. We do the toothpick test to know they are baked. All ingredients must be at room temperature. The egg whites should not be beaten like meringue. When they start to brown, we place a paper over them to prevent burning too much.
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