Romanian cozonac with poppy seeds and walnuts

Ingredients

For the dough

• 1500 g white flour
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 200 g sugar
• 200 ml oil
• 150 ml milk for the yeast mixture
• 600 ml milk for the dough
• 25 g fresh yeast
• 1 medium lemon (grated zest)
• 3 egg yolks
• 1 tablespoon oil for the work surface

For the poppy seed filling

• 200 g poppy seeds
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 120 ml milk

For the walnut filling

• 350 g walnuts
• 4 tablespoons sugar
• 200 ml milk

For the Turkish delight and raisin fillings

• 100 g golden raisins
• 200 g colored Turkish delight

For the egg white foam

• 3 egg whites
• 3 tablespoons sugar

For brushing

• 1 egg
• 1 tablespoon brown sugar

Preparation

1. Warm 150 ml of milk for 2 minutes, until lukewarm. Mix it with the yeast, 1 teaspoon of the sugar for the dough and 2 tablespoons of the measured flour, then leave the yeast mixture to rise for 15 minutes. 2. Sift the remaining flour into a large bowl and put the salt around the edge. Warm 600 ml of milk with the remaining sugar for 3 minutes, stirring until the sugar dissolves. 3. Pour the yeast mixture over the flour, add the egg yolks and lemon zest, then gradually mix in the milk. Knead, adding the oil a little at a time, until you have an elastic dough that doesn’t stick to your hands. If needed, work in some of the measured flour you set aside. Cover the dough and leave it to rise for an hour, until it has increased in volume. 4. Grind the poppy seeds and mix them with the sugar and milk. Heat the filling for 5 minutes, stirring, until it becomes a thick, spreadable paste, then take the pan off the heat. 5. Grind the walnuts, mix them with the sugar and milk, and heat for 5 minutes, stirring until thickened. Cut the Turkish delight into small cubes. Rinse the raisins and leave them to drain. 6. Beat the egg whites with the sugar until stiff peaks form. Fold 2 tablespoons of the foam into the poppy seed filling and 2 tablespoons into the walnut filling. 7. Oil the work surface and divide the dough into 6 equal pieces. Roll each piece out into a rectangle; fill two sheets with poppy seed filling, two with walnut filling, one with Turkish delight and one with raisins. Spread the remaining foam over the Turkish delight and raisin sheets, then roll each sheet up tightly lengthwise. 8. Braid the rolls in pairs and place each loaf in a parchment-lined loaf pan. Leave them in the pans to rise for 30 minutes, until visibly puffed. 9. Heat the oven to 180°C. Brush the loaves with the beaten egg, sprinkle the brown sugar over the top and bake for approximately 40 minutes, until nicely browned and a toothpick comes out clean. Cover them with a clean tea towel after taking them out of the oven.