Cozonac with walnuts

Name: Cozonac with walnuts
Ingredients: 500 g sifted bread flour; 25 g yeast; 250 ml lukewarm milk; 150 g sugar; 1/4 teaspoon salt; 4 egg yolks; 4 egg whites; 80 ml oil; 1 tablespoon (15 g) melted margarine; 1 teaspoon vanilla extract; 1 teaspoon rum extract; Zest of 1 lemon (5 g); 1 teaspoon oil for the pan; 200 g ground walnuts; 10 tablespoons sugar; 1 packet (8 g) vanilla sugar; 2 teaspoons cinnamon; 1 teaspoon rum extract; 100 g golden raisins

Dessert - Cozonac with walnuts by Monalisa G. - Recipia

Cozonac with walnuts, a Romanian braided sweet bread, has a soft crumb and a raisin filling. This time I baked two, doubling the quantities, and they were gone quickly. I like to cut it into thin slices so you can see the braid. Prep: 30 minutes. Cook: 60 minutes. Rest: 50 minutes. Total time: 140 minutes. Servings: 12. About 480 kcal and 9 g protein per serving.

Ingredients

For the dough

500 g sifted bread flour
25 g yeast
250 ml lukewarm milk
150 g sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
4 egg yolks
4 egg whites
80 ml oil
1 tablespoon (15 g) melted margarine
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon rum extract
Zest of 1 lemon (5 g)
1 teaspoon oil for the pan

For the filling

200 g ground walnuts
10 tablespoons sugar
1 packet (8 g) vanilla sugar
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 teaspoon rum extract
100 g golden raisins

Preparation

1. Dissolve the yeast in 100 ml of lukewarm milk with 1 tablespoon of sugar and 1 tablespoon of flour, taken from the measured amounts. Leave it to rise for 10 minutes, until foamy. 2. Put the remaining flour and sugar, the salt, egg yolks, 150 ml of milk, oil, melted margarine, vanilla extract, rum extract and lemon zest in a large bowl. Add the risen yeast mixture and knead until the dough comes together and no longer sticks to your hand. 3. Divide the dough into two equal portions and roll them out with a rolling pin into sheets. Mix the ground walnuts with the sugar, vanilla sugar, cinnamon, rum extract and raisins, then divide the filling in two. 4. Spread one portion of the filling over each sheet and roll them up. Twist the two rolls together and place the cozonac in a pan greased with 1 teaspoon of oil. 5. Leave it to rise in a warm place for 30 minutes, until visibly puffed. Brush it with the egg yolks and let them dry for 10 minutes, then brush the top with the egg whites. 6. Heat the oven to 180°C and bake the cozonac for about 60 minutes, until golden on top.

Notes

You can replace the raisins with 100 g of dried cranberries; the cozonac contains gluten, nuts, milk and eggs. I slice it next to a cup of black tea. In a cool room, it may take longer than 30 minutes to rise, so check whether the dough has increased in volume. Fresh walnuts smell slightly sweet, while rancid ones can make the filling bitter. Once cool, wrap the cozonac and keep it in the fridge for up to 3 days.