Romanian Poppy Seed Roll Recipe (Cozonac cu Mac!)
Cozonac is a fluffy, traditional sweet bread with origins in Romania. This bread has sweet citrus notes and a sweet dough braided with a rich poppy seed filling, that makes a beautiful spiral interior after baked. This traditional recipe is usually enjoyed during Easter and Christmas but this sweet bread can be enjoyed year long!
Ingredients
- 8 cups all purpose flour sifted
- 5 tbsp fresh yeast (or 2.5 tbsp active dry)
- 2.5 cups warm milk (will need 1/2 cup more if using active dry yeast)
- 2 cups sugar reduce by to 1.5 cups if you want it less sweet
- 3.5 tbsp unsalted butter
- 3.5 tbsp oil
- 1.5 tbsp vanilla sugar or 2 packets
- 1 tbsp white vinegar
Poppy Seed Filling
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 2.5 cups poppy seed paste (Helio)
- 1 tsp rum extract
- 6 tbsp sugar
- 5 egg whites
Instructions
- In a large bowl, sift your flour. In a medium saucepan, heat up the milk until it's warm to the touch but not burning hot. In a small bowl, combine your fresh yeast with 1/2 cup of the milk until smooth.
- Make a well in your flour and pour the yeast mixture in. *if using active dry you will just add the dry yeast to the well with some sugar and then pour the milk*
- Add a tbsp of sugar to the yeast mixture then cover with a towel and let bloom. Leave the milk on low so it will stay warm.
- Separate your egg whites and yolks. Set the egg whites aside in a medium bowl to use later.
- Whisk in a teaspoon salt and the packets of vanilla sugar to the egg yolks until smooth.
- Melt the butter and add the oil to it. Next, add the yolk mixture to your large bowl with flour and yeast. Add in the rest of the sugar and a tbsp of vinegar and start slowly mixing everything in the middle of the well and slowly start adding in the milk. Add the milk in increments of 5 or 6 continuing to scrape the sides of the bowl.
- Once the dough is starting to form into a ball, start adding in the butter and oil mixture a little bit at a time. You want to gently pull the dough as you do this. Once the dough is starting to become elastic, put it on an oiled surface and begin to gently knead for about 8-10 minutes.
- Then put the soft dough back in an oiled bowl and let it rest for an hour in a warm place. It should double in size. Rising time may vary.
- Whip the egg whites on high speed with an electric mixer and slowly add in your sugar until stiff peaks form.
- Add in the rum and vanilla extract and continue to beat on medium speed.
- Switch to a spatula and start mixing in the poppy seed paste (or walnuts and cacao if you are making the nuca version)
- On a floured surface, place your risen dough and divide into 3 portions. (You could also do 4 if you want to make smaller loaves)
- Divide each one of the 3 again so you have 6 balls. Roll out each dough ball into a rectangle with a rolling pin until about 1/2 inch thick.
- Fill each rectangle with the poppy seed mixture, it will be messy! Begin to roll it it up and pinch the seams to close it. Take two rolls and pinch them together at the top then twist them into a braid. Pinch the bottom and fold the top and bottom in so the filling doesn't fall out. Then place it in your greased pan. You can also just place it in the pan with the seam side down if you do not want to braid these.
- Once you finish all the rolls, cover with a towel and let the dough rise for another hour or until double in size.
- Preheat the oven to 350 F then brush an egg wash on the rolls and sprinkle with a bit of sugar. Bake them for about 45 minutes to an hour depending on your oven. The tops should be golden brown.
- Let cool completely on a wire rack then slice with a serrated knife and enjoy! Great job! :)