/makes 2/

 

40g fresh yeast

330ml milk

2 eggs

130g sugar

650g flour (+50g flour)

100g butter (melted)

a drop of vanilla extract

zest from 2 organic lemons

 

Walnut filling:

200g ground walnuts

40g sugar

20g cocoa

a few drops of rum essence

a few drops of milk (optional)

 

+1 egg

 

Because some of my girlfriends told me that they found it difficult to bake cozonac and that they failed at it, I told myself that an old family recipe would help them. Especially as Easter approaches. J

 

It is so easy to make and I guarantee its success.

In a bowl, pour warm milk over the fresh yeast and let it sit for 5 minutes.

Add the whole eggs and the sugar and stir well. Then, mix in the flour, the melted butter, the vanilla extract, and the lemon zest. Knead only a bit (for 2-3 minutes); it will be an easy process, anyway. The dough should be moist but not sticky. Add up to 50g of flour to reach optimal consistency. Cover the bowl and let the dough rise for 2 hours in a warm place.

When the dough doubles, cover the bowl with a plastic film and let it sit in the fridge overnight. Remove the bowl from the fridge one hour before your start baking the cozonac.

Divide the dough into two equal pieces and each of these pieces – into two more. If you have two cozonac baking pans lined with baking parchment, the plain cozonac is very easy to make: roll the two mini-pieces of dough and then twist them and place the cozonac into the baking pan.

In the case of the walnut cozonac, mix the walnut, sugar, cocoa, rum essence, and milk (optional, to keep the filling together). Roll out each mini-piece of dough, spread half of the filling on each sheet and roll, sticking the ends together and the roll with egg. When you finish the second ‘roll’, twist them, place the cozonac in the baking pan and let it rise 10-15 minutes more.

Then, brush each cozonac with egg and place the baking pans inside the preheated oven, at 160°C, for 40-45 minutes. After it cools, slice it and enjoy the fluffiness!

Happy Easter! ♥