Romanian Nut Roll

A long, long time ago when I was about 8 years old, I remember visiting my grandma around Easter. She made a sweet bread that was so very tasty. I never had it again, but when I asked my grandma about it years later she said it was probably a Romanian bread called colac. Years after that I got my hands on a recipe for colac that my mom had. And years after that, I finally decided to make it myself. In fact, it was just this year that I decided to make it.

I was planning on making colac for Easter. As it turns out, my sister Lisa came across a Romanian cookbook my mom has called "Pofta Buna (Good Appetite): The Romanian Way of Cooking." Lisa found the distributor for this cookbook (St. Mary Romanian Orthodox Cathedral in Ohio), which still distributes this cookbook more than fifty years after its original printing. She got a copy for herself and had one sent to me. It arrived just a few days before Easter--perfect timing. [Thanks, Lisa!]

There are quite a few recipes for nut rolls and colac. I looked through them and had a better understanding of what I wanted to do. Then I ended up using my Grandma's recipe for Romanian Nut Roll, which is apparently a little sweeter and less dry than the traditional recipe for colac. I still plan on going back and trying some of the nut roll recipes in the cookbook.

I haven't spent too much time going through the rest of the cookbook yet. There are some recipes that I immediately skipped over (Tongue with Olives, Kidneys in White Sauce, Aspic of Pigs Feet...?). There are other recipes that have dubious origins (Baked Beans, See's Fudge...). But I would like to work through it and find some Romanian dishes that would fit in my family's tastes. Of course, the breads, pastries, and desserts are most appealing; but I am also open to trying some of the vegetable and soup dishes, among others.

I made a half recipe, which was plenty for us.

Romanian Nut Roll
Source: Grandma Lemmon's godmother

6 cups flour
1/2 pound butter (2 sticks)
1/4 cup Crisco
3 tablespoons sugar
1/4 cup milk
2 packages dry yeast
4 tablespoons milk
6 eggs
1 cup half and half cream
1 teaspoon vanilla or lemon flavoring

Filling:
1 pound nuts, ground or chopped fine
1 cup sugar
3 egg whites, beaten stiff.

Cut flour and shortening as for pie. Add sugar to yeast and 4 tablespoons milk in a bowl and blend well. Beat egg yolks and add to yeast. Add all ingredients to flour and shortening mixture. Knead just enough to be smooth. Refrigerate overnight. Divide into 4 to 5 pieces. Roll out each piece on well-floured cloth or board and spread with filling. Roll up to form loaf shape and place on cookie sheet in loaf pan.

[This recipe didn't have any baking instructions. another nut roll recipe says: Let rise for one hour. Bake in 350 degree oven for 50 minutes. I can't remember now exactly how long mine took. I would definitely check on it from time to time.]