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As I already told you on other occasions, for me, the taste and smell of childhood refers especially to my grandmother’s fresh-out-of-the-oven Romanian Sweet bread (Cozonac) and the warm and soft Hanklich (Lichiu) that used to delight my taste buds at breakfast, lunch or dinner, as dessert or as a snack with a glass of warm milk.
For me, these homemade old fashioned recipes are more delicious than any pompous and sophisticated dessert recipe, because they have a unique, unmistakable aroma, obtained by mixing simple, healthy, but tasty ingredients.
If you want to find out how easy it is to make traditional Romanian sweet bread, I invite you to discover this sensational recipe with me, which can successfully take the place of dessert on the Christmas or New Year’s table or give you the satisfaction of a warm snack, delicious and filling, served with a glass of warm milk before bed or even for breakfast.
What is Romanian Sweet Bread?
Romanian sweet bread is a simple dessert that is prepared in several countries in Eastern Europe, with small differences from one culture to another. It is similar, for example, to the Hungarian Beigli dessert, which is also a roll filled with various ingredients, such as walnuts or poppy seeds. With the exception of the fact that the dough for Romanian Sweet Bread is much fluffier and airier than that of the above mentioned Hungarian dessert, the filling is similar in the case of the two. Therefore, Romanian Sweet Bread can also be filled with finely chopped walnuts, poppy seeds, chocolate, or various other ingredients such as raisins, cranberries or Turkish delight. Ultimately, everyone has the freedom to adapt the recipe to their needs or preferences.
The dough we use for my Granny’s recipe of Romanian Sweet Bread is the same as in the case of the German origin Hanklich dessert, which was posted a few days ago here on the blog.
Therefore, if you choose to prepare both dishes – Romanian Sweet Bread and Hanklich – I recommend you to make a larger amount of the dough, thus having the possibility of obtaining several delicious dishes in the same day.
So, let’s discover together the amazing old fashioned recipe that my Granny used to bake for special occasions using simple ingredients and following very few steps.
What can you use for Romanian Sweet Bread filling?
As I have already mentioned, taking into account the filling that can be used for Sweet Bread, this homemade old fashioned dessert is extremely versatile, allowing you to use various ingredients or combinations between several ingredients, such as:
Walnut cream
This results by mixing 2-3 egg whites until you achieve a strong foam, which will be gently mixed with finely ground walnuts. In addition, you can add some melted chocolate or cocoa powder or carob powder to the cream made of egg whites and nuts;
Chocolate
If you want to choose a simpler option, the dough of Romanian Sweet Bread will be stretched with a rolling pin and then covered with a fine layer of melted chocolate;
Poppy seeds
For this type of filling, it is necessary to boil the poppy seeds in a generous amount of milk, because this way you will achieve a fine poppy cream that you can then pour over the Romanian Sweet Bread dough stretched with a rolling pin;
Turkish Delights
It can be used simply, being cut into small pieces, or together with other ingredients, such as chocolate, raisins, cranberries, etc.;
Raisins
Just like Turkish Delight, they can be placed on the stretched dough with the rolling pin, or can be combined with other ingredients already mentioned, such as chocolate, Turkish Delight, cranberries, etc.;
Sweet cheese
For those who prefer dairy products added to dessert recipes, there is the possibility to use sweet cheese for the filling of Romanian Sweet Bread, by simply pouring over the layer of dough stretched with the rolling pin, a new layer made of sweet cheese mixed with heavy cream. Obviously, you can add raisins or cranberries to this cream, thus obtaining the same cream used for Sweet Cheese Puff Pastry.
So, when you prepare this traditional old fashioned recipe, as my Granny used to make 30 years ago, you have the freedom to decide which ingredients you will use for the filling that will accompany the fluffy and tasty dough, giving it extra taste and a fine texture.
How to braid the Romanian Sweet Bread?
Romanian Sweet Bread is a traditional dessert that is obtained by making a soft dough, which, after it has risen and doubled in volume, will be stretched with a rolling pin a surface greased with a little oil, on top of which the desired type of filling will be added, and finally it will be rolled, thus obtaining a sweet roll.
The simplest method to obtain the roll is the one I have described now.
But, if you want to get a braided Sweet Bread, you will need to get two thinner rolls, which you will later braid, like this:
- the first step will be to divide the Sweet Bread dough into two smaller pieces;
- then, you will stretch each piece of dough in turn, on a surface greased with a little oil, using a rolling pin;
- next, you will grease the stretched dough with the type of filling you want, leaving the edges with no filling, to prevent the filling from leaking during rolling;
- keep in mind that you can fill the two smaller rolls with different types of filling, if you want to get a more complex Sweet Bread. Or, you can use the same filling for both rolls, this is up to you;
- after you have rolled both dough rolls, place them on a baking paper and braid them slightly, then place the resulting Sweet Bread in a baking loaf pan;
- bake the Sweet Bread and let it cool a little after taking it out of the oven.
If you need help to better understand how you can braid Romanian Sweet Bread, watch the video below, which will definitely be of great help.
Sweet Romanian Bread – Video Recipe
Romanian Sweet Bread Recipe Full
I used the Thermomix for several steps in this recipe, but you don’t need to own this kitchen appliance to achieve the same amazing result. Simply knead the dough with your hands or use a kneading machine and I guarantee you will have a nice and fluffy Romanian Sweet Bread in the end, delicious and enjoyable for the entire family.
Romanian Sweet Bread (Cozonac) – my Granny’s traditional old fashioned recipe
Equipment
- 1 Thermomix / Kneading robot / Food chopper
- 1 Bowl
- 1 Whisk
- 1 Spatula
- 1 Baking brush
Ingredients
Dough
- 500 g Flour
- 370 g Milk + 20 g more for the final step
- 100 g Sugar
- 3 pc Egg yolks
- 50 g Oil
- 50 g Butter melted
- 1 pinch Salt
- 1 cube Yeast fresh
- Optional: vanilla extract
Filling
- 2 pcs Egg whites
- 200 g Nuts
- Chocolate / raisins
Instructions
- Put the fresh yeast into a bowl, add 1 tsp sugar and the warm milk. Mix the yeast well, to completely dissolve into the milk. If you use the Thermomix, select 2 min – 37°C – Speed 2.
- Let the mixture to rest for 5 minutes;
- Place the rest of sugar and the rest of the ingredients needed for the dough into a large bowl and on top of them pour the mixture of fresh yeast and knead the dough using your hands or a kneading machine. I recommend you to add the flour into the bowl by using a sieve. If you use the Thermomix, KNEAD – 10 MIN;
- TIP: If you want, you can add 1 tsp of vanilla extract.
- Put a foil over the bowl with the dough and let it rise for 1 hour to double its volume.
- After 1 hour, take out the dough and cut it into 4 pieces. Model each piece to create 4 smaller balls of dough. Roll each dough with a rolling pin on an oily surface until you have a nice dough sheet that you can then fill with the filling that you prefer. Remember, from these ingredients you will obtain two sweet breads.
- For the nuts filling, chop the nuts finely using 7 sec – Speed 7. Clean the bowl and swipe it with a kitchen towel. Insert the butterfly whisk. Add the egg whites and select 4 min- Speed 3.5. You can add sugar during the process.
- Pour ¼ of this mixture (or chocolate/raisins) over each dough sheet and roll it like a roulade. Then, using 2 rolled pieces, blend them to create a sweet bread.
- Put the sweet bread into the backing tray and let it stay for 1 hour to increase its volume, once again.
- Using 1 egg yolk and 20 gr of milk, create a mixture and cover the sweet bread, using a brush, with this mixture.
- Bake the sweet bread for 45-50 minutes into the preheated oven at 180°C. You can make sure that the Sweet Bread it properly baked by inserting a tooth stick into the roll and see if it comes out clean.
- Once you take it out of the oven, let them cool for at least 30 minutes before handling them. Do not cut the sweet bread until it is at room temperature.
Nutrition
I hope you will try this amazing Romanian Sweet Bread traditional old fashioned recipe, whether it’s for Christmas, New Year’s Eve or any other occasion, because I guarantee you it will be a star on the table. Until the next easy and delicious homemade recipe here on the blog, I wish you all an awesome day spend with your loved ones. Merry Christmas Everyone!
