Conquering the Nut Roll Koláč
Nut-roll koláč is probably the most commonly-known Slovak dessert. For me it had become a mountain to climb and conquer. Why? Making good koláč is not easy, at least it’s not easy for me. To get the dough just right you have to know what you are doing and that takes experience. Additionally, any time you are dealing with yeast things get exponentially more complicated. For me the risk that my entire attempt may be sabotaged by uncooperative yeast always looms.
Since my Slovak in-laws are visiting, I asked my aunt-in-law to show me how to make koláč, working in my kitchen, using American ingredients. This has probably been the best learning experience with Slovak baking thus far.
But let’s start with the name. Though “koláč” (or the anglicized “kolach” or “kolachy”) is a general word that could be used to describe many kinds of dessert cakes or pastries, the more precise Slovak word referring to a rolled pastry would be závin. Among my Slovak-American acquaintances I’ve never heard of “nut-roll zavin” but in Slovakia orechový závin is definitely what we are referring to as nut-roll koláč.
Regarding the recipe and baking it just right, let me tell you this has been one heck of a learning experience. First, I had issues with translating Slovak recipe ingredients:- How much is a half kilo of flour if I don’t have a weight scale at home?
- What if I’m using dry yeast instead of cake yeast? How do I compensate?
- What kind of oil do I use?
- For the filling, add as much sugar as you want
- Bake it on medium heat until it’s done
Hmm. Ok.
I was also surprised to see that the recipe I ended up using doesn’t use eggs. How can that be? Almost every Slovak recipe, or Slovak-American recipe, I’ve ever read for nut-roll koláč calls for an egg or two. My aunt says eggs make dough more dense. If you want the dough to bake light and puffy with a good height then don’t include egg.
Another important step I learned is how to work the dough. What my aunt showed me is how dough is supposed to look once you mix the yeast with the flour, and then what it’s supposed to look like once the dough has been worked.
Here’s another secret: never slice the koláč until it has completely cooled. If it is cut while still hot, it will flatten. Instead, once you take them out of the oven, leave them in the baking sheet and cover them with a clean kitchen towel.
So here it is, folks; the recipe for nut-roll kolač:
Ingredients for two rolls
- 1 envelope of dry yeast
- 1/2 cup of milk, slightly warmed
- 1/2 teaspoon of sugar mixed in the milk
- 4 cups of all-purpose flour
- 12 teaspoons of sugar (slightly rounded)
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup milk slightly warmed
- 1/2 cup of oil (canola oil is best)
- 2 1/2 cups crushed walnuts
- chopped apple (optional)
- 2/3 cup powdered sugar
- added milk (a small amount) until walnuts and sugar are moistened but not runny, about 1/4 cup
Directions
-In a mug, warm the milk to just above room temperature and stir in the sugar. Add the yeast, briefly mix it, and let it rest for 15 to 20 minutes.
-In a medium-sized bowl, measure out the flour, add the sugar and salt, and then mix it with a wooden spoon. Add the yeast mixture and then the oil and mix, making sure to scrape the sides of the bowl with your spoon.
-Here’s an important part: once all the dough ingredients have been incorporated you’re going to have to work the dough by hand (this is when using a bread maker machine would come in handy if you have one). The most comfortable place is to sit in a chair and work the dough for 5 to 7 minutes by using your fingers to pinch and pull the dough together. Work the dough around the bowl until it becomes smooth and begins to pull cleanly away from the sides. The dough is ready when it doesn’t stick to your palm.
-Lightly dust the dough with flour in the bowl and leave it in a warm dry place for an hour, covered with a cloth.
-After the dough has risen, dust your working area with flour and cut the dough into two pieces. Roll your first piece out into a rectangular shape approximately 1/2 inch thick.
-Spread half of your filling over the dough making sure to leave about an inch of dough visible from all four sides.
-From one of the longer sides, roll the dough without leaving pockets of space.
-Lightly pinch the ends and tuck them under.
-Place the rolls on a baking sheet lined with baking paper or greased to keep the roll from sticking.
-Bake at 400 F for 20 to 25 minutes until golden brown.
Note: Since we’re not using eggs for this recipe there are no egg whites to coat the top of the roll before baking. Brush on a bit of milk, or when the rolls are done baking and you have just removed them hot from the oven, lightly brush them with oil.
Note: If you have apple added to the filling, bake at 375 and for a longer time, probably 30 minutes or so.
I hope all my notes and lengthy descriptions aren’t discouraging or off-putting as seemingly too much work. I’ve written in such detail because they were points that stood out in my mind.
I hope you have success with this. If you have feedback, let me know.
Good luck!
15 Comments on “Conquering the Nut Roll Koláč”
Sorry, Been away from your site for a very long time ... I have now moved to Slovakia, a village near Levice, and it's a struggle with the language !!.. but, the one thing I never worry about is the food... Constant barrage of wonderful food inc the above. I am lucky, my wife is learn't all her cooking from her Mum and Grandma, I am a very well fed boy !!!!
October 14th, 2009 at 06:40 AM
Looking forward to trying this recipe. I've noticed that some nut rolls have a dough that is more yellow in color. Does that indicate eggs in the dough?
October 29th, 2009 at 08:35 PM
I'd say yes. A dough that is yellow-ish in color probably has just the yolks put in without the white. My Slovak grandma-in-law also does it like this.
October 29th, 2009 at 09:36 PM
I tried to roll it as tightly as possible but it still exploded in the oven and spread out across the pan. Any suggestions?
November 5th, 2009 at 01:34 PM
Kathy, Drat that darn yeast! It sounds like your dough didn't rise enough before you put it in to bake. If it doesn't rise before baking, then with the heat it will "explode" as you said. If you have the dough out for at least an hour and it doesn't rise, put the whole thing in the oven, mixing bowl and all, at about 150F for 20 or 30 minutes until it rises at least a little. You don't want the dough to bake, just to warm up and rise. Hope that helps.
November 5th, 2009 at 05:08 PM
Do I use the 1 cup milk besides the milk the yeast is dissolving in? for the kolachy receipe on your site?
November 27th, 2009 at 09:53 PM
Yes, a cup of milk gets mixed in with the flour mixture. This is separate from the milk that is needed for preparing the yeast.
November 27th, 2009 at 09:58 PM
Thanks for the insight on mikulas it was good memories of my childhood and putting out my hunting boots, some years I did have an onion along with the sweets, also my mother did make the rolled nut bread and another version of it but it had a poppyseed type paste filling instead of the walnut,she called both of them bukta,is this a different name and version of it based on region.also I remember my mother saying us slovaks were called roundheads.
December 3rd, 2009 at 09:38 PM
Hi Margarete....(My slovak Mom's name was Margaret) Can I use butter instead of canola oil? The hand written recipes from mom have travelled with me and the last batch ended up like wood so the squirrels got them!!!! I remember from childhood the dough rising in the one area we had heat from the furnace in NJ!!! I will try your recipe..just need to know about butter vs oil! THanks!
December 12th, 2009 at 07:17 PM
Hi Barbara, I don't see why not. Use the butter. But if the dough is too dense or doesn't work well, add a bit more milk to loosen it up. If you try it, let us know how it comes out with butter ;) Switching subjects, I love the hand-written recipes I have from relatives. To me they are irreplaceable. If your mom wrote something else down in her recipe, it must mean that she made it work for her. You may have to experiment more with it once you get comfortable with successfully making a few yeast-ingredient kolachis.
December 13th, 2009 at 06:51 AM
Hi Margarete, Just wanted to let you know, I just used butter for the recipe. The dough is rising now, so of course I'm unsure of the taste and how it will come out, but as dough it is super fluffy and light and I didn't need to play around with anything at all to get it to feel right. It came right off my hands without a problem. i made sure the butter was very soft, almost melted. I can't wait to taste everything once they're done! My mom had a much different recipe than yours. She's Italian, so I'm assuming her aunt who gave it to her played around with it and give it their own spin. My father's family was from Frankova in Slovakia. Unfortunately there's really no one left aside from my dad, but I'm really trying to reconnect with the culture etc. I'll be trying to make Bobalky during the week. Once the Kolac are done, I'll let everyone know how they came with butter. One more thing- we make the traditional (I think) Slovak Christmas Eve soup- but I don't know the name of it. It's made with mushrooms, potatoes, sauerkraut... no meat. Anyone know what it's called? Thank you!!!!
December 13th, 2009 at 07:13 PM
Hi Nicole, I hope your kolac turns out well :) The soup you are referring to is probably kapustnica. It's a traditional Christmas soup made with the main ingredient of sauerkraut. It can be made without meat, but often it has sausage or a few pieces of smoked kolbasa. My mother-in-law arrived from Slovakia last night and will stay with us through Christmas. I'm going to ask her to show me how to make it and I'll post her recipe here when I have it.
December 14th, 2009 at 06:09 PM
Hello Margarete, SO excited to find your blog! My parents came from up north, near Svaty Martin (Mosovce and Slovenske Pravno), and we grew up in Chicago speaking Slovak at home. Now much older and married, and my 25 year old son has been teaching English in Bratislava for 2 years. Next summer he is marrying his Slovak fiance. She is originally from Vrable, very near Nitra. So you can imagine how thrilling it is to find your most interesting blog! I was looking for a kolacky recipe i used last Christmas that had sour cream in the dough. I can't make Kolac (rolled) here in Santa Fe -- it's too high (7000 feet) and the yeast has beaten me in terms of altitude adjustment! But you give me hope, maybe I'll give it another try. Thanks for your excellent information and lively spirit! - Elena Sopoci
December 16th, 2009 at 04:53 AM
Hi Elena, How exciting that your son is in Slovakia and marrying next year. I'm sure you will have new opportunities for traveling to Slovakia too and rediscovering it if you aren't often there. Regarding the recipe with sour cream in the dough, I have a recipe for nut-roll kolac that calls for sour cream. That's how some of the Slovak folks in San Diego make it. The recipe also contains yeast so I'm not sure if you would be any better off with that recipe versus the one that I posted here. Still, if you'd like it, I'd be happy to send it to you.
December 16th, 2009 at 05:55 PM
I just got this in my email and sure am glad. I am going to try makiing the kolac your way. I also bake the Almond Crescents or Mandlove Rohlicky and they are great but will try yours with the walnuts. Thanks for all the info. Darinka
May 27th, 2010 at 03:57 PM