Recipe for Orehnaca - Orehnjaca - Yugoslavian Walnut Roll

Click on a picture
to enlarge

Canoe Stories Index
Canoe Stories
Web Site

So the folks from the old country are gone now and you haven't had orehnaca for a while. Don't despair, you won't go hungry. Use this modern version of that old family recipe and you'll be full in no time.

Making the Dough

Step 1
Mix 1 rounded teaspoon white sugar in exactly 1/2 cup warm milk (whole milk, skim milk - whatever you have).  Add 1/4 ounce dry yeast (regular, not rapid rise).  Set aside.

Step 2
In a bread machine bowl, add the following ingredients:

Lemon rind from 3/4 of a lemon, finely grated.

1 egg yolk (throw out the egg white)

1 egg - yolk and white

1/3 cup honey

1/2 cup sour cream

1 teaspoon vanilla

1/2 teaspoon salt

3 tablespoons softened butter or margarine

3 and 2/3 cups flour  (exact measure required)
How to measure the flour:  Use a measuring cup that contains exactly 1 cup.  In other words, if you fill the cup right up to the brim, that's one cup.  Scoop the cup into the flour so that it's overflowing.  Take a butter knife and tap the top of the measuring cup, cutting through the excess flour on the top of the cup.  This makes the flour settle into the cup.  Tap for about ten seconds.  Use the knife to sweep the excess flour from the top of the cup,  so that there is exactly one cup.  Use a 2/3 size cup for the last measure.

Step 3
Pour the sugar / milk / yeast mixture into the bread machine bowl.  Turn on the bread machine so that it kneads the dough.  It should knead the dough for 15 to 20 minutes.  After 10 minutes, the ball of dough should dance around in the bowl, not sticking much to the sides.  It should be just a little sticky.  You may need to add a few teaspoons of cold water or sprinkle some flour into the bowl to adjust the dough.

Step 4
Grease and flour a plate, put the dough on the plate and put the plate in the refrigerator for about 2 hours to get cold.

Making the Filling

Step 5
Put the following ingredients in a large sauce pan:

1 pound ground walnuts

1 cup half and half (half cream, half milk)

3/4 cup honey

1/2 cup white sugar

1/3 teaspoon salt

Step 6
Stirring constantly, heat the mixture on the stove until it start to bubble.  Turn the heat down and continue to cook for 4 to 5 minutes (use a clock to time it so you don't over cook).  Typical cooking time from putting the pot on the burner until done: 11 minutes.

Step 7

Stir 1 teaspoon vanilla into the mixture.  Let the mixture cool in the pan.

Assembling the Bread

Step 8

Spread flour on a large smooth surface.  Put the cold dough on the surface and dust the top of the dough with flour.  Use your hands and a rolling pin to shape the dough into a rectangle approximately 21 inches wide by 16 inches long.  Don't cut off any excess - you need all the dough.

Here's a hint - instead of trying to roll the dough into a rectangle, use only your hands to first shape the ball of dough into a thick oval that's about 21 inches wide by 10 inches long.  Next, use the roller to spread the dough out to 16 inches tall by 21 inches wide.

Step 9

Spread the filling onto the top of the dough.  Do this with a soft spatula, working on small areas at a time and ending with long strokes to smooth it out.  This is hard to do if the filling is cooked too long or is too cold.

Step 10

Carefully roll up the dough so you end up with a cylinder that's about 21 inches long.  Use a sharp floured knife to cut the bread into three equal pieces.  Flour the ends of the bread.

Step 11

Grease and flour three bread pans, 8 inches by 4 inches by 2-1/2 inches deep.  Place the dough into the pans.

Step 12

Brush melted butter on top of the dough.  Let the dough rise for 1/2 to 1 hour.  It should be just up to the top of the pan after rising - about 2-1/2 inches high.  Lightly brush with butter again.

Step 13

Bake in a pre-heated 350 degree oven for 35 minutes.  Don't take it out of the pan until it's cool.


"Orehnaca" Bread for canoe trips

Wilderness canoeing requires a lot of energy.  What could be better to take on a week long trip than a loaf of orechnaca?  But we can't - it falls apart too easily.  Here's a version of the bread that tastes just about as good as the true nut roll, but stays together better and will keep for a week in the cool Canadian September weather.

Making the Dough - same as for the walnut roll

Step 1
Mix 1 rounded teaspoon white sugar in exactly 1/2 cup warm milk (whole milk, skim milk - whatever you have).  Add 1/4 ounce dry yeast (regular, not rapid rise).  Set aside.

Step 2
In a bread machine bowl, add the following ingredients:

Lemon rind from 3/4 of a lemon, finely grated.

1 egg yolk (throw out the egg white)

1 egg - yolk and white

1/3 cup honey

1/2 cup sour cream

1 teaspoon vanilla

1/2 teaspoon salt

3 tablespoons softened butter or margarine

3 and 2/3 cups flour  (exact measure required)
How to measure the flour:  Use a measuring cup that contains exactly 1 cup.  In other words, if you fill the cup right up to the brim, that's one cup.  Scoop the cup into the flour so that it's overflowing.  Take a butter knife and tap the top of the measuring cup, cutting through the excess flour on the top of the cup.  This makes the flour settle into the cup.  Tap for about ten seconds.  Use the knife to sweep the excess flour from the top of the cup,  so that there is exactly one cup.  Use a 2/3 size cup for the last measure.

Step 3
Pour the sugar / milk / yeast mixture into the bread machine bowl.  Turn on the bread machine so that it kneads the dough.  It should knead the dough for After 10 minutes, the ball of dough should dance around in the bowl, not sticking much to the sides.  It should be just a little sticky.  You may need to add a few teaspoons of cold water or sprinkle some flour into the bowl to adjust the dough.

Step 4
Look at the instructions for your bread machine.  There's usually a timer that beeps during the kneading to let you know that in 5 minutes the kneading will stop.  The machine beeps to let you know that it's time to add nuts or raisins or other fruit into the bread.  It generally takes 5 minutes of kneading to get a full load of nuts and raisens into a 2 pound loaf.  We're going to add walnuts and raisins into the loaf instead of making the filling.  The timing here is important - you need 5 minutes to get all of the stuff into the dough, but if you knead it too long after the nuts and raisins are in, they tend to not survive in a recognizable form...

So, after kneading for 10 minutes, and at least 5 minutes before the kneading stops, add the following into the bread:

You may have to add a little bit of water to the mix when adding the nuts and raisins.  I usually give the machine a little help - pushing the nuts and raisins into the dough with a spatula to help it along.  Once it's all mixed in, we really don't want the machine to knead it any more.

Step 5
Let the bread machine do the cooking.  Try a setting for a sweet bread, 2 pound loaf.

If you pack your sliced "orehnaca" bread in plastic with most of the air removed, it will keep for a week in cool weather.