Kerolyn, I am so very sorry that I did not get this to you sooner. Four nights ago I started to type the recipe for Potica and something went wrong when I was almost complete and I lost everything. I finally have the time and I hope that it is not too late, (I know you said you were baking on the 18th).

Well here it is, the recipe that I will soon be baking also. Many a late evening I sat and watched my Grandmother mix batches of this bread up.

POTICA / OREHNACA (YUGOSLAVIAN WALNUT ROLL)

Yeast Starter:
1-1/2 cakes of yeast
4 tbsp. milk, lukewarm
1 tbsp. sugar
3 tbsp. flour

Dissolve yeast in milk. Add sugar and flour. Stir well and let stand to rise.

Dough:
1 cup flour
1 tsp. salt
1 cup butter
1 cup milk or cream, hot
3 - 5 egg yolks
3 tbsp. sugar

Dissolve sugar in hot milk. Do not boil. Cool. When lukewarm, pour into large bowl, add 3 to 5 egg yolks, and the prepared risen yeast starter. Mix well. In another bowl, sift together the flour and salt, three(3) times. Gradually add and mix the dry ingredient mixture to the liquid mixture, beating well with a wooden spoon until smooth and the dough dosen't stick to the spoon or bowl. Knead dough by hand, adding a little more flour if necessary. Place dough on a floured surface, (you can even cover a table or board with a cotton or pastry cloth if you prefer and flour that), roll out to about 1/2" thick with a floured rolling pin. Fold the dough into thirds and roll out again. Repeat this rolling and folding procedure about three(3) times. Place into a large, lightly greased bowl, (you can use oil and just swipe the bowl with a paper towel and the oil). Lightly sprinkle with water and cover with a clean towel. Place it in a warm area, away from any draft, for about 50 to 60 minutes or until about double in size. Make the walnut filling.

Place dough back on the working surface, either floured board or cloth. Grease a large cookie sheet. Roll the dough out very thin into a rectangle. Spread the filling out to about 1" away from the edges. Roll up lengthwise jelly roll fashion and pinch the edges together. Place it seam side down on the cookie sheet into a 'U' or horseshoe shape. Cover again with the towel and let it rise in a warm, draft-free area until it doubles in size, (about one hour). Make an egg wash from one beaten egg with about 1 tbsp of cold water and brush the surface of the bread before and after baking. Bake in a pre-heated 350'F oven for about one(1)
hour or until lightly brown. Cool on racks. Slice thin. This bread freezes very well.

WALNUT FILLING:
1 stick of butter
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup honey
1-1/2 lbs. ground walnuts
1/2 cup white raisins
1/3 cup graham crackers, crushed
4 egg whites, well beaten
1/2 cup light cream or milk

In a small saucepan warm honey over low flame, add cut up butter remove from heat to allow butter melt. Allow to cool. Beat egg whites and gradually add sugar. After honey mixture is cooled add ground walnuts, raisins, graham crackers. If this mixture is too thick, add the cream. Fold in the beaten egg whites. Spread onto rolled out dough as listed above.

*The graham crackers and raisins can be ground in a food processor or blender. My Grandmother did not use graham crackers, but she did use plain bread crumbs on occasion. When she baked this bread it was a 'handful of this and a pinch of that". By measuring the bowls and utensils she used we were able to figure out the measrements for this sweet bread. NOTE: Orehnaca (pronounced o-reh-na-cha) is a Yugoslavian/Croatian walnut roll. As I find now many other nationalities bake this including the Hungarians, Austrians, Polish and Czechoslovakians. It is usually made for holidays, weddings, baptisms, special events. It is a bit of work but the results are well worth it. You can experiment and make smaller rolls that make it easier to handle. Hope you enjoy! Happy Holidays!