History

Croatian immigrants settled Strawberry Hill, the bluff overlooking the Kansas and Missouri river confluence, from the 1880s through World War I. Strawberry Hill Baking Company has carried the povitica tradition since 1903. The neighbourhood remains home to Krizman's Sausage and other Slavic shops; povitica is now nationally known as a Kansas City holiday gift.

Common allergens: Gluten, Nuts, Dairy, Egg

Make it at home

Yield 2Hands-on 2 hrTotal 5 hrDifficulty Advanced

Ingredients

4 cups bread flour
1 packet active dry yeast
1 cup whole milk, warmed
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted
2 large eggs
1 tsp salt
For the filling:
4 cups walnuts, finely ground
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted
1/2 cup milk
2 large eggs
1 tbsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp vanilla

Method

Bloom the yeast in warm milk with 1 tbsp sugar for 10 minutes.
Mix flour, sugar, butter, eggs, salt and the yeast mixture into a sticky dough. Knead 10 minutes.
Rise covered for 90 minutes, doubled in size.
Mix all filling ingredients into a thick paste.
Roll the dough on a floured cloth, working it into a paper-thin rectangle the size of a tablecloth.
Spread the filling evenly. Lift one long edge of the cloth to roll the dough into a tight log.
Coil the log into 2 greased loaf pans in an S-shape. Rise another 30 minutes.
Bake at 350F (175C) for 45 minutes until deeply golden. Cool completely before slicing.

Tip from the editors. The dough must be rolled until you can read newsprint through it; that's the secret to the swirled cross-section. Use a clean tablecloth for the rolling and lifting.