Go Back
cozonac

Cozonac

Cozonac is a sweet yeasted bread traditional to Romania, Bulgaria, and other southeastern European countries. Often filled with a chocolate walnut paste, it's a delicious and festive treat!
Prep Time 30 mins
Cook Time 50 mins
Resting Time 5 hrs
Course Breakfast, Dessert
Cuisine Romanian
Servings 1 loaf

Equipment

  • Mixing bowl
  • Rolling Pin
  • Baking tin or tray

Ingredients
  

Dough

  • 1/2 cup (120g) milk
  • 6 tbsp (75g) granulated sugar
  • 6 tbsp (85g) unsalted butter
  • 3 cups (360g) bread flour
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 1 1/4 tsp instant or active dry yeast
  • zest of 1 lemon
  • zest of 1 orange
  • 1 egg + 1 egg yolk
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1/2 tbsp rum or orange liquor

Filling

  • 3.5 oz (100g) walnuts
  • 1/2 cup (120g) milk
  • 6 tbsp (75g) granulated sugar
  • 1/8 cup (30g) orange liquor
  • zest of 1 orange
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 1/4 cup (30g) cocoa powder

Topping

  • 1 egg white (from earlier)
  • 1 tbsp milk
  • coarse sugar

Instructions
 

  • In a skillet over medium heat, mix together the milk, sugar, and butter. Stir until the butter is right about to melt. Remove from the stove and let cool to 80-90°F
  • In a large bowl of a stand mixer, add the bread flour, salt, yeast, lemon zest, and citrus zest. Mix together.
  • Fit the stand mixer with the paddle or dough hook attachment. Pour in the milk mixture while the stand mixer runs on low speed. Once the dough has come together, add in the egg, egg yolk, rum or orange liquor, and vanilla extract.
  • Knead for 5 - 10 minutes on medium speed until the dough passes the window pane test. It should pull away from the sides of the bowl and not feel too sticky.
  • Cover the dough and let rest for 2 - 2.5 hours in a warm spot until doubled in size.
  • While the dough proofs, make your walnut filling. Add your walnuts to a food processor or blender and mix on high until coarsely ground.
  • Add the walnuts, milk, sugar, orange liquor, orange zest, cocoa powder, and salt to a skillet over medium heat. Whisk until well-combined and let cook until a thick paste forms, stirring constantly. Remove from heat, cover with plastic wrap, and let cool
  • Once the dough has doubled in size, divide it into two equal pieces. Take the first piece of dough and roll into a 9 inch x 6 inch rectangle. Spread half the walnut mixture evenly across the whole surface of the dough, making sure not to skimp on the edges. Roll the dough up so you have a 9 inch long roll. Repeat with the second piece of dough
  • Grease a baking tin and set aside. Twist the two pieces of dough around each other and place in the baking tin. Cover and let rise until doubled in size, which will take 2 - 3 hours.
  • Towards the end of the second proof, preheat the oven to 350°F. Mix together the egg white and milk and brush on the top of the loaf to create a beautiful shiny crust. Sprinkle the top with coarse sugar
  • Bake for 45 - 60 minutes until the crust is a deep golden brown and the loaf makes a hollow sound when tapped. The inside temperature should be 190°F. Check on the loaf around the 30 min mark - if it's browning too quickly, tent with aluminum foil.
  • Remove from the oven and let cool in the tin for 15 min. Remove from the tin and let cool completely on a wire rack

Notes

  1. As with all my bread recipes, I strongly recommend using a food scale to measure your ingredients. If you are using cups, make sure to spoon & level your flour instead of scooping directly from the bag. This gives you a more accurate measurement.
  2. Traditionally, cozonac uses rum but I decided to swap for orange liquor
  3. When rolling out the dough, I found that I did not need to use any flour to prevent sticking. If you find the dough to be too sticky to work with, sprinkle some flour on the countertop and on your rolling pin
  4. You can choose to bake this loaf in a baking tin or free form on a baking tray
Keyword bread