Grandma Rimarchik’s Slovak Nut Roll
This Slovak Nut Roll recipe, made with pecans, apple, and sweet spices, is a holiday and special occasion morning favorite.
By Yankee Magazine|Dec 09 2021|
Coffee By Design | Portland, Maine
Photo Credit : Katherine KeenanThis festive Slovak Nut Roll recipe originally appeared in New York Times best-selling author Ellen Stimson’s Christmas cookbook, An Old-Fashioned Christmas: Sweet Traditions for Hearth and Home.
SEE MORE: A Vermont Family Christmas | At Home with Ellen Stimson
Yield:
Ingredients
1/4 cup warmed whole milk, plus 3/4 cup cold whole milk
1 packet (1/2 ounce) yeast
1/2 teaspoon sugar plus 1/2 cup
2 eggs
1/2 cup butter
3 1/2 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
Instructions
Start by making the dough: Add 1/4 cup of warmed milk to yeast with a pinch of sugar and set aside to rise. In a separate bowl, beat eggs and add 1/2 cup sugar. Add butter. Blend well. Sift flour, salt, and baking soda and slowly add to the eggs. Add 3/4 cup of cold milk. Mix and add yeast mixture, forming the dough.
If the dough is too wet, add flour. Put dough on a clean, floured surface and knead for 5 to 10 minutes, getting all the air bubbles out. Roll it into a ball and place it in a greased bowl. Flip it, so both sides are greased. Cover and let rest in a draft-free area until the dough has doubled in size. Punch it down and preheat oven to 325°.
Way too wet. Had to add a bunch more flour. Also the cooking time needs to be doubled! Lastly, despite my best efforts to seal the roll and place it seam side down, it’s still pulled apart during baking. Reading other similar recipes, they state to let the roll rise for 45 minutes to an hour or to puncture or slit to allow steam to escape. I’m sure either one would prevent it from unrolling during baking expansion. Definitely need to tweak this recipe. Looks like Grandma Rimarcik left a bunch of things out!
Hi Jeremy! We’re sorry to hear that you had trouble with the nut roll. We reached out to Ellen directly with your questions. Here are her (slightly paraphrased) replies:
The amount of protein in flour can vary by brand which can make a wetter or drier dough. Some bakers solve this by sifting and weighing the flour. I am not that baker. If the dough feels too wet (like a batter say, instead of a dough) just add a little flour. Humidity in the kitchen also plays a role. In very humid or very dry conditions either one, the flour used will be affected as the weight changes. This can be controlled easily by adding a little flour or water to the dough if the consistency seems to require it. This is not just true of these rolls but of any bread — some cakes too for that matter.
I never puncture the rolls (the goo would seep out from the little holes and that would not be as pretty) and they only pull apart if I have overfilled them. You make a good seam and put it on the bottom and you will get a closed roll.
The cooking time is given as 25-35 min in a 325 degree oven. I always say it’s 25 minutes because I have tested the interior of my oven at 325 degrees and it is actually 325 degrees. But oven temps vary so we give the ten minute variance in the book. If the bread needs to bake longer than 35 minutes I suspect the oven was not fully preheated, or that accuracy of the oven temperature needs to be checked.
Hope this helps!
Thanks Aimee! I have tried different flours, to your point, and have noticed the wide range of moisture they will absorb. I appreciate your comments. And out of all the nut roll recipes I have found, this is now my go-to. Closest one to my great grandmother’s I have found yet. Making more today!
Jeremy this would make Grandma Rimarchik very happy indeed!
Yes, Grandma definitely left a bunch of things out of this recipe! 1 packet of yeast is 1/4 oz. not 1/2 oz. The instructions did not make sense and several were incorrect; it took 3 frustrating hours to make. I don’t expect a re-write and think that an experienced baker can revamp the recipe but not the average person wanting to make something special for Christmas.
Hi Bobby. We’re sorry to hear that you had trouble making the nut roll. We reached out to Ellen directly about your comments, and she let us know that any size yeast packet will work (whether 1/2 oz. like National Yeast or 1/4 oz. like Rapid Rise), so we’ve updated the ingredients list to be less specific.
Always check your dough for elastic properties. I rest dough twice when waiting for it to double in bulk. Kneed in between and rest again. If springs back when you do the final roll out it has not completed developing the gluten, when it does, it will hold the shape of the roll out with little bounce back. Same with pizza dough.
I appreciate all the feedback from those who’ve tried this recipe. I’d like to try it, but I notice that there is no mention of a) what kind of pan to use for baking and b) how to prepare it . Any input from Ellen on this?
This kind of bread would be cooked on a cookie sheet pan or a half sheet pan
I’d just put a piece of parchment paper on the pan
Mary that’s right. I just put it on a cookie sheet. I don’t bother with the parchment paper since there is plenty of butter in the dough so it won’t stick. But it couldn’t hurt either
How long do you let the dough rise??
Does this bread need a second rising after you put in the filling?
Nope. Just make sure you preheat your oven
With all yeast doughs, after the final rise time and punch down let the dough rest. Haste makes waste…been there ????
To shorten it to make dough use pillsbury roll mix. Follow directions on box and then fill with nuts and apples
I have also used this roll mix for years to make poppy seed roll. It’s wonderful.
In this section of the recipe…”In a separate bowl, beat eggs and add 1/2 cup sugar. Add butter. Blend well. “…should the butter be cold, room temperature, soft or melted? Any thoughts on using 1/2 and apple and 1/2 a pear in the filling? Looking forward to making this as a Christmas gift for my neighbors….after I try it for me first.
My mother made a similar dessert we called kolaches. Individual crescent shape with walnut/sugar or poppyseed filling. Similar directions for dough. After rolling cut into 3” squares and add 2tsps filling. Roll and shape in crescent with fold underneath. Ed put on radiator to rise then bake. When cooled sprinkle w confectionery sugar. Buttermaid Bakery.com has a decent alternative to home baked.