Poteca

1 cup sour cream

1/4 cup milk

3/4 cup sugar

1 tsp. salt

2 envelopes active dry yeast

1 tsp. sugar

1/2 cup very warm water

6 cups sifted all-purpose flour

4 egg yolks (reserve whites for filling)

1/2 cup (1 stick) very soft butter

Walnut filling (recipe follows)

Combine sour cream, milk, 3/4 cup sugar, and salt in a saucepan.  Heat slowly, stirring constantly, just until mixture begins to bubble and sugar dissolves; pour into a large bowl to cool.  Dissolve yeast and 1 tsp. sugar in very warm (comfortably warm when dropped on wrist) water in a small bowl.  Stir until well blended and allow to stand until mixture begins to thicken (about 10 minutes).   Stir yeast into cooled sour cream mixture.  Beat in 3 cups of flour until very smooth.  Cover bowl with a clean kitchen towel.  Let dough rise in warm place 45 minutes; beat mixture down.

Beat egg yolks until well blended; beat in very soft butter until smooth.  Beat egg-butter mixture and enough of remaining flour into yeast mixture to make a soft dough.  Turn out onto floured pastry board or surface and knead 10 minutes, or until dough is smooth and elastic.  Place dough in a large greased bowl; turn over to bring greased side up.  Cover; let rise in warm place, 1 hour, or until double in bulk.  Punch dough down; knead a few times; let rest 5 minutes.

Divide dough in half; roll one half out to a 26 x 10 inch rectangle on a lightly floured surface or pastry board.  Spread half the Walnut Filling over dough.  Roll up, jelly roll fashion, starting with the long side.  Place, seam side down, in a well-greased 10 inch bundt pan or 9-inch angel food cake tube pan; press ends together to seal.  Repeat with remaining dough and filling to make a second loaf.  Cover pans; let rise in a warm place, 45 minutes, or until almost double in bulk.  Bake in preheated 350 degree oven 40 minutes, or until loaves are golden.  Cool in pans on wire racks for 15 minutes; loosen around edges of pans; invert onto wire racks to cool.  To serve; Brush loaves with honey and garnish with walnut halves and candied red cherries, if you wish.

                                                                                                  Walnut Filling

1 lb. shelled walnuts

4 egg whites
3/4 cup sugar
1 tsp. grated lemon rind
Dash of salt

Chop walnuts very fine.  They need to be very fine so the coffee cake will cut neatly.  Just before dough is ready to be spread, beat egg whites until foamy-white and double in volume in a large bowl; beat in sugar, 1 tablespoon at a time, until meringue forms firm peaks; fold in chopped nuts, lemon rind, and salt until well-blended. Makes enough to fill two coffee cakes.

This is a rich nut-filled coffee cake I make for Christmas sometimes.  It is a wonderful gift to someone you love for Christmas morning breakfast.