Tarragon – Potica

Ingredients for 1 servings:

• 500 g flour, sifted
• ½ cube of fresh yeast
• 1 egg(s)
• 1 egg yolk
• 80 g sugar
• 80 g lard
• 200 ml milk
• 1 pinch of salt
• Butter for the mold
• Breadcrumbs for the mold
• 100 ml sour cream
• 80 g butter
• 80 g sugar
• 1 egg(s)
• 50 g breadcrumbs
• 1 handful of tarragon, fresh, finely chopped
• e.g. powdered sugar

Instructions

Working time approx. 30 minutes; Rest time approx. 2 hours; Total time approx. 2 hours 30 minutes

Pehtranova potica. A festive yeast cake from Slovenia

Sift the flour into a bowl, make a well, and crumble in the yeast. Mix with a little sugar and some of the lukewarm milk to form a pre-dough. Cover and let stand for 20 minutes. Add the melted butter, salt, egg and egg yolk, sugar, and the remaining lukewarm milk to the pre-dough. Knead into a smooth yeast dough and let rise, covered, for at least 30 minutes. Meanwhile, mix the filling from the sour cream, sugar, egg, and cooled breadcrumbs that have been toasted in butter. Once the dough has visibly increased in size, roll it out on the countertop to a finger-thickness and spread with the filling. Sprinkle with finely chopped tarragon and roll up the dough. Place the potica in a well-buttered and breadcrumb-dusted baking pan (we always use a Bundt pan), cover, and let rise for another half hour. Then bake for one hour on the middle rack at 150°C (top/bottom heat). Carefully turn out onto a board and, once cooled, sprinkle with powdered sugar. Potica is traditionally eaten in Slovenia on holidays like Easter and Christmas. The fillings vary. I’ve also included a nut potica.