Name: Fluffy Cozonac (Romanian sweet bread) with walnuts and Turkish Delight
Prep time: 180 min
Cook time: 60 min
Total time: 240 min
Ingredients: 1 kg wheat flour; 50 g fresh yeast; 500 ml milk; 120 g butter; 300 g sugar; 5 egg yolks; 1 tsp salt; 300 g sugar; 350 g walnut kernels; 4 tbsp cocoa; 350 g Turkish delight; 1/2 tsp rum essence; 8 g vanilla sugar (a packet); 5 egg whites; 1 egg; 3/4 tbsp sugar

This recipe for cozonac involves making a fluffy sweet bread filled with a mixture of beaten egg whites, sugar, finely crushed walnuts, vanilla sugar, rum essence, and Turkish delight. After the dough rises, it is divided, filled, rolled, braided, and baked in lined pans until golden. Once baked, the cozonac is left to cool under towels before serving, ideally with a glass of milk or wine.

Instructions

The sourdough starter

In a bowl, we put the yeast, 300 g of sugar, a teaspoon of salt, and the lukewarm milk. We mix well until the sugar and salt dissolve and the mixture is well homogenized. We cover the bowl with a plate or a lid and let it rise for 10-15 minutes at room temperature.

The dough

In a larger bowl, we put the flour, the yolks from 5 eggs (we will use the whites for the filling), and the milk with the yeast (the sourdough starter) that has been left to rise. We start kneading gently until the dough is very well combined.
We melt the butter in a pot (be careful not to burn it) and gradually add it to the dough, continuing the kneading process. After finishing the kneading, we place the dough in a large bowl, cover it with a towel, and let it rise. In a few quarters of an hour, the dough will double in volume.

The filling cream

While the dough is rising, we beat the 5 egg whites well, gradually adding the 300 grams of sugar. After that, we will gently mix in the finely crushed walnuts, vanilla sugar, and rum essence. Finally, we cut the Turkish delight into small pieces and add it to the mixture.

The final steps

After the dough has risen, we will divide it into four equal parts and roll them out on a floured surface. To achieve a fluffy cozonac, the dough should be stretched by hand. It might be a bit challenging, but with patience, we will succeed. Each piece of dough should end up in a rectangular shape.
We will fill each rectangular sheet with the filling, then roll each one up. One cozonac will be made from two of these filled rolls. We will prepare two cozonac pans by lining them with parchment paper. To ensure there is no risk of sticking, we will also lightly grease the parchment paper with a bit of oil. We will braid the two rolls together to form the cozonac, then place them in the pans and let them rise for a few more minutes.
We will beat one egg well and add a tablespoon of sugar. We will brush the cozonac with this egg mixture to give them a nice shine when baked. Then, we can bake them in a preheated oven at 180 degrees Celsius. The baking time will be approximately one hour. You can check if the cozonac is done by inserting a toothpick. If the dough sticks to the toothpick, they need to bake a bit longer.
After baking, we will take them out and place the pans on a wooden board. We cover them with two or three towels and let them cool.
I like to eat cozonac with a glass of milk, or even a glass of red wine 🙂
Enjoy!

Fluffy Cozonac (Romanian sweet bread) with walnuts and Turkish Delight