A traditional Polish Easter Nut Roll handed down from my Grandma to my Mom to us kids. This is a sweet bread rolled with a buttery walnut filling. My Grandmother, and then later my Mom, and now my sisters and I, always make this at Easter. My mom usually doubled this recipe and made about 18 rolls, handing them out to neighbors and friends. Not only was this an Easter dish, my mom also made these at Christmas to hand out as gifts.
Polish Nut Rolls (aka Easter Nut Roll)
Print recipe
| Serves | 9 loaves |
| Prep time | 2 hours |
| Cook time | 30 minutes |
| Total time | 2 hours, 30 minutes |
| By author | Dish Ditty |
Ingredients
Dough
- 1 cup Milk
- 1/2 cup Sugar (+ 1 Tbl for Yeast)
- 1 1/2 teaspoon Salt
- 1 cup Butter (melted and cooled to less than 110 degrees)
- 3 packets Active Dry Yeast
- 3/4 cups Warm Water
- 5 Medium Eggs (lightly beaten together)
- 7-8 cups All Purpose Flour (or as much needed to make soft, elastic dough -- amount varies)
- 2oz Whiskey
Walnut Filling (approx 1 c. per roll)
- 6 1/2 cups English Walnuts (chopped fine, can substitute pecans in a pinch)
- 1 1/2 cup Butter
- 3 cups Sugar
- 1 1/2 cup Milk
- 5 Medium Egg Yolks
Icing Mixture
- 1 1/2 tablespoon Butter (melted)
- 2 Medium Egg Whites
- 1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
- 1lb Powdered Sugar
Note
Warm it up: These are so delicious when warm. Just heat a slice of the nut roll in the microwave for 10-20 seconds.
Can be frozen: These work well frozen (best without icing). Just bake, cool, and wrap tightly with plastic wrap before freezing.
Grandma's recipe: My grandma's recipe's instructions just said "Spread walnut filling on sweet dough: roll and bake". This is my mom's version with a little more instruction!
Variation 1: The walnut filling is perfect as a filling for shortbread tartlets, topped with a little melted chocolate.
Variation 2: Suz came up with a variation that is also delicious. Take a well gelled pie filling or jam and spread on the sweet dough and roll up as normal. Make sure the dough isn't rolled out too thin for this variation otherwise the dough stays too wet and won't bake all the way. Cool and ice the same as regular nut roll.
Directions
| Make the Walnut Filling First | |
| Step 1 | |
| Make the walnut filling first so that it has time to cool fully before using. Mix all ingredients in a saucepan and bring to a boil, it will take some time to come to a boil. Turn down heat and simmer for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Cool to room temperature before spreading on the rolled out dough. Reserve at least 2 egg whites for the icing mixture. | |
| Make the Dough | |
| Step 2 | |
| Scald milk (heat until bubbles start to form) in a saucepan (or microwave, approximately 90 seconds). Remove from heat and stir in sugar, salt and butter. Stir until the butter is completely melted. Cool to lukewarm. | |
| Step 3 | |
| In a large mixing bowl, dissolve the yeast in the lukewarm water (100-110 degrees) and add in about 1 Tablespoon of sugar. Allow to sit until mixture starts bubbling (this is called proofing the yeast). Stir in the milk mixture followed by the eggs, whiskey and then the flour, added one cup at a time. Add the flour until a soft elastic dough forms. If using a stand mixer, use the paddle for the first 4-5 cups and then switch to the dough hook. Once you have added all the flour, knead the dough either by hand or in a mixer with a bread hook for about 5 minutes. Put the dough into a greased (Crisco, butter, or olive oil) bow, cover with a damp towel and let raise until doubled in bulk (between 30-45 minutes). | |
| Step 4 | |
| Punch the dough down after doubling, then separate (pull or cut) into nine equal portions. Keep the portions of dough waiting to be rolled covered with a damp towel. Form one of the portions into a ball (about the size of a softball). Roll out the ball on a floured board into an 18 inch round pizza pie shape. Spread a generous portion of the walnut (see below for recipe), on the surface of the dough, leaving about 1 inch of dough without filling so you can make a seam when rolled. Roll up into a long loaf, being sure to end the roll on the filling-free side. Place the roll, seams side down, onto a greased (with Crisco or Pam) cookie sheet, leaving some room in between the rolls to raise, cover with a damp towel, and allow them to raise until doubled in bulk (about 30 minutes). **About 2 rolls per cookie sheets will allow enough room for raise without touching. If the rolls touch, you are likely to have walnut filling leaking through and the dough in that spot won't be done. | |
| Step 5 | |
| Once doubled, make sure there is still room between each rolls to allow for further rising in the oven during baking. Bake at 350 degrees for approximately 18 minutes until golden brown on top. Cool and ice with the icing mixture below. | |
| Step 6 | |
| Blend the butter, egg whites and vanilla extract in a bowl. Gradually stir in the powdered sugar. Adjust with a little water or powdered sugar as necessary for a smooth creamy texture. | |
If I pass down any family polish recipe to my son, this is the one recipe I choose. I have such fond memories of my mom making these. The aroma of the walnut filling cooking, the dough rising, the rolls baking in the oven. We weren’t able to eat the nut rolls when they came out of the oven… We had to wait, let them start to cool, ice them and then give them away! What?!? Give them away? NOOOOO…
Well, we kept 3 or 4 for us to eat on Easter morning and for Easter dinner as our dessert. Honestly, I look forward to this more than any easter candy. If you are to add one new tradition, this is the one to add.
Are the chopped nuts measured before or after they are chopped fine?
After they are chopped is best. I’ll add that to the recipe. Thanks!
YAY!!! We sooo missed your mom’s Nut Roll at Xmas time. Suzy was just over with cookies and told me about your website…Thanks, Vivian!! I’m going to share info with Deb too. I’ll definitely be making this special dessert. We miss your Mom. Hugs, Yolie
Hi, It’s just the two of us. Would you be able to share recommended measurements for 2 or 3 loaves? Some ingredients like eggs could throw things off. Thank you.
Honestly, we’ve never made it any smaller. I have used the filling with other bread/dough recipes. Even with Pillsbury products. 🙂
Divide all ingredients by 3!
Yes, this makes a ton, but that’s the way my Grandma and Mom always did it. We had to have enough for us AND give away to neighbors and friends.
Mine always crack,your look like the have slots in the top,do they?
No slots in the top. I do know they sometimes crack, but be sure to have the moist towel on them when they are rising and maybe your oven is too high? Also, I wonder if I am missing instructions that when rising the rolls for the last time, they should be covered with a damp towel. I’m pretty sure I do that, but I don’t see it in the recipe.
Can you omit whisky? What does it add to dough?
I’ve never tried it without. If you do want to omit it, substitute it with another liquid. Let me know how it goes.
Hi Jean,
We just made these for Christmas yesterday and we didn’t have any whisky… so we tried it without. It tasted right and worked really well. The only thing that seemed different was that without the whisky, the crust was a little softer, not as much of a ‘crust’ on it. But, other than that, it worked well.
Enjoy!
Egg whites? Couldn’t that we dangerous (dicey) I’m sure the eggs I buy in supermarket are not that fresh
This is an old recipe and they really didn’t have the concern we have today. You can buy pasteurized egg whites which will work well. Or, if that doesn’t work, you can get powdered egg whites and add water. Or, there are lots of other glazes you can use (like milk + melted butter + powdered sugar).
Sounds like a wonderful recipe to try, my husband is half Polish. I have allergies to all types of tree nuts, what could I add instead?
My Grandma called this a Kolachi. Since she died, nobody in the family has been able to make them like she used to, even with her recipe. When I was a kid, we would go pick the walnuts and grind the walnuts with a hand grinder. Good memories. I’ll give yours a try and hope for the best.
Let me know if you try them. I’m curious if they are close.
My nut rolls always leak filling while they’re baking. Any suggestions?
Mine leak out a little bit, but not so much that it’s a problem. Maybe you aren’t cooking the filling long enough? It should be pretty thick and bubbly.
Sometime too much filling or rolling too tightly .
Such great memories of my Mom making these my Mom was Checkoslovak we made these for Christmas and Easter. We also made Poppyseed so good thanks for shearing
Oh I’m so glad it brought back good memories. I’ve seen posts of the poppyseed rolls but have never tried them. I’ll have to try it one day.
Hi, can you provide some more info on the rolling, soft ball size dough that is rolled into a circle or a square? What is the seam when rolled?
Roll the ball into an oval. Then put the filling in and roll the long ways so it’s a long log. It will fold over only a couple of times.
This sounds like a marvelous recipe.
If this makes 9 loaves, approximately how long is one loaf.
Oh and almost any shape will work. I’ve done lots of different ways.
I’m trying nutrolls for the first time since we lost my mom and was comparing your recipe to one in my mom’s Russian Orthodox church cookbook because what’s left of my mom’s recipe is vague about measurements and of course I never thought to write it down. I have no sister so nobody’s brain to pick but your recipe, directions and measurements, combined with the church cookbook will work out well and I’m so thankful that you took the time to record your family’s recipe along with answering the questions from others. Christ is Risen. Indeed He has Risen.
Oh I’m so happy this helped you! How did it turn out?
Just a question. Why and when was the icing added to these rolls? I’m 72 and both my family and husband’s family have always made these. Everyone our families knew also never added the icing. Just last year my niece brought a roll as a gift that she bought from an Amish store, that was my first time to ever see this. Hate to say but it changes the flavor and I wasn’t impressed with the added sweetness. I do love the recipe just not the extra. Did your grandmother add this also? Just wondering.
Yes, my grandmother and mom almost always added the icing, usually when it was warm (not hot), about 15 minutes after coming out of the oven. I love it with the icing, but there always was a few people who didn’t like the icing, so she always kept a couple aside without. Sometimes she would have the icing on the side and spread it on depending on who she was giving it to or serving it to. But for most of the family, it was with icing. Honestly it is amazing either way.
This is very simaliar to what myMa made when we were little and my grandmother made. . I love making it especially now they are gone, my day smells like my childhood and is memory lane for me . Tomorrow is perogi?
My dad never liked perogi, so I didn’t get the pleasure of having them growing up. I did get to enjoy Cruschiki (probably spelling this wrong) and I made it a few times, but wow what a mess!
Would you know how to add poppy seeds to the filling? And amount?
I’m sorry I don’t. I see that it is a very common filling, but my family never made it that way.
Can this recipe be used just to make sweet bread I’m allergic to nuts of all kind so I thought my grandmother used to make Polish sweet bread
Yes! The bread portion of the recipe can be used with any type of filling or with no filling. Great for the poppyseed filling.
I’m so excited, my Mom used to make this and gave them to the nuns at the church.
She’s passed away and of course I only have half the recipe. You have to use
6 1/2 cups of walnuts then (1 cup measured after chopped) how many total cups of
chopped walnut do you really use?
I think that’s a mistake. It’s 6 1/2 cups of whole walnuts, It winds up closer to 4 cups when chopped.
My Polish grandparents, and all the little Polish ladies in my hometown in Pennsylvania also never used icing. I think it would detract from the sweet nutty filling flavor, and also make it not so good for dunking in coffee.