This delicious nut roll pastry was almost always present in my grandmother’s home when we visited on Sunday afternoons. My grandparents, Mary and John Stofan, came from what was Austria-Hungary through Ellis Island at the ages of 16 and 17, fleeing from what was the beginnings of a forced youth army. The area they were from became Slovakia shortly after their departure.
My grandmother’s recipe was never found, but my father, Frank Stofan, spent 10 years poring through ethnic and church cookbooks and experimenting until he was pleased with recreating the taste and texture that came close to Baba’s nut rolls. Soon, this became a treat every Christmas and Easter in our home.
It occurred to me that I needed to learn from my father and be able to continue and pass along the tradition. In 2007, my father spent a weekend with me to teach and coach me through my first attempt. My niece, Hannah Harker, learned from me in 2015 and will take the recipe to the next generation.
An interesting note is that I’m from Pittsburgh, but now have lived in North Carolina for 27 years. A few years ago, I met a fellow Pittsburgh native named Mitch Brady, who has an Italian and Serbian background. Like many Pittsburghers with Eastern European roots, he had also grown up with and loved nut rolls, but had never made them.
We teamed up, and he was able to tweak my father’s recipe into what I would proclaim as the ultimate butternut roll recipe. Areas that my father struggled with, Mitch was able to improve upon because of his upbringing and experience making noodles and dough with his Italian mother.
I call Mitch the “dough whisperer,” as he has perfected this recipe. The photos of the process of making the nut rolls are of Mitch’s hands. He makes the best dough rectangles that I’ve ever seen. He’s so patient with the process; it’s like watching an artist paint.
Mitch and I have teamed together to make this treat for our families for the past six Christmases and even a few Easters as well. Mitch is a Stage 4 cancer survivor and has lived 11 years beyond the life expectancy originally given to him. Every time we make nut rolls together, we wonder if it will be the last.
Typically, they’re sliced and served cooled, but Mitch and I can never wait and slice a few slices from one fresh out of the oven—just to make sure it’s good.
Baba’s Nut Rolls or Mitch’s Butter Nut Rolls
Makes about 80- 1 package active dry yeast
- 2/3 cup to 1 cup lukewarm milk, plus 2 teaspoons for the yeast
- 2 sticks butter, softened
- 1/4 cup sugar, plus 1/2 teaspoon for the yeast
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 4 egg yolks
- 4 cups flour
- 2 pounds ground walnuts
- 4 egg whites
- 2 cups sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- Zest of 1 lemon
- About 1/2 cup milk, or more as needed
- 1 to 2 sticks butter, melted (this is Mitch’s addition to the recipe)
In a large bowl, combine the softened butter, 1/4 cup sugar, and salt. Mix until crumbly, then add egg yolks and blend well. Add flour, mixing slightly. Alternately add the warm milk (4 additions total) and the yeast mixture (3 additions total), mixing thoroughly after each addition. Knead for approximately 1 minute into a smooth ball of dough. If the dough is too sticky, add a little more flour.
Lightly grease a large bowl. Place the dough in the bowl, sprinkle with a little flour, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate overnight or at least for 8 hours.
The next day, mix together all of the ingredients for the nut filling except the milk. Add in splashes of milk as needed until the filling is spreadable, but not goopy, soupy, or too soft; it needs to have some body to it.
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Divide the dough into 4 parts.
Place 1 part of the dough on a plastic pie mat/sheet and roll out into a 9-by-15-inch rectangle. Spread 1/4 of the nut filling all over the rectangle of dough. This is where the melted butter comes in handy: Use a spatula dipped in melted butter to help spread the nut mixture more easily and avoid tearing the dough. Roll up the dough in a jelly-roll fashion. Place on the prepared baking sheet, seam-side down, and tuck the ends underneath. Repeat this process for the remaining dough and filling.
Cover the rolls with cloth and let rise for 2 hours. (This dough doesn’t double in size like most yeast dough; it will be minimal.)
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
Using a fork, prick two rows of holes down the length of each nut roll, on either side of the center, about 2 inches apart. Brush with melted butter.
Bake for 30 to 35 minutes. You may also brush with more melted butter upon removing from the oven.
Let cool completely, then slice into 1/2- to 3/4-inch slices. The nut rolls can be frozen or stored in a cool place.
Na zdravie! To your health!
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