Cozonac — Print Recipe — The Culinary Codex

A towering, golden enriched bread swirled with walnut, cocoa, and rum filling — the centerpiece of every Romanian Easter and Christmas table.

Ingredients

500g bread flour
100g sugar
7g instant yeast
3 egg yolks
100g butter, softened
200ml warm milk
Zest of 1 lemon
1 tsp vanilla extract
Pinch salt
Filling: 200g ground walnuts, 100g sugar, 3 tbsp cocoa powder, 2 tbsp rum, 50ml warm milk

1 Dissolve yeast in warm milk with a pinch of sugar. Let foam 10 min.
2 Combine flour, sugar, salt, lemon zest. Add yeast mixture, egg yolks, and vanilla. Knead 15 min.
3 Add softened butter gradually, kneading until silky and elastic. Rise 1.5 hours until doubled.
4 Mix filling: combine walnuts, sugar, cocoa, rum, and enough warm milk to form a spreadable paste.
5 Roll dough into a rectangle, spread filling evenly, roll up tightly. Place in a buttered loaf pan. Rise 45 min.
6 Brush with egg wash. Bake at 170°C (340°F) for 45-50 min until deep golden. Cool before slicing.

Did You Know?

Romanian grandmothers say you must keep the kitchen warm and quiet while cozonac rises, or it will "catch cold" and refuse to grow.