5 rolls: 2 with cinnamon filling + 3 with jam and walnut filling

I use deep, aluminum, rectangular disposable trays – 21/9 cm

There is nothing cozier than a warm kitchen smelling of kozunak*, marmalade and lemons … I always prepare these rolls for Easter feasts (following my grandmother’s recipe). I assure you, it is not difficult to prepare them, but still it takes half a day. However, you will not regret!

Products

for the dough:

5 eggs

1 cup sugar

1 cup Greek yoghurt

50 g fresh yeast

1/3 cup lukewarm water

1 tsp soda

lemon essence (generously) or lemon peel

200 g lard, melted

7 cups flour

for the filling:

200 g grinded walnuts (total for the 5 rolls)

550 g roasted plum jam (for the 3 rolls with jam)

6 tbsps sugar (3 tbsps per roll – I put only on the two rolls with cinnamon)

cinnamon to taste (only for the filling of the two cinnamon rolls)

for the decoration:

1 egg (beaten) to spread all the rolls

poppy seeds for sprinkling (for the 3 marmalade rolls)

sanding coarse sugar for sprinkling (for the 2 cinnamon rolls)

Preparation:

I dissolve the yeast in lukewarm water, sprinkle with a pinch of sugar and wait for it to activate.

Put the flour in a bowl which is suitable for kneading (make a well in the middle where you pour the mixture with the yeast). Aside, I add the rest of the products and knead soft dough. It rises.

Then I divide it into 5 balls, which I roll one by one on a floured surface into rectangular sheets, each 0.5 cm thick. I sprinkle evenly each of the 5 baking sheets with filling of choice:

  • spread the jam onto the whole surface, on which I put walnuts. I prepare 3 of the phyllo sheets with this filling.
  • sprinkle the phyllo sheets with cinnamon, sugar and walnuts (gently press them to the dough). I prepared the other 2 phyllo sheets with this filling.

Roll out each of the phyllo sheets into a roll (the edge is at the bottom). Place each roll in a separate baking tray, on a previously greased baking paper. I spread the beaten egg and sprinkle with poppy seeds (for the marmalade ones), the cinnamon ones I also spread the beaten egg, but sprinkle with the coarse sugar.

Bake in preheated oven at 200ᴼC. During baking, I reduce the heat to 180ᴼC. On top they get an appetizing color.

Tips:

Baking time depends on the baking tray and the oven.

Keep in mind that marmalade rolls remain juicier, bake them longer at a lower temperature, unlike cinnamon ones, which are drier.

If you notice that they start to brown too fast, cover them with wet baking paper. Another option is to spread them with the beaten egg and sprinkle them with poppy seeds/sugar just before they are ready, and not at the very beginning.

* https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cozonac