Cozonac Moldovan
“The festive sweet bread of Moldova — an enriched, eggy yeast dough rolled around a swirl of ground walnut, sugar, and cocoa, then baked into a tall, tender, marbled loaf. The essential Easter and Christmas bread, filling the house with the smell of celebration.”
Where it comes from
Cozonac is the sweet leavened bread of Moldovan and Romanian feast days, swirled with a walnut or poppy-seed filling and baked tall for Easter and Christmas. Buttery and rich, it is the festive loaf every household bakes.
On the plate
Cut a slice of cozonac and the crumb is soft, tender, and faintly eggy-sweet, spiralled with a dark, rich ribbon of ground walnut and cocoa. Bite: pillowy and barely-sweet bread against the nutty, cocoa-deep filling, the marbled swirl in every slice, lovely lightly toasted with butter. The smell-of-the-holidays bread of the Moldovan Easter and Christmas table.
How it works
A long knead develops the gluten for cozonac's signature tall, fluffy, almost stringy crumb; the enriched dough (eggs, butter, milk) keeps it tender. Rolling the walnut filling in and twisting the ropes gives the marbled spiral, and two rises build the airy, festive structure.
Variations
With poppy seed filling. With Turkish delight (rahat). With raisins. With more cocoa. Plain. As individual buns.
On the Palate
Ingredients
Serves 12How it's made
8 steps · Show ↓60 min active · 180 min waiting
How it's made
8 steps · Show ↓- 115 min
Make a rich yeast dough with flour, warm milk, eggs, sugar, butter, and lemon zest.
- 290 min
Knead until very elastic, then leave to rise until doubled, about 1.5 hours.
- 38 min
Make the filling: beat ground walnuts with sugar, cocoa, egg white, and a little milk.
- 46 min
Roll the risen dough into a large rectangle.
- 58 min
Spread the walnut filling and roll up tightly; twist two rolls together.
- 645 min
Place in a tall lined tin and let it rise again, 45 min.
- 742 min
Brush with egg and bake at 170°C until deep golden and hollow-sounding, 40 min.
- 86 min
Cool before slicing to show the marbled swirl.
