Poteca Nut Roll with Pecans - Sweet ReciPEAs (2024)

This Poteca Nut Roll is a rolled yeast-based pastry layered with a sweet pecan nut and brown sugar filling that you see at Christmas time.

Patience.

You either have it or you don’t.

And if you are going to be a baker and a pastry maker, you need patience.

I realize many a person does not possess this trait.

For people are always apologizing for making me wait.

I always give them a big smile and say, “I used to teach Junior High, I have the patience of a saint.”

And they smile back and know that I am not mad at them.

Most days I have patience.

When I made this Poteca Nut Roll I had patience.

I made the dough.

Let it rise.

Punched it down, rolled it out and stuffed it with pecan filling.

Then let it rise again.

And then after the almost 3 hours were up, into the oven it went.

Thirty-five minutes later out of the oven it comes.

No problem.

Since I got the idea to make the bread at 11:00 at night I did not finish until almost 3am (remember I am the night owl).

Obviously there was no light out so I knew that I would not be taking photos of this bread until I awoke the next morning(afternoon).

So I chose to wait on glazing the bread, so it would not get soggy.

I overslept and quickly realized that the beloved Sun Break (a term I never heard of until I moved to the Seattle area…it simply is a break from all the rain…except they last about 15 minutes it seems) would soon be over.

So I jumped out of bed and ran down stairs to quickly make the glaze.

I looked for my sifter and could not find it.

I looked out the window at the looming rain clouds rolling in and thought “screw it”, I just threw together the powder sugar and milk and slopped it onto the bread.

And for that I was severely punished.

Sigh.

Big, giant clumps of non-sifted powder sugar staring back at me on my bread.

Mocking me if you will.

Did the Sun Break pass?

Yes, though I did get a few photos in, BUT it didn’t matter to me because I just kept seeing those horrible little specks of sugar glaring at me. Boo.

So was it worth it to rush?

Not so much.

I think this proves that patience is most definitely needed for a quality product and I am going to buy another sifter so that I have two now and won’t have to go looking for just the one.

Things to Remember when Baking with Yeast:

Don’t be afraid of it.

A lot of people are intimidated by yeast and end up not making yummy recipes because of it.

If your yeast baked goods are not rising it is most likely two culprits.

You didn’t check the expiration date.

Or the water was too hot.

The expiration date is important and not a guideline.

Yeast is a living thing and it does expire.

So always check the date.

The other big killer of yeast is water way too hot.

If it’s too hot for you to touch, then it’s too hot for the yeast.

Dough not rising and you checked the date and you didn’t use too hot of water/milk?

Most likely it’s just cooler in your house then you realize.

My yeast bakes always take longer to rise if I don’t use my proofer.

Yes,I own a prooferand I love it.

But if I do room temperature it’s never the 75F when I bake…unless of course it’s summer.

But I most bake with yeast in the fall and winter.

P.S. It’s a great day to buymy cookbookHoly Sweet!

Want more recipes like this? Try these:

Orange Walnut Roll

Sticky Toffee Pudding Sticky Buns

Apple Cider Whiskey Glazed Pumpkin Pull Apart Bread

Blue-Raspberry Laminated Brioche Buns

Coconut Cream Pie Breakfast Buns

Maple Pecan Swirl Bread

Ingredients

• 1 package( ¼ ounce) active dry yeast
• ¼ cup warm water(110-115F)
• ¾ cup warm milk(110-115F)
• 1/3 cup sugar
• ¼ cup shortening
• 1 tsp salt1 egg, slightly beaten
• 3 to 3 ½ cups all-purpose flour
• Filling:
• 4 cups ground or finely chopped pecans
• 1 cup brown sugar
• ½ cup unsalted butter, softened
• 2 eggs, lightly beaten
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• milk(amount to be determined on consistency...I used about ¼ cup)

Instructions

1. In a mixing bowl, dissolve yeast in water.
2. Add milk , sugar, shortening, salt, egg. And 1 ½ cups flour.
3. Beat until smooth.
4. Add enough remaining flour to form a soft dough (mine took the whole 3 ½ cups).
5. Turn onto a floured surface, knead until smoothand elastic, about 6-8 minutes.
6. Place in a greased bowl, turning once to grease the top.
7. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place for 1 hour or until doubled in size.
8. Combine nuts, brown sugar, butter, eggs, and vanilla extract.
9. Add enough milk until mixture is spreading consistency.
10. Punch dough down. Roll into a 30-inch by 20-inch rectangle. Spread filling to within 1-inch of edges.
11. Roll up from one long side; pinch seams and ends to seal.
12. Place on a greased baking sheet; shape into a tight spiral.
13. Cover with a towel and let rise in a warm place for about 1 hour or until doubled in size.
14. Bake at 350F for 35 minutes or until golden brown. Cool on a wire rack.
15. If desired, brush with a glaze of powder sugar and milk (but what ever you do...sift the sugar!)