Orahnjača (Croatian walnut roll)

Instructions

1. Dissolve the yeast in the lukewarm milk with a spoonful of sugar and wait 10 minutes for it to foam.
2. In a large bowl, mix the flour, salt and sugar. Add the egg yolks, the softened butter cut into pieces, the vanilla and the yeast mixture.
3. Knead for about 10 minutes until you have a smooth, elastic dough, then cover it and let it double in size for 1 hour.
4. Meanwhile, make the filling: mix the ground walnuts, sugar, hot milk, honey, lemon zest, cinnamon and rum until you get a smooth, creamy paste.
5. Roll the risen dough out to 5 mm thick on a floured work surface into a rectangle about 30 x 40 cm.
6. Spread the walnut filling evenly over the dough, leaving a 2 cm border around the edges.
7. Roll the dough up firmly along its length, seal the edges, then place the roll in a buttered loaf tin or on a tray. Let it rise for 30 minutes.
8. Bake at 180 °C for 40 to 45 minutes, until the surface is nicely golden. Let it cool before cutting into thick slices.