Gluten Free Vegan Potica
A special treat in my family for years, finally I decided to try my hand at making it both gluten free and vegan. Not an easy undertaking. The result was a delightfully sweet and nutty rolled loaf, perfect with a cuppa in the afternoon. I paired it with lots of filling to offset the more dense/unforgiving gluten-free-ness of the dessert. Use whatever coconut biscuits you would like for this gluten free vegan potica. See my other recipes here.
Gluten Free Vegan Potica
Course: Posts, Recipes1
hour30
minutes40
minutesPotica is a Slovenian festive nut roll pastry. This was made during special times of year in my family, but never vegan nor GF! Made with a filing of coconut biscuits and walnuts, this sweet treat is a lovely addition to your morning coffee or afternoon cup of tea. This recipe makes one small loaf that can be baked in a standard bread tin.
Ingredients
- DOUGH
87ml (1/3 c + 1 tsp) Almond Milk
1.5 tbsp Sugar
1/2 tbsp Coconut Oil
1/2 Vanilla Pod (scraped) or 1 tsp Vanilla Extract
150g (1 c) GF Flour
1/8 tsp Salt
1/2 tsp Sugar
2 tbsp Warm Water
3/4 tsp Yeast
- FILLING
1/2 bag (~65g) GF Coconut Biscuits (I love Rhythm 108’s Tea Biscuits)
130g (~1c) Walnuts
3 tbsp Sugar
1 tbsp Cocoa Powder (or Cacao)
62 ml (4 tbsp) Almond Milk
- TOPPING
1/2 tbsp Coconut Oil
1 tsp Sugar
Directions
- Prepare the Dough
- In a small saucepan, combine almond milk, 1.5 tbsp sugar, coconut oil, and vanilla pod over low heat. Stir occasionally until the mixture is warm but not boiling. Remove from heat and let it cool slightly.
- In a separate small bowl, mix 1/2 tsp sugar, warm water, and yeast. Let this mixture sit for 5 minutes, or until it becomes frothy.
- In a large mixing bowl, combine the gluten-free flour and salt. Add the cooled almond milk mixture and the yeast mixture to the flour. Stir until well combined. The dough should be slightly sticky.
- Cover the dough with a clean cloth and let it rise in a warm place for 1-2 hours, or until it doubles in size.
- Prepare the Filling
- While the dough is rising, prepare the filling. In a food processor, pulse the coconut biscuits, walnuts, sugar, and cocoa powder until they form a fine, crumbly texture.
- Gradually add the almond milk to the dry mixture by hand, mixing until it forms a spreadable paste.
- Roll Out the Dough
- Once the dough has risen, preheat the oven to 160°C (fan)/350°F.
- Lightly dust a clean surface with gluten-free flour. Divide the dough in half for easier handling, and roll out each portion into a thin circle (about 30 cm in diameter). Rolling gluten-free dough can be tricky, so it’s best to roll it out on parchment paper to prevent sticking. Use additional flour as needed but don’t overdo it.
- Spread the filling evenly across each rolled-out piece of dough.
- Roll and Shape the Dough
- Carefully roll the dough from one long end to the other, forming a log. If you have divided the dough into two portions, repeat with the second half.
- Place the rolled dough into a greased bread tin. You can lay them side by side or create an “S” pattern depending on how you prefer the final appearance.
- Bake the Potica
- Brush the top of the dough with the melted coconut oil and sprinkle the sugar on top.
- Bake the potica in the preheated oven for 10 minutes at 160°C/350°F.
- After 10 minutes, reduce the oven temperature to 120°C/300°F and bake for an additional 30 minutes or until the potica is golden brown.