Birch sap vinegar
Vinegar from spring birch sap fermented to alcohol and then acetic acid, usually with added sugar or honey because the sap is so dilute; made in Sweden and described in older eastern European accounts.
Cozonac (Irina Georgescu’s walnut and sultana loaves)
Cozonac · Romanian cozonac · Christmas cozonac · Easter cozonac
This Romanian cozonac recipe makes two enriched loaves filled with walnuts, sultanas and a whipped egg-white mixture. The dough rises once before filling and again in tins, then bakes in two oven stages.
One Romanian holiday loaf
Irina Georgescu describes cozonac as a Romanian sweet bread served at Easter and Christmas. Her recipe from Tava makes two medium loaves filled with walnuts and sultanas, with orange blossom water in the filling and orange zest in the dough. This is one published recipe, not a universal formula for Romanian or Moldovan households.
The recipe builds an enriched yeast dough with milk, eggs, soured cream and butter. Each loaf is formed by twisting two filled dough logs together. Georgescu pairs that shaping with two warm proofs and a bake that starts at 160°C fan and finishes at 140°C fan. The recipe card calls for a clean skewer as its doneness cue and gives no measured internal temperature or shelf-life claim.
Sources for this section
History
Irina Georgescu presents this particular cozonac as a Romanian sweet bread served at Easter and Christmas. Her recipe from Tava documents one modern two-loaf formula; it does not establish the earliest attestation or represent all Romanian or Moldovan household practices.
Ingredients
Yield 2 medium loaves · Scaling: source batch only
14 g
The source says fast-action dried yeast.Whole milkWarmed.
200 mL
Medium eggsUse 2 whole eggs and the yolks of 2 more in the dough; reserve those 2 whites for the filling. Beat the remaining egg for the wash.
5
The source specifies five eggs total.Golden caster sugar
150 g
Vanilla extract
15 mL1 tbsp as recorded
Soured creamBring to room temperature.
150 g
Orange zestFinely grated.
1 large orange
Unsalted butterMelted.
80 g
Sunflower oilUse to grease the dough bowl, work surface and two loaf tins.
Amount not stated
The source gives no amount.Walnuts
150 g
Filling.Sultanas
150 g
Filling.15 mL1 tbsp as recorded
Orange blossom water
15 mL1 tbsp as recorded
Caster sugarFor whipping with the reserved egg whites.
75 g
Filling.Method
Risks and precautions · Standard risk
Raw wheat flour and dough
Raw flour can carry germs; do not taste the uncooked dough or filling.
Hazard sourceEgg-containing dough and filling
The dough, filling and glaze contain eggs; bake the loaves fully before eating. The source’s clean-skewer check is a cooking cue, not a validated internal-temperature limit.
Hazard sourceHot oven, tins and baking tray
The oven and loaf tins can cause burns.
Hazard sourceDo not taste raw dough or filling; bake the loaves before eating and use the source's skewer cue to check the centre.
Control sourceUse oven protection when handling the hot tins and wire rack.
Control sourceContains wheat, milk, eggs and walnuts. The filling contains uncooked egg whites until the loaves are baked.
- Combine the flour and dried yeast in a large bowl or in a stand mixer fitted with a paddle. Add the warmed milk and mix.
- In another bowl, beat 2 whole eggs with the yolks of 2 more eggs, reserving those 2 whites for the filling. Beat in the golden caster sugar and vanilla until foamy, then mix in the soured cream and orange zest.
- Add the egg mixture to the flour mixture. Beat with a wooden spoon or mixer on medium speed for 5–8 minutes, until thick strands begin to separate.
- Add the melted butter one tablespoon at a time, beating well after each addition. Change to a dough hook or knead by hand until the dough is smooth and pulls away from the sides of the bowl.
- Transfer the dough to a sunflower-oil-greased bowl. Cover and let it rise in a warm place for 1½ hours.
- Make the filling: pulse the walnuts and sultanas together in a food processor. Mix in 1 tablespoon milk and 1 tablespoon orange blossom water. In a separate bowl, beat the 2 reserved egg whites with 75 g caster sugar to stiff peaks, then fold them into the walnut mixture.
- Oil and line two 10 × 21 cm loaf tins with baking paper. Turn the dough onto a lightly oiled work surface, shape it into a log and divide into four equal pieces.
- Stretch and roll one piece into a rectangle the length of a tin and about twice its width. Spread with one quarter of the filling, roll it into a long log, then repeat with a second piece. Twist the two filled logs together, tuck in the ends if needed and place the braid in one tin.
- Repeat with the remaining dough and filling for the second loaf. Cover both tins and prove in a warm place for 30 minutes.
- Heat the oven to 160°C fan. Beat the remaining egg and brush it over the loaves. Bake on the lower shelf for 20 minutes, then reduce the oven to 140°C fan and bake for another 30 minutes. The source’s doneness cue is a skewer inserted into the loaf coming out clean. If the tops darken too quickly, cover them with foil.
- Cool the loaves in their tins under a cloth for 10 minutes. Remove them to a wire rack and leave them covered until completely cool.
Conditions
Yield2 medium loaves
Active time60 min
Temperature140–160°C
Places
Romania
Documented preparation · Country evidenceThe source labels the recipe Romanian and associates it with Easter and Christmas. No locality is given, and this formula is not treated as representative of all Romanian or Moldovan versions.
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Sources
Nourish Magazine; recipe from Tava by Irina GeorgescuRomanian identity and holiday context · Ingredients and quantities · Method · Yield and equipment · Timing and baking endpoint
Cozonac (Romanian Christmas and Easter bread) recipeThe page identifies cozonac as a traditional Romanian sweet bread served at Easter and Christmas and attributes this recipe to Irina Georgescu’s Tava. It says the batch makes two medium loaves, each serving 10.
The formula lists 600 g strong white bread flour, 14 g fast-action dried yeast, 200 ml warmed whole milk, five medium eggs, 150 g golden caster sugar, 1 tbsp vanilla extract, 150 g room-temperature soured cream, zest of one large orange, 80 g melted unsalted butter and sunflower oil for greasing.
The walnut-sultana filling uses 150 g walnuts, 150 g sultanas, 1 tbsp milk, 1 tbsp orange blossom water, 75 g caster sugar and the whites of two eggs; the fifth egg is used for the glaze.
The method specifies a 5–8 minute initial mix, 1½-hour first rise, dividing the dough into four, rolling and filling four pieces, twisting the logs in pairs into two loaves in two 10 × 21 cm tins, a 30-minute second proof, 20 minutes at 160°C fan followed by 30 minutes at 140°C fan, a clean-skewer doneness cue, optional foil if tops darken, and the stated cooling sequence.
The recipe card states one hour hands-on and 50 minutes in the oven; it does not establish a measured proofing temperature or food-safety internal temperature.
Cited in: One Romanian holiday loaf
Centers for Disease Control and PreventionRaw flour and dough safety
Raw Flour and DoughRaw flour can carry germs; people should not eat raw dough.
National Fire Protection AssociationHot oven safety
Educational Messages Desk ReferenceUse care around cooking heat and hot equipment.