Nut Roll Recipe
This nut roll recipe hails from an old family friend and is a Christmas staple. It only requires one rise, so it’s easy to churn out a ton of nut roll!
It’s Christmas week and we need to talk nut roll!
I’ve seen this called nut roll, Hungarian nut roll, Slovak nut roll, Polish nut roll, kolache, even Pittsburgh nut roll, which blew my mind when I saw it! I didn’t realize they were so synonymous with this region, but that makes me just plain giddy. Whatever name you go by, traditional nut roll is a soft sweet dough that is filled with a sweet walnut mixture. It basically tastes like Christmas and it wouldn’t be the holidays without devouring an embarrassing amount of nut roll.
I originally shared this nut roll recipe with you nearly six (SIX!) years ago, and SO MANY OF YOU have made it year after year for the holidays, which just makes me so ridiculously happy. In that time, however, I’ve received a lot of questions about two very specific components of this recipe: (1) the use of cake yeast; and (2) some issues with the dough splitting open and filling oozing out during the baking process.
I’ve gone back and re-worked the recipe a couple of times to help troubleshoot those issues, and I’ve got you covered!
My mom gave me the recipe card for nut roll, which hails from her best friend of a gazillion years, Cheryl. I just adore old handwritten recipe cards 💗
Okay let’s dig into the specifics of this recipe. First up, the yeast…
The original recipe calls for cake yeast, which is typically sold in the refrigerated section of the grocery store near the butter. When I first began making this recipe, I bought cake yeast all the time, however, it hasn’t been stocked in my regular grocery store for some time now, and it sounds like the same is the case for many of you.
I recently made a batch of this nut roll substituting active dry yeast and I had no issues whatsoever. One fresh cake yeast is equivalent to three packages of active dry yeast, so you’ll see that substitution option listed in the recipe below. The most important difference to keep in mind is that the temperature of the water needs to be different based on the type of yeast you use. For fresh cake yeast, you’ll want a lower temperature to activate the yeast, while the active dry yeast requires a higher temperature.
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Next up is the issue of the dough splitting and the filling oozing out. I think I have this one figured out!
The last time that I made this, instead of adding all of the flour, I added a little at a time and then stopped once the dough was no longer sticky, and I still had quite a bit of flour left. And what do you know? Those rolls had perfectly smooth dough from start to finish on ALL of the rolls – no cracking, splitting or filling spilling out. I’m convinced that the issue had to do with the dough being too dry and, as a result, cracking and splitting, which can cause the filling to come out.
The exact amount that you use will vary wildly depending on the time of year, the ambient air temperature and humidity levels, but definitely go with a little flour at a time, and then stop periodically to feel the dough as you near the end of the flour. It shouldn’t be sticky, but should still be quite soft and supple.
So that’s it! This is my go-to nut roll recipe and has been for years, and I hope I’ve made it a little bit easier for you to tackle it. At first glance it might look like a lot of work (8 nut roll!) but it’s really not a lot of hands-on time and they only require one (long) rise, so totally doable. I made my Christmas batch last week and managed to get them totally mixed and assembled in an hour while Joseph was at preschool and Dominic was napping. I left them to rise and baked later that afternoon. Done!
You can buy nut roll from bakeries and tons of churches in this area around the holidays, but I’m always surprised once I dig in and tackle them at how uncomplicated they are. If you’ve been too intimidated to try nut roll before, have no fear! I’ve also successfully scaled this recipe, so if you don’t need this many nut roll, feel free to cut it in half.
In a word, this nut roll recipe is spectacular. Too often I’ve had nut roll that are doughy and dry and/or don’t have enough filling. The dough for this recipe is very, very soft, and the filling is supremely moist. Plus, the filling-to-dough ratio is very high, which keeps everything from drying out and packs a ton of flavor into even the smallest of slices.
I hope you’ll give these a try and that they become one of your Christmas traditions as well!
Five years ago: Ho Ho Cake
Six years ago: Chocolate Bourbon Balls
Nut Roll Recipe
Ingredients
For the Dough:
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- ½ cup (125 ml) warm water
- 2 ounces (56.7 g) cake yeast or 3 packets (6¾ teaspoons) active dry yeast
- 6 eggs
- 16 ounces (453.59 ml) sour cream
- 2 cups (454 g) unsalted butter, melted and cooled
- 1 cup (200 g) granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon (0.5 teaspoon) salt
- 9 to 10 cups (1.13 kg) grams all-purpose flour
For the Filling:
- 3 pounds (1.36 kg) walnuts, finely ground
- 3 cups (600 g) granulated sugar
- ¾ cup (170.25 g) unsalted butter, melted and cooled
- ¾ cup (192 ml) evaporated milk
- ½ cup (122 ml) whole milk
- ½ teaspoon (0.5 teaspoon) vanilla extract
Instructions
- Make the Dough: Dissolve 1 teaspoon sugar into the ½ cup warm water (if using fresh cake yeast, the water temperature should be between 90 to 95 degrees F; if using active dry yeast, the water temperature should be 120 to 130 degrees F). Crumble the fresh yeast or sprinkle the active dry yeast and stir to combine. Let sit for 5 to 10 minutes, or until foaming.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer using the paddle attachment, beat the eggs on medium speed until combined, about 1 minute. Add the sour cream, melted butter, sugar, vanilla, salt and the softened yeast. Mix on medium speed until smooth and well-combined, about 2 to 3 minutes. Switch to the dough hook, reduce the mixer speed to low, and add the flour a little at a time, until the dough does not feel sticky but is still soft and supple. Continue kneading until the dough does not stick to the sides of the bowl. Cover with a damp dish towel while you prepare the filling.
- Make the Filling: In a large bowl, combine all of the ingredients for the filling, stirring well to ensure that it is completely mixed and all of the ingredients are incorporated.
- Assemble the Nut Roll: Line four baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats. Divide the dough into eight pieces. On a clean work surface and one at a time, roll each piece out into a 9x14-inch rectangle, using flour if necessary to keep from sticking. Spread one-eighth of the filling to within ½-inch of the edges. With the long side in front of you, roll up gently and pinch the seams shut. Place on the prepared baking sheets, 2 rolls per sheet. Cover loosely with plastic wrap. Repeat with all eight pieces of dough. Place the baking sheets in a draft-free area and allow to rise for 3 hours (the rolls will puff and swell but will not look huge).
- Bake the Nut Roll: Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Bake one pan at a time for 20 to 25 minutes, or until the tops are lightly browned. Cool completely before slicing. Wrap leftovers tightly in plastic wrap and store at room temperature for up to 1 week. The nut roll can be frozen by wrapping in plastic wrap, then again in foil, and stored in the freezer for up to 2 months. Thaw at room temperature.
Notes
- If you do not have a stand mixer, you can mix and knead this dough by hand.
- You can cut this recipe in half to make only four rolls instead of eight.
Did you make this recipe?
Leave a review below, then snap a picture and tag @thebrowneyedbaker on Instagram so I can see it!
This recipe was originally published on January 10, 2011.
Wow! Thank you for this recipe! We made it today and it is delish!
Love nutroll! Just made some myself.
My Polish foster mother (I’m now 62, so that was a long time ago) used to make nutrolls using a dough that was refrigerated overnight. Her filling was comprised in part of egg white meringue, sugar, and finely ground walnuts. It was delicious. I scoured libraries (prior to the internet) and later the internet for a refrigerated dough recipe and the meringue based walnut filling. I never found anything close to it and my foster mother (long since deceased) didn’t have a traditional recipe. She was one of those bakers whose mantra is….just a little bit of this, some of that, etc. This year, I decided to see what recipes were out there. I came upon yours. I am proud to say I have 8 long rolls of perfect nutroll on my kitchen island. My coworkers are in for a treat. My husband has already devoured the two ends of one nutroll already. Thank you so much, Michelle, for a fail proof nutroll recipe.
Hi Debbie….. I also remember a nut filling using whipped egg whites. It was delicious. I have not been able to find a recipe either!
Here is an excellent recipe for walnut filling with egg whites
RECIPE…1 lb. ground walnuts …. 1 cup sugar….6 stiffly beaten egg whites….1 tsp. vanilla…1 tsp. almond flavoring Note: This is enough filling for 4 nut rolls.
Also,…I use 6 egg yolks in my recipe for 4 nut rolls and use the 6 egg whites for the filling. This is excellent!
This certainly is a recipe I want to try – sounds yummy! I make Rollup Cookies (aka Nut Roll Cookies) at Christmas from a recipe I have from my favorite Aunt. Your recipe is very similar. Something you may want to specify for this recipe, for those who are not familiar with fresh active yeast, is that it comes in two sizes. The large cake is 2 ounces, while the smaller size is 0.6 ounces. So three of the small cakes equals approximately one of the large cakes. This might help someone trying it for the first time. Though I too have trouble finding the fresh yeast and have substituted the active dry instead.
Can regular butter be used instead of unsalted?
I use only salted butter, and so just give a quick shake more to make up for the salt in the butter… perfect!
Yes, that would be okay!
Hi! My mom’s family is from south of Pittsburgh and these nut rolls look just like my grandma’s! We have been trying for years to recreate her recipe! I’m so glad I found yours! We also make poppy seed rolls… praying we can get the cake yeast to rise! Thanks so much for your tips!
Great recipe. I made these this year for the 3rd time, and they taste just like my Slovenian relatives made. I have my mother’s old recipe card, and her directions for the filling were “2 pounds nuts, 1 can evaporated milk, sugar, honey”. Needless to say, I didn’t know where to start! Thank you for this. I make a half recipe every December, cut each roll in half, wrap and freeze. (Nobody in my own family likes them.) Over the course of the next year I slowly eat them all up, and then it’s time to bake again! Yum.
about how many cups of nuts is in 3 lb of nuts
Hi Judith, It’s about 12 cups of ground nuts.
I have made this for a few yrs. now and we love it. The issue I have is that the dough always breaks while baking. My Mother in Law used to make nut cookies& the recipe was about the same. but so time consuming! You have to cut little squares& make little pouches of dough with filling.This is so much easier but tastes the same.
Hi Lori, Try cutting back on the flour a bit and see if that helps!
I grew up in a Hungarian neighborhood in Bethlehem, PA. For years I made these with my mother to sell at our small grocery store. It wasn’t unusual to make 100 plus rolls each Christmas season. Then, we would make a quadruple batch for home to share with family and friends when they visited. This past weekend I spent the day making apricot, poppyseed, and nut rolls (kolač). The recipe I use is very similar to the one posted here. Anytime I make these I feel like my mom is looking over my shoulder. (There are several different versions of this recipe in FCSLA Slovak-American Cookbook – which can be purchased from the FCSLA website.)
We always purchased dry, ground poppyseed by the pound and mixed it with sugar, warm milk and vanilla. )Sometimes my mom would use whiskey instead of vanilla.) Unfortunately, this year I found it difficult to get the poppyseed in dry form and had to settle for a pre-mixed poppyseed sold at a local grocery store.
Hi JH! Nuts.com sells poppyseed (unground) by the pound. Check them out next year. Great little company for nuts, seeds, dried fruit and other baking supplies.
Do you happen to have a good perogie recipe? Seems like you would have the background for one! :)
Merry Christmas!!
OMG – Here researching the filling for nut rolls. Recipe from my Grammy who lived in Hungarian neighborhood in Bethlehem PA after they escaped Hungary in 1956. I have a few of her recipes stating a handful of this type measurements LOL. Great bakers <3. I have gotten as close as I can to her Hungarian Kiffle pastries and Apple Sturdel. Now just trying to get these nut rolls correct. So glad to have run into this exchange. And a big wave to my fellow Hungarians – I’m only 1st generation, but spend many summer weeks and holidays with my Hungarian Grandmother
Try a family run marker, they usually carry this for the holidays.
These look and sound just like the Nut Rolls that my Polish Grandmother used to make and They were delicious! I would love to try making them, but yeast rally scares me. I can’t seem to find your video for them, cann you tell me where to look?
Thank you
It should just start playing as you scroll down the page, and will pin either to the side (if you’re on a desktop) or bottom (on mobile) of the page.
I too was afraid to use the yeast recipes. This is what I do every time I use yeast. If the recipe calls for 1/2 cup water, I use a candy thermometer to get the right temp. called for on the package of yeast, once it gets to 110-115 I ADD A TEASPOON OF SUGER AND THE DRY YEAST. In a few minutes it will start to foam, this tells you that the yeast mixture is just right for the recipe. Good luck, Sylvia
Thank you, Michelle.
Hi,
I’m from Pittsburgh and another great addition to my nut rolls is a line of apricot preserves running down the beginning of the short side on top of nut mixture.
Superb.
Oooh that sounds amazing!
I am 92, I have made nut roll many years. My mother in law told me to make about 3 diagonal slits across
the dough just before baking. I have no problem with it cracking. Hope this will help.
Thank you so much for that tip!!!
How can I freeze a baked nut roll?
Hi,
We freeze our nut rolls every year. Once they’re completely cool, we wrap in Saran wrap and then in Aluminum foil. They freeze nicely and taste just as good.
Yes absoutely! Just like Kelly mentioned, I wrap in plastic wrap, then in aluminum foil.
First time making nut rolls and they turned out great! I half the recipe to make 4 rolls and they taste awesome! On some rolls the filling is a bit skimpy but these are just perfect. 👍
Is there anyway to make just 2 rolls? When I change the amount to 2, the measurements are all off.
Thanks!
Hi Liz, Just divide all of the measurements by 4.
Could you substitute a cup 4 cup or 1-to-1 gluten free flour?
Hi Meredith, I think that would work okay! I’m not familiar with it, so you may ending up needing more or less flour or water.
Can you give directions on how to handle the dough for a novice? I assume it needs to rise but there are no directions on how long to let it sit or how much it should rise before rolling it out.
Under instruction #4 it says to let dough rise for 3 hours
Michelle-
I cannot wait to try your recipe for nutroll. May I ask if you have a recipe you can share for the poppyseed roll?
My Bubba used to get poppyseeds from a grocer in Braddock. I have yet to find a recipe that almost mirrors her fabulous poppyseed rolls.
I wish I had a time machine so I could write down every step from shopping for supplies, to prepping the fillings and doughs, to the wonderful fragrance of the freshly baked rolls, to taking the first sweet and tangy bite. Most of all, getting a hug for just sitting with her and watching her mix, knead, and bake.
I am looking forward to the nutroll and wouldn’t be surprised if I shed a happy tear if this recipe is anything like Bubba’s. Would you help with the poppyseed filling in this dough please?
Thanks again Michelle for bringing this girl from the ’Burgh a bit of culinary hope in 2020.
Awww I love this! Unfortunately, my grandma never made poppyseed rolls, only the nut rolls, so I don’t have a recipe for the poppyseed variety :(
I used to see poppyseed filling in the baking section at the grocery store. I haven’t looked lately, but it’s probably still there. May not be as good as homemade poppyseed — but who knows!
I find it difficult to use that poppyseed filling. Have tried multiple times with a couple dough variations and it ALWAYS oozes dramatically. I ran out of nut filling this year and decided to go for it, yet again, and had even more dramatic results. I blame 2020. It looks like the rolls intestines were oozing out the side. Thankfully, my mom isn’t picky and will be happy to eat it. But I agree, need to find a recipe for the poppy filling!
MIMI, I loved my mother’s poppy seed roll. I found poppy seed filling in the grocery store and was so excited. The brand name isSolo. I’m going to give ie a try……
Solo makes a rally good poppyseed filling!
Mimi,
1 cup poppy seeds, grind in coffee or spice grinder
1/3 cup boiling water, add to ground poppy seeds to soften while you prepare dough
1/4 cup ground almonds
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla
Zest from lemon, to taste
When dough is dry to fill, add all above to the cooled poppyseed & continue as for nut or apricot roll. I don’t use lemon zest but this is my grandmothers recipe and she always did or orange zest. It is good with or without the zest. Hope this works for you.
It should read when dough is “ready” to fill NOT dry :)
My mother and I have used this recipe for poppyseed rolls.
1 cup poppyseed
1/2 cup raisins (optional)
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup milk
2 tsp. grated lemon rind.
combine all ingredients bring to a boil stirring constantly about 5 min. It will start to thicken remove from heat and cool to lukewarm.
I double the recipe, we like a lot of poppyseed on our rolls. Sylvia
I made this nut roll recipe last week for Thanksgiving, after several failed recipes over the past 2 years. Thank God I did! It is the best nut roll ever!! I only have 1 roll left! I have to make more for Christmas! Everybody just loves it. Thank you for sharing this recipe. It will always be a staple in my family for years to come!
Made the 8 but didn’t brown on the bottom plus the sides blew out with filling what can I do??
Left in for 25 /30 minutes …HELP … can I put back in oven next day and turn bottom side up
I know lots of your recipes have measurements in grams…but for this one the flour says 9 – 10 cups grams of flour. You might want to take out the grams in that ingredient
My mom and aunts made this but roll and poppy seed roll at Christmas and Easter every year. It was always a favorite treat. They put the nuts through a meat grinder along with some coconut. I’ve lost the recipe and don’t know how much coconut they used or what the purpose was. It really didn’t add the flavor of coconut to the filling. Other than that her recipe is the same as your, I think she cooked the filling a bit.
I have an old family recipe that uses coconut for the filling too. It calls for 1 can or half a bag of coconut. Unfortunately it doesn’t say what size bag. But I find that’s what a lot of old recipes I have indicate. They didn’t always use exact measurements.
I want to print this recipe but it doesn’t go to print
I cut the recipe in 1/2 – they were fantastic – nice soft crust – I will be making this “an old family recipe”
How did you divide the egg measurement? I would like to half the recipe since this year will only be our household. Thank you.
I tried to make these but they raised them I put
In oven they went sorta flat
WgT did I do wrong they smelled good looked good
Let them raise 3 hours
Please help me
aBOUT HOW MANY CUPS IS 3 LB OF NUTS
Recipe calls for 3 pounds walnuts finely ground How many cups of the finely ground do I need > I have a bag of finely grounded already. I am thinking 12 cups?
I made the nutrolls and they were wonderful. I do have a question, baked on a sheet pan and they spread out during baking. How do I avoid this? I’d love to give to friends. Thank You!