Cozonac

Cozonac is a sweet, enriched yeast bread, rolled around a filling and baked in a loaf tin. It is the festive bread of Romania, traditionally baked for Christmas and Easter. Similar sweet Easter breads are found elsewhere in the Balkans.

What it really is

A soft dough of wheat flour, milk, butter, eggs, sugar and yeast is rolled out thin, spread with filling, rolled up into a log and left to rise before baking. The most common filling is ground walnuts mixed with sugar, sometimes with milk or rum added. A cocoa filling is also widely made. When the loaf is cut, the swirl shows as a spiral of pale dough and dark filling. Recipes vary widely in the amount of butter, sugar and filling, so the richness of one loaf can differ greatly from another.

Cozonac is bread, not a cake. Its texture is close to a brioche, and it is usually eaten in slices rather than as a dessert portion.

How it's served

• Cut into thick slices so the spiral of filling shows.
• Served at room temperature, often with coffee or tea.
• Set out on the holiday table at Christmas and Easter, and shared among the family.
• Keeps for several days when wrapped, but dries out quickly if left uncovered.

How to write it on the menu

• Name the filling, walnut or cocoa, since guests with a nut allergy need to know which one they are getting.
• Flag wheat, eggs, milk and walnuts. Cocoa-filled versions still contain wheat, eggs and milk.
• State whether it is sold by the slice or by the loaf, and give the weight of each.
• If it is only made around Christmas and Easter, say so on the menu, since availability is seasonal.