This Chocolate Orange Maple Povitica recipe features a chocolate orange maple pecan filling swirled inside layers of an enriched bread dough and topped with a chocolate glaze. This swirled bread recipe is a great way to use up pecans and oranges.
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Growing up my mom’s friend would send her povitica every year on her birthday. She would always let us have a few slices toasted and heavily buttered. These slices were always the highlight of the day. Now I love to make new versions with seasonal flavors. I adapted the base recipe from Little House Big Alaska.
I developed a pumpkin and chocolate version before I had this blog, but the first version to ever be recorded here is my Blood Orange Povitica. Apparently I love using citrus in a bread recipe because this will be my third recipe on this relatively young blog to feature it. My first citrusy bread was my Softest Orange Rolls recipe.
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Why you’ll love this recipe
- This recipe uses all natural ingredients to flavor the loaf.
- The swirl is impressive and easy to accomplish.
- This is a great recipe to use up a lot of pecans, if that is what you need.
Ingredients
- All-purpose flour is the base of the enriched dough.
- The loaf uses instant yeast for its rise.
- Granulated sugar sweetens the enriched dough.
- Egg binds the filling and gives a sheen to the loaf.
- Orange zest and juice flavor the filling.
- Cacao-Maple Melange Spice Blend, Maple Powder and Cacao Powder flavors the filling.
- Pecans are roasted and ground up and serve as the base of the filling.
- Kosher salt and vanilla bean paste balance the overall flavor profile.
- Unsalted butter provides richness to the dough and the filling.
- Milk provides moisture to the dough.
- Semisweet chocolate and heavy cream is the base of the icing.
See recipe card below for a full list of ingredients and measurements.
Substitutions and variations
Here’s how to customize this povitica bread to your liking:
- Walnuts — sub walnuts for pecans, as they are actually traditional for povitica. I used pecans because I had them on hand.
- No spice blend — Replace with an extra 1 tablespoon orange zest, 1 tablespoon cocoa powder, ¼ teaspoon cinnamon, ¼ teaspoon nutmeg, ¼ teaspoon cardamom and small pinch of cloves.
- No maple powder — Replace with equal parts real maple syrup or omit.
- No glaze — leave off the glaze completely or make the simple orange glaze from this recipe.
- More chocolate inside — chop chocolate very finely and sprinkle over the spread out filling before rolling up.
This recipe has not been tested with any substitutions or variations. If you try any, please let me know how it turned out by commenting below!
How to make povitica bread
Step 1: In a medium saucepan, warm together the butter and milk, just until the butter melts. Do not boil. Remove from the heat to cool. In a large bowl (or stand mixer bowl, if using), whisk together the flour, sugar, salt and yeast. When the butter and milk mixture cools down to lukewarm (100°F-110°F), add it to the dry ingredients. Add the egg and vanilla, and mix (with the dough hook, if using a stand mixer). Once a dough forms, knead until the dough passes the windowpane test. If using a stand mixer, continue mixing with the dough hook until it passes the windowpane test, 10 minutes or more on medium. When it passes the test, place it in a greased bowl and cover. Proof for 1 hour or until doubled in size.
Step 2: Melt 4 ½ tablespoons (64g) of the unsalted butter. Set aside to let cool to room temperature. In a small bowl, rub the granulated sugar and orange zest together. Add to the bowl of a food processor or blender. Add the toasted pecans, Cacao-Maple Melange Blend, Selefina Cacao Powder, the Selefina Maple Sugar Powder and kosher salt as well. Pulse until finely chopped. Add the orange juice, cooled melted butter, egg yolk and vanilla. Pulse until completely combined.
Step 3: Roll out dough to a 12×20-inch rectangle. Brush with melted butter. Roll out further to 24×40 inches. Spread the filling evenly all over the surface of the dough. Roll up the dough tightly from the longer side.
Step 4: Lay the end of the dough log in the pan in a U-shape, then repeat over the top, looping the rest of it into another U. See this video for help.
Hot tips
- Toast raw pecan halves spread in a single layer on a baking sheet in a 350°F oven for 10-12 minutes. Watch closely for burning.
- If the filling becomes too stiff, you can thin it with warm water or milk.
- Pull the dough that is in front of the rolling pin while pushing it forwards with the rolling pin. This will help it not to bunch and tear when rolling out.
Recipe FAQs
This is not recommended as the yolk binds the filling. If you are worried about raw egg, the loaf is fully baked, therefore the filling becomes completely cooked.
Store in an airtight container at room temperature for 3-4 days.
Yes, swap bread flour for all-purpose flour without issue.
More recipes you’ll love
Lastly, if you make this Chocolate Orange Maple Povitica recipe be sure to leave a comment or give it a rating. I love to see when people make my recipes, so please tag me @youthsweets on Instagram if you post!
📖 Recipe
Chocolate Orange Maple Povitica
Equipment
Ingredients
Dough
- 2 ½ cups all-purpose flour (312g)
- 3 tablespoon granulated sugar (40g)
- 1 tablespoon instant yeast
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 2 tablespoon unsalted butter (28g)
- ⅔ cup milk whole or other dairy milk (162g)
- 1 large egg room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Filling
- 8 tablespoon unsalted butter (113g, 1 stick) divided
- 2 ½ tablespoon orange zest
- ¼ cup granulated sugar 50g
- 3 ¼ cups halved pecans toasted* (335g)
- 2 tablespoon Selefina Cacao-Maple Melange Blend**
- 2 tablespoon Selefina Cacao Powder
- 3 tablespoon Selefina Maple Sugar Powder***
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ cup orange juice freshly-squeezed
- 1 egg yolk save the white for later
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Chocolate glaze
- 4 oz semisweet chocolate (114g)
- 4 oz heavy cream (114g)
Instructions
Do ahead
- Grease a large bowl for the dough to proof. Grease a 9×5-inch loaf pan.
Make the dough
- In a medium saucepan, warm together the butter and milk, just until the butter melts. Do not boil. Remove from the heat to cool.
- In a large bowl (or stand mixer bowl, if using), whisk together the flour, sugar, salt and yeast.
- When the butter and milk mixture cools down to lukewarm (100°F-110°F), add it to the dry ingredients. Add the egg and vanilla, and mix (with the dough hook, if using a stand mixer).
- Once a dough forms, knead until the dough passes the windowpane test. If using a stand mixer, continue mixing with the dough hook until it passes the windowpane test, 10 minutes or more on medium.
- How to conduct a windowpane test: Pinch off a small bit of dough. Slowly pull the dough out from the center with your fingers. If the dough is ready, you will be able to stretch it until it’s thin and translucent like a windowpane. If the dough tears, it’s not ready yet. Keep kneading for a few minutes and check again.
- When it passes the test, place it in a greased bowl and cover. Proof for 1 hour or until doubled in size.
Make the filling
- Melt 4 ½ tablespoons (64g) of the unsalted butter. Set aside to let cool to room temperature.
- In a small bowl, rub the granulated sugar and orange zest together. Add to the bowl of a food processor or blender. Add the toasted pecans, Cacao-Maple Melange Blend, Selefina Cacao Powder, the Selefina Maple Sugar Powder and kosher salt as well. Pulse until finely chopped.
- Add the orange juice, cooled melted butter, egg yolk and vanilla. Pulse until completely combined.
Rolling and shaping
- Prepare a large work surface, such as a large island or dining table, by washing it down thoroughly, drying it and sprinkling it with flour.
- Punch down the dough and roll it out to a 12×20-inch rectangle with a rolling pin.
- Melt the remaining (49g) unsalted butter. Brush it onto the surface of the dough. Roll with the rolling pin or stretch gently with the backs of your hands underneath the dough until it is 24×40 inches. Be careful not to tear the dough. It helps to roll and stretch at the same time.
- Spread the filling**** evenly and gently across the dough with an offset spatula. I find it easiest to place small dollops all over and then spread carefully to avoid tearing the dough.
- Roll from the longer side into a log. Lay the end of the dough log in the pan in a U-shape, then repeat over the top, looping the rest of it into another U. See this video for help.
- Cover loosely and let rise for 1 hour. Preheat the oven to 350°F.
Bake the loaf
- When ready to bake, uncover and brush the top of the loaf with the reserved egg white. Bake at 350°F for 15 minutes, then reduce the heat to 300°F and bake another 45-55 minutes. If the top is browning too much, cover with foil. The bread is done when it reaches an internal temperature of 190°F.
- Cool in the pan on a wire rack for 30 minutes, then remove the loaf to cool completely.
Make the icing
- In a microwave-safe bowl, combine the chocolate and cream. Microwave in 30-second bursts and stir slowly until completely melted together and smooth.
- Let cool slightly, then pour the mixture over the cooled loaf.
