Romanian kifla bread rolled up with a sweet nut mix filling. Made in long loaves and sliced up and served with warm butter.
This is a TRUE traditional Romanian Kifla nut bread that is so good, especially when served warm with butter!
My father’s side of the family is 100% Romanian from the Transylvanian region (no joke!) so that is where this recipe hails from. I know there are all kinds of European recipes that are similar to this, but this is our Romanian version.
This is made in loaves and then sliced up for serving but makes a great gift served un-cut as a loaf.
We have been making this bread for as long as I can remember, it is truly a tradition that has been passed down through the generations!
We make these at every Christmas and Easter and I like to hand mine out as Christmas presents wrapped up on cute trays or boxes!
You can also put other filling in besides the Kifla Nut Mix, like apricot or cherry filling. My favorite is the nut mix filling although everyone has their own favorite in our family.
Check out some of my other classic recipe favorites!
Romanian Crepes: Quick and easy authentic Romanian breakfast favorite! With only 6 ingredients these crepes are super budget friendly.
Romanian Garlic Dill Pickles: Classic Romanian pickles flavored with banana hot peppers, garlic, and dill. Crunchy and delicious with a spicy kick!
Baked Apple Pancakes: Easy baked apple pancakes made with fresh apples, cinnamon, brown sugar, and baked in the oven. Delicious, and done in under 30 minutes for a fast breakfast!
Classic Baked Goulash: A classic goulash baked with mozzarella cheese and bread crumbs to give it a gourmet taste! Easy for a weeknight kid friendly dinner.
Romanian Stuffed Cabbage: Slow cooked cabbage rolls in a tomato and sauerkraut sauce. An authentic Romanian holiday dish!
Ingredients for Romanian Kifla Nut Bread
- Vanilla Extract: Adds a sweet flavor to the bread.
- Baking Powder: Helps the bread to be fluffy and light.
- Sour Cream: Adds a hint of tang to the bread.
- Sour Milk: Adds a hint of tang and also acts like a leavening agent. Read below to see how to make your own at home.
- Active Dry Yeast: Allows the bread to rise.
- Butter: Brings a rich flavor to the bread.
- Eggs: Helps everything stick together while baking.
- Flour: The base of the dough
- Salt: Balances out the sweet flavor
- Sugar: Adds some sweet to the bread.
Why use sour milk?
Sour milk adds a slight tang to the bread and also acts like a leavening agent. Most people don’t have sour milk on hand, but you can make your own! Please note that sour milk and spoiled milk that has gone bad are NOT the same thing, please don’t use spoiled milk in this recipe.
To make your own sour milk: Use 1 Tablespoon white vinegar or lemon juice, and then add enough milk to equal 1 cup. Stir it up and let the mixture stand for 5 minutes and then you can use it in the recipe.
How to make Romanian Kifla Nut Bread
Heat the sour cream in a pan until melted.
In the same pan, add butter until melted, and then add sour milk. Remove from the heat and cool until warm.
If needed you can make your own sour milk by adding 1 Tbsp vinegar or lemon juice and add enough regular milk to equal 1 cup (which is 1/2 a pint).
In a separate bowl beat the eggs, sugar, and vanilla until well mixed.
Mix together 1 cup flour, salt, and baking powder.
Add it to the egg mixture.
Make up your yeast mixture using 3 packages of dry yeast, (I like the Fleischmann’s Active Dry Yeast packets)1 cup warm water and 2 & 1/2 Tbsp sugar. Each of the packets has 2 and 1/4 teaspoons of yeast in it.
**NOTE** I have not used any other kind of yeast for this recipe, so I am not sure how it would turn out. Stick to the active dry yeast for this recipe.
Water should be 110 degrees to 115 degrees to activate.
Let it sit about 10 minutes until foamy and bubbly. That’s how you know it has activated.
Once your yeast has activated you want to add sour milk mixture, flour, and yeast mixture to the egg mixture.
Alternate adding them using about 1 cup of each until gone.
Continue adding the rest of the flour, 2 cups at a time, mixing well after each addition.
You will have to start mixing with your hands when it gets too thick for the spoon. You might not need all the flour, just add until it’s not sticky anymore.
The dough should be tacky but not too sticky.
Now you need to Knead for 30 MIN!! I know that’s a long time but you can do it!!
Let it rise until doubled in size. This takes about 1 hour.
Once it is done rising you are going to punch it down and divide it into softball size balls.
Roll out each ball in an nice big rectangle size
What kind of filling can be used for Kifla Nut Bread?
The choices for filling are the Kifla Nut Mix which you can find the recipe here.
You can also use the cans of cake and pastry filling, apricot, prune, and cherry are some of the kinds we always use. We usually use the Solo brand which has a bunch of different flavors to choose from. This recipe makes a lot of loaves so try doing the nut mix in a few and some different kinds of fruit fillings in the rest!
Roll up lengthwise so you have a nice long loaf.
Pinch together and turn over so the pinch size is down.
Put them on cookie sheets to let it rise again, about 30 min.
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees and before you bake, brush the top of the loaves with whipped egg whites.
Bake 28 to 30 minutes until the top is a golden brown.
Then you can let it cool a bit and slice it up or store for later!
Romanian Kifla Bread
Description
Romanian kifla bread rolled up with a sweet nut mix filling. Made in long loaves and sliced up and served with warm butter.
Ingredients
Instructions
- Heat sour cream until melted, add butter until melted, and then add sour milk. Remove from heat and cool till warm.
- In a bowl, beat eggs, sugar, and vanilla well. Add 1 cup flour and baking soda to egg mixture.
- Mix up yeast with 1 cup warm water (115°) and 2½ Tbsp sugar. Let stand until foamy, about 10 min.
- Alternate adding sour milk, flour, and yeast mixture to the egg mixture till gone. Using about 1 cup each time.
- Continue adding the rest of the flour, 2 cups at a time, mixing well after each addition. Dough should be tacky but not sticky.
- Knead for 30 min. Let rise until doubled in size. (about 1 hour)
- Punch down and divide into softball size balls. Should make around 6 balls
- Roll out each ball lengthwise into a rectangle shape, then spread the nut mix over the whole area. Roll up lengthwise and pinch the seam tight.
- Set loaves on cookie sheets seam side down and let rise 30 min.
- Right before they go in the oven brush tops with whipped egg whites.
- Bake at 350° 28-30 min until tops are golden brown.
Notes
- The traditional way to make this is with the nut filling.
- We have also made them with other fillings like apricot and cherry flavored, very similar to what you would use in a pie! You can even use the canned pie filling flavors to make it easier!
Check out some more yummy recipes!
Honey Oatmeal Bread: Easy bread made with oatmeal and drizzled with honey. Baked in a dutch oven to give it a crispy crust and a soft middle.
Banana Nut Bread: Sweet and super moist homemade banana nut bread. A simple and easy old fashioned recipe, with only 8 ingredients!
Zucchini Pineapple Bread: Moist and fluffy zucchini bread flavored with pineapple! Easy to make, enough for 2 loaves or makes great muffins!
Pumpkin Muffins: Light and fluffy, easy pumpkin muffins. A streusel topping makes these taste like they are straight from the bakery.
Chocolate Zucchini Muffins: Moist and fluffy chocolate muffins loaded with fresh zucchini and chocolate chips. A perfect treat for the kids to sneak in some veggies!
Banana Applesauce Muffins: Easy Banana Applesauce Muffins that bake in 20 minutes. Made without oil or butter, these muffins make a perfect healthy snack or breakfast treat.
Monkey Bread: Monkey bread made with frozen rolls, brown sugar, pudding mix, and butter. Just layer it all in a bundt pan for an easy breakfast treat!
Homemade Cinnamon Rolls: Perfectly soft and chewy homemade cinnamon rolls. A breakfast treat filled with cinnamon swirl and topped with cream cheese frosting.
Irish Soda Bread: Irish Soda Bread made with buttermilk, orange zest, and raisins. A quick and easy St. Patrick’s Day favorite!
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