Nussstriezel - sweet bread with a nut-filling

This is another German, or more precisely Bavarian, all-time favourite, similar to the Jewish challah. Nussstriezel is something that my grandma would make on weekends when I was a child and I have always loved it! So this is a pretty old recipe but I am convinced that those old family recipes are worth preserving and this is my contribution to helping those bakes and recipes survive.

You can choose your own combination of nuts or just go for one sort of nuts for the filling - that's up to you. But you should have about 250g (9 oz.) of nuts, no matter which ones you prefer. You can also make the Striezel more rustic by using only chopped nuts or slightly more elegant by using finely ground nuts.

And no worries: It's a lot easier to prepare a Nussstriezel than the pronunciation (for non-natives) suggests ;-)

With a normal-sized loaf tin you get aroung 20 slices of cake.


For the yeast dough you will need:

• 125ml (4 oz.) warm milk
• 375g (13 oz.) all-purpose flour
• 1 package of dry yeast
• 60g (2 oz.) sugar
• 75g (2.6 oz.) softened butter
• 1 egg
• a pinch of salt

For the nut-filling you will need:

• 100g (3.5 oz.) ground hazelnuts
• 30g (1 oz.) chopped pistachios
• 70g (2.5 oz.) chopped almonds
• 50g (2) ground walnuts
• 125ml (4 oz.) cream
• 1 egg
• 100g (3.5 oz.) sugar
• some cinnamon powder
• 1 tbsp orange zest

Additionally to brush the cake:

• 1 tbsp milk
• 1 egg yolk

1. For the dough, mix the flour, dry yeast and sugar in a large bowl. Add the lukewarm milk, butter, egg and salt and knead until you get a smooth dough. Cover the bowl with a wet and warm kitchen towel and leave to raise for about 45 minutes, until doubled in size.

2. For the nut-filling, combine all the ingredients in a small bowl. Line the loaf tin with baking parchment.

3. Preheat your oven to 180°C (356F).
Knead the dough thoroughly and on a floured surface, roll it out into a rectangle of about 35 x 45 cm (13 x 17 inches) in size. Spread the nut-filling evenly on the dough and roll it up, starting from the longer side of the rectangle. Cut in half lengthwise and twist the two strands around each other, similar to braiding. Place into the loaf tin and leave to raise for another 15 to 20 minutes.
Beat the egg and milk and brush the Nussstriezel generously. Bake for about 35 minutes.