This is an awesome nut bread recipe that has been in my husbands family for generations, I'm told they brought it over from Croatia many, many, years ago. It freezes really well, but it is delicious and I have always gotten many compliments on it whenever I have given it as a gift.
Nut Bread
1/2 cup warm water
2 pkg active dry yeast
1 1/2 cups warm milk
1/2 cup sugar
2 tsp salt
2 eggs--room temp
1/2 cup butter--melt butter in warm milk
7 -- 7 1/2 cups flour
Walnut Filling
1/2 cup soft butter
1 cup brown sugar
2 eggs
1/2 cup milk
1 tsp vanilla
4 cups walnuts--finely ground--not chopped ( I measure the nuts--then grind them)
Divide filling into 3 equal portions
In warm bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water. Measure flour. Add milk, sugar, salt, eggs, butter, and half of flour to yeast. Mix well. Add enough remaining flour to handle easily. Turn onto lightly floured surface, knead until smooth (15 min) Put in a large greased bowl. Cover with cloth in a warm place. Let rise until double in size. About 1 1/2--2 hours. Punch down, let rise again until almost double.
Then divide dough into 3 equal portions. Roll each portion into a rectangle shape (roll out dough quite thin) Roll out on floured surface. Spread 1/3 of filling evenly over all the dough. Roll up jelly roll style, starting at the short end. Place in greased bread pan. Repeat 2 more times.
Let rise until doubled. Heat oven to 325* Bake 40-45 min until brown. (I bake all 3 loaves at the same time).
******I try to buy walnuts ahead of the Christmas season so it doesn't cost quite so much during the holidays....I just keep the walnuts in the freezer until I need them.