The family recipe

I've been hearing about Mike's Grandmother's nut roll since we met. It was the sweet that was always there at holidays and celebrations and family gatherings.

This weekend we're traveling to Ohio to celebrate Mike's grandmother's -- the twins and Gregory's great-grandmother's -- 100th birthday. Grandma doesn't bake anymore. But luckily we got her to give us the recipe.

Great Grandma's Nut Roll
5 cups flour
1 tsp. salt
1 pkt. dry yeast
1 lb. butter
3 eggs
1 tsp. almond extract
¾ cup lukewarm water
½ cup sugar
1 lb. poppy seeds or ground nuts (grandma used walnuts)
honey
Mix together flour, salt, yeast and butter until the mixture resembles a coarse sand. Add eggs and almond extract and knead 10 to 15 minutes. Refrigerate overnight. The following day, preheat oven to 350 F. To assemble, bring water and sugar to a boil and simmer 5 minutes. Add poppy seeds or nuts and drizzle with honey. Cool. Divide dough into four pieces. Roll each piece flat and top with seed/nut mixture. Roll jellyroll fashion. Let rise 45 minutes. Bake until golden, about 45 minutes to an hour. Cool and cut into slices.

For more, check out our family blog at http://360.yahoo.com/lisamikeplus3.

(Note: Great Grandma is of Eastern European heritage, and this recipe is included in my cookbook, "Ya Tibya Lublu: Recipes of Love for Orphans of Eastern Europe," which is available online at www.arkangels.org. All of the proceeds from the sale are being donated to orphanages in Eastern Europe.)