The Family Table: The Ultimate Butter Nut Rolls, Perfected From Baba to Father to Friend

Readers share their treasured recipes

These "ultimate butter nut rolls" are the culmination of years of experimenting, tweaking, and perfecting by the author's father and friend. Courtesy of Mary Lou Young

Submitted by Mary Lou Young, North Carolina

This delicious nut roll pastry was almost always present in my grandmother’s home when we visited on Sunday afternoons. My grandparents, Mary and John Stofan, came from what was Austria-Hungary through Ellis Island at the ages of 16 and 17, fleeing from what was the beginnings of a forced youth army. The area they were from became Slovakia shortly after their departure.

My grandmother’s recipe was never found, but my father, Frank Stofan, spent 10 years poring through ethnic and church cookbooks and experimenting until he was pleased with recreating the taste and texture that came close to Baba’s nut rolls. Soon, this became a treat every Christmas and Easter in our home.

The author's father, Frank Stofan, shortly after his marriage. He loved to cook. Courtesy of Mary Lou Young

It occurred to me that I needed to learn from my father and be able to continue and pass along the tradition. In 2007, my father spent a weekend with me to teach and coach me through my first attempt. My niece, Hannah Harker, learned from me in 2015 and will take the recipe to the next generation.

The author (R) with her parents, Alice and Frank Stofan, learns to make Baba's nut rolls for the first time. Courtesy of Mary Lou Young

The author's son, Trenton, grinds walnuts while his grandparents supervise. The nut grinder belonged to the author's maternal grandmother.  Courtesy of Mary Lou Young

The author's niece, Hannah Harker. Courtesy of Mary Lou Young

An interesting note is that I’m from Pittsburgh, but now have lived in North Carolina for 27 years. A few years ago, I met a fellow Pittsburgh native named Mitch Brady, who has an Italian and Serbian background. Like many Pittsburghers with Eastern European roots, he had also grown up with and loved nut rolls, but had never made them.

We teamed up, and he was able to tweak my father’s recipe into what I would proclaim as the ultimate butternut roll recipe. Areas that my father struggled with, Mitch was able to improve upon because of his upbringing and experience making noodles and dough with his Italian mother.

I call Mitch the “dough whisperer,” as he has perfected this recipe. The photos of the process of making the nut rolls are of Mitch’s hands. He makes the best dough rectangles that I’ve ever seen. He’s so patient with the process; it’s like watching an artist paint.

"Dough Whisperer" Mitch Brady grinds walnuts for a batch of his perfected nut rolls. Courtesy of Mary Lou Young

Mitch and I have teamed together to make this treat for our families for the past six Christmases and even a few Easters as well. Mitch is a Stage 4 cancer survivor and has lived 11 years beyond the life expectancy originally given to him. Every time we make nut rolls together, we wonder if it will be the last.

Typically, they’re sliced and served cooled, but Mitch and I can never wait and slice a few slices from one fresh out of the oven—just to make sure it’s good.

Cheers! The author's family prepares to take a bite of Mitch's butternut rolls. Courtesy of Mary Lou Young

Baba’s Nut Rolls or Mitch’s Butter Nut Rolls

Makes about 80

For the Dough 

• 1 package active dry yeast
• 2/3 cup to 1 cup lukewarm milk, plus 2 teaspoons for the yeast
• 2 sticks butter, softened
• 1/4 cup sugar, plus 1/2 teaspoon for the yeast
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 4 egg yolks
• 4 cups flour

For the Nut Filling

• 2 pounds ground walnuts
• 4 egg whites
• 2 cups sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• Zest of 1 lemon
• About 1/2 cup milk, or more as needed

For Assembly

• 1 to 2 sticks butter, melted (this is Mitch’s addition to the recipe)

Dissolve the yeast in a small bowl with 2 teaspoons warm milk and 1/2 teaspoon sugar. Set aside for 10 minutes.

In a large bowl, combine the softened butter, 1/4 cup sugar, and salt. Mix until crumbly, then add egg yolks and blend well. Add flour, mixing slightly. Alternately add the warm milk (4 additions total) and the yeast mixture (3 additions total), mixing thoroughly after each addition. Knead for approximately 1 minute into a smooth ball of dough. If the dough is too sticky, add a little more flour.

Lightly grease a large bowl. Place the dough in the bowl, sprinkle with a little flour, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate overnight or at least for 8 hours.

The next day, mix together all of the ingredients for the nut filling except the milk. Add in splashes of milk as needed until the filling is spreadable, but not goopy, soupy, or too soft; it needs to have some body to it.

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Divide the dough into 4 parts.

Place 1 part of the dough on a plastic pie mat/sheet and roll out into a 9-by-15-inch rectangle. Spread 1/4 of the nut filling all over the rectangle of dough. This is where the melted butter comes in handy: Use a spatula dipped in melted butter to help spread the nut mixture more easily and avoid tearing the dough. Roll up the dough in a jelly-roll fashion. Place on the prepared baking sheet, seam-side down, and tuck the ends underneath. Repeat this process for the remaining dough and filling.

Roll out the dough. Courtesy of Mary Lou Young

Spread the nut filling with a spatula dipped in butter. Courtesy of Mary Lou Young

Roll it up jelly roll-style. Courtesy of Mary Lou Young

Cover the rolls with cloth and let rise for 2 hours. (This dough doesn’t double in size like most yeast dough; it will be minimal.)

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Using a fork, prick two rows of holes down the length of each nut roll, on either side of the center, about 2 inches apart. Brush with melted butter.

Prick the dough and brush with butter. Courtesy of Mary Lou Young

Bake for 30 to 35 minutes. You may also brush with more melted butter upon removing from the oven.

Bake for 30 to 35 minutes. Courtesy of Mary Lou Young

Let cool completely, then slice into 1/2- to 3/4-inch slices. The nut rolls can be frozen or stored in a cool place.

Na zdravie! To your health!

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