Coiled Yeast Coffee Bread with Nut Filling

Gubana is a luscious bread, with a rich yeast dough spiraled around a mixture of nuts and raisins moistened with grappa and/or other spirits. The time-honored formula calls for equal weights of dough and filling; one local baker told me he uses even more filling than dough for each round loaf. Frequently, slices of gubana are sprinkled with more grappa or slivovitz when served.

The filling comes from Andrea Purinan, who, with his father, runs Il Forniao di Mario Purina