Scranton Nut Roll and Coal Region Bakeries

Scranton nut roll is a rolled sweet bread filled with ground walnuts, sugar and butter, sliced into spirals and eaten at holidays and weddings across Pennsylvania's coal region. It belongs to a family of Eastern European breads that immigrants carried to the mines, and the bakeries and home kitchens of the Scranton area still make it. Buy it fresh, slice it thick and eat it with coffee.

What is Scranton nut roll?

A yeast dough rolled thin, spread with a paste of ground walnuts, sugar and sometimes honey or milk, rolled up like a jelly roll and baked until golden. When sliced, it shows a spiral of dark filling against pale bread. It is sweet but not heavy, and it is served in thick slices with coffee. Poppy seed, apricot and prune versions also appear.

Families have recipes handed down through generations, and each claims the best. The dough is enriched with butter, eggs and milk, and the filling is moistened with milk, honey or egg white so it spreads and sets. Some bakers add a little cinnamon or vanilla. The finished roll is glazed with egg or sugar, and the best slices stay moist for days. A nut roll is also a gift, brought to a hostess or sent to a relative far away.

What is coal region baking like?

Hearty and homemade. Polish, Slovak, Lithuanian, Ukrainian and Italian communities settled around the mines, and their breads, pastries and sweets became part of the region's table. Bakeries sell rye bread, soft rolls, kolache, cookies, pies and cakes, and in the weeks before holidays they bake for a long line of customers. Many are family-run and have been for decades. A bakery that opens at dawn is a coal region habit left from the days when miners needed bread before a shift, and some still open at five or six. The cases are full by seven, and by noon the best items are gone. Go early, and ask the baker what is still warm. Counter staff know the regulars by name and often by order, and a first-time visitor is treated kindly.

What is a poppy seed roll?

A cousin of the nut roll, with a filling of ground poppy seeds sweetened with sugar and sometimes raisins or lemon. It is dark, slightly nutty and lightly sweet. Poppy seed rolls are popular at Christmas and Easter in Eastern European households. Some families put out both rolls with coffee after a holiday dinner, and eat them sliced thin. If you have not tried one, buy a small piece to taste before you commit to a whole roll. The flavor is subtle and slightly bitter-sweet, an acquired taste that people find hard to give up. Some bakeries sell both nut and poppy seed rolls, side by side.

How are holiday bread and kolache sold?

Seasonally and by order. Bakeries take orders ahead of Christmas, Easter and other holidays, and customers collect them on set days. Kolache, small pastries with fruit or cheese filling, appear at weddings and church events as well as in shops. Ask a bakery about its holiday schedule well in advance, because the best items sell out.

What about rye bread and soft rolls?

Rye bread, often caraway-seeded, is a staple of coal region sandwiches, and soft rolls hold kielbasa, pierogi-filling leftovers or a deli meat. A good bakery sells fresh bread daily and sells out on Saturdays. Buy a loaf early and eat it the same day for the best crust. Rye makes excellent toast the next morning. A good coal region sandwich is sliced meat, mustard and rye, and the bread does the work. Ask the counter to slice it thin if you want to make your own at home. Day-old bread is a bargain at some bakeries and perfect for stuffing, bread pudding or a grilled cheese.

How do you buy and store nut roll?

Buy it fresh and keep it wrapped at room temperature for a few days, or freeze slices for longer. Reheat gently in a low oven. Ask the bakery how it was made and when, and whether it contains nuts, dairy or eggs. Nut allergies are serious, so ask questions, and do not assume that any bread is nut-free.

For a savory counterpart, see the Scranton pierogi guide.

How do tags and ratings help?

In the Mosey app, you can rate a place with stars and add a dish, such as a slice of nut roll, with its own rating. Tags such as Bakery, Dessert and Family Friendly describe the place, and a diner can look for them in the Find sheet. A tag is a note from someone who was there. Rating several places with a tag can earn a badge, starting at five different places.

Where next in Scranton?

The downtown lunch guide covers the center, and the Lancaster whoopie pie guide covers a Pennsylvania sweet in the south. The US food guides hold the rest of the country.

For the rest of the state, start at the Food in Pennsylvania page.

When the last slice is gone, open the Mosey app, rate your favorite nut roll by the dish and share a list of coal region bakeries with a relative who still bakes.