Mum's version of a Polish classic, Makowiec (Poppy Seed Roll).  A traditional Polish cake baked for Easter or particularly Christmas. I don't ever remember a Christmas without it?

This is the first time I have ever baked it? I am using mums Polish cook book as a starting point, cross referencing the web and some educated guesswork. 

Most Polish cooking is a faff and takes a fair bit of effort, its not difficult just a lot of preparation and messing such as peeling, chopping so its not worth making just a small amount for 1 person.

All mums portion sizes are suitable for a family of 3 or 4 people and will last 3 to 4 days without going off. They are quite filling, healthy and wholesome you wont leave hungry trust me. 

Please ensure you buy good ingredients don't skimp, no value stuff here please! 

This recipe makes 2 rolls (one for you and one for guests).

Ingredients:

I have broken these down for each section.

Yeast base

4 teaspoons of dried yeast (or fresh is better) I use Fermipan

1 cup (250ml) of warmed milk 

15g of castor sugar 

4 cups flour (500g) (I used Strong bread flour but any white flour will do)

1 teaspoon of salt

3 egg yokes

50g butter (melted and cooled)

1 tablespoon of vanilla essence or paste

Filling:

300g of dried poppy seeds (ebay/tesco sell them)

100g of castor sugar

15g of butter (melted and cooled)

3 egg whites

small handful of raisins

1 tablespoon of almond or vanilla extract

Topping:

1 egg

1 tablespoon of oil (I use olive)

Optional

1 tablespoon of icing sugar

2 tablespoons of warm water

Flaked almonds, mixed nuts, candy peel?

Method:

Before you start on the cake make time for the poppy seed. I understand you can buy ready prepared poppy seed paste in a tin? Its very expensive and I have never seen it in the UK, so I am following my mums old school method.

Measure out 300g of poppy seeds into a pan. Pour boiling water over them, mix then cover and leave overnight or at east as long as you can before the flour mix below.

The following day you will need to drain the water off, which is not as easy as it sounds.

Lets make the dough first.

Pour the 250 ml milk into a pan and gently warm it up.

Melt 50g of butter in another pan, then cool a little.

In a small mixing bowl, pour the warm milk, add 15g of sugar and 4 teaspoons of yeast mix it all together. 

Now place it aside somewhere warm like a radiator for 5 mins or until it starts to bubble with that  lovely yeast aroma.

In the meantime, add the 4 cups (500g) of flour to a large mixing bowl, 1 teaspoon of salt, mix it.

Separate the egg yolks from the whites into 2 small bowls. 

Add 1 tablespoon of vanilla extract to the egg yolks, mixing it well.

Afore Yeast go



Once 5 mins is up return the yeast mix to the kitchen. 

Stir in the 3 egg yolks (with vanilla), 50g of melted butter into the yeast and mix well.

Add the wet yeast mix to the large bowl with the flour. Mix it all together with a spoon then dusting flour on your hands  knead the mixture just for a few minutes. It is not a dry dough it has to be a little wetter than a usual bread mix so add a little cold water if its getting a bit tough. 

Knead in the bowl until its a nice consistency and all the bits are picked up from the sides of the bowl.

Cover the bowl with some cling film, mum used a damp tea towel but I prefer the cling film it stops it drying out. Place near warm radiator for about 1-2 hours or until it doubles in size.

Filling duty

Whilst that is rising back to those pesky poppy seeds.

Use a sieve place a clean thin cotton table napkin or tea towel. Over a bowl pour or spoon the wet poppy seeds into it so the water drains away. This can take some time, be prepared for some wastage. Take the towel and squeeze it a little more, but there is no need to make it bone dry just remove the excess.

Place it into a blender or food processor or leave it whole it's up to you.

I used my other half's Ninja blender thing, loud enough to scare people from across the continent! Did you hear me in Canada?

Throw in some of the raisins, they will help the blender pick up the seeds. Repeat for the remainder of the seeds. You are supposed to cut the seeds to release the oils but I don't think its critical?

At this stage you can also throw in some assorted nuts if you like, they will also be chopped up nicely but not too fine please. (Later on you will mix 1 whole egg and a tablespoon of oil to glaze, you can mix that now and paint the edges to help seal if you like?)

In a pan melt 15g of butter and cool.

Butter a large baking tray (or use parchment paper) I have a large one used for Christmas turkey with high sides. 

Place the poppy seeds into a medium sized mixing bowl adding 100g of castor sugar, the remaining 3 egg whites 1 teaspoon of almond or vanilla essence and the butter. Mix it all well with a fork. 

After the dough has doubled in size, dust a chopping board with some flour and your hands too. Empty the dough onto the board and knead it for a few minutes. Cut into 2 parts and shape them into balls.

With a rolling pin spread each one to a rectangular shape, roughly 10 x 14 inches (25 x 35 cm). But unlike me ensure they fit in the baking tray which ever size you go for!

Once you have rolled one out, spoon half of the poppy seed filling and spread it out evenly as though you were making a pizza but don't go too close to the edges, leave them naked. 

Length ways begin to slowly roll the mixture over, swiss roll style. Ensure you pinch the outer ends and tuck them underneath. 

The join in the middle has to be underneath so the weight of the cake stops it from bursting open and leaking the filling. Sadly I had leakage maybe my mix was too wet because I didn't drain the seeds well enough (doesn't detract from taste but looks a bit messy - sorry mum.)

Now carefully position in the tray, leaving space for the next one. Repeat with the other.

Place near a warm radiator for about 30 mins so they grow in size, covering with a tea towel.

Pre heat the oven 170 degrees C .

In a cup break 1 whole egg add 1 tablespoon of oil, whisk it up and once its been 30 mins paint the tops with the mixture using a brush.

Place in the oven (lower shelf) for 35 mins , checking it every 10 mins and rotating if like you me have a duff old oven. Place foil over the top if your oven likes to cremate food, removing it for the last 3 mins to brown the top!

Once it goes ping you should have a nice pale brown colour on top.

Leave them to  cool for about 30 mins.

They might be reluctant to come out of the tray but give it a go, doesn't matter if they break, they are going to be sliced anyway.

You can just eat them as they are but they look nicer with a covering. Mix a little icing sugar with some warm water and paint that on the tops. Drop some flaked almonds on there or glazed fruit or mixed chopped nuts then leave to cool and set a little more. Experiment.

There you go.

My mum told me you should have some poppy seed cake on Christmas Eve along with the other traditional food because it is supposed to ensure you will be financially secure in the new year? I have never missed a Christmas Eve without one yet and after 2020 I won't be taking that chance this year!

Serve:

Once cooled cut it into thick strips.

Wrap in cling film to stop it drying out.

There you go Mrs Krawczyk's Makowiec...................simpleski.

Update: December 2023....

Mini Poppy Seed Buns.

I tried a variation on this recipe by only making 1 poppy seed roll as described above the second ball of dough I cut into smaller dough balls. I rolled them out as before, placing a suitable amount of poppy seed filling, buttered the outer edges and rolled them up like a small spring roll/chinese pancake. Finally squeezing the out ends underneath the main body of the parcel and placed in a muffin case. Repeated for the rest of the pastry. Left on a radiator (under a teatowel, for about an hour until they rose. Placed in the oven as before.

Surprisingly they turned out really well, still with the poppyseed twirl pattern inside. Give it a go.

Smacznego  Bon appetite Champion Lad!

More recipes to come keep an eye and nose out for them.