Mum's Polish kitchen

Mum's Polish kitchen - Placek

Stan Krawczyk • 25 September 2020

Mum's Polish Kitchen - Placek or yeast cake with crumble topping.

Mum's version of a Polish classic, Placek drożdżowy z kruszonką. A very flexible if robust cake made with yeast, eggs and a sugar crumble on top. This is baked at Easter but honestly you can't wait until Easter for this one come on!

If there is one thing that reminds me of childhood and those happy days growing up its this cake and rather more importantly the aroma in the kitchen.

This is the first time I have baked it, mostly guesswork and googling but I did have some notes from mum a few years ago.

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!

Ingredients:

I have broken these down for each section.

Yeast base

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

3/4 cup (150g) of warmed milk

200g of castor sugar

1/2 cup flour (I used Strong bread flour but any white flour will do)

Cake mix

4 Cups (800g) of strong bread flour ideally (its tough but soft)

7 eggs , yes this is my toned down version mum had 12!! 1 full egg and 6 egg yolks

1 tablespoon of vanilla extract/essence

200 gram of butter

1/2 teaspoon of salt

Crumble topping

3/4 cup (150g) of strong white flour

4 packets of Vanilla sugar they are 8g each plus 1 tablespoon of caster sugar

60 grams of butter or margarine.

Method:

For this cake you can use blenders and mixers but I am doing it old school like my mum and its really not too difficult just using a fork and some elbow grease.

Cut the butter you need for the yeast. Use it to lightly butter the insides of a deep roasting tin, the sort you would use for Christmas Turkey basting, with high sides they are roughly 12 x 16 inches or similar.

To make the yeast starter.

Place the butter in a small pan, melt it and let it cool somewhere.

In a medium sized mixing bowl mix the flour, yeast, sugar together dry.

Slowly add the warm milk constantly mixing it in.

Put it somewhere warm with clingfilm over the top. I tend to leave it on or near a warm radiator for about 15mins which is enough to get the bubbles coming through and that fantastic yeast aroma.

Cake base.

Take the eggs break them putting the yolk of 6 eggs in a dish but keep the white, drop it into another dish for later, not forgetting to add the full egg to the yolks - number 7! Add the Vanilla extract to the yolks and mix them with a fork.

When the yeast is ready after 15 mins take a large mixing bowl, add the flour, salt, egg yolk mix and the butter, yeast mix all together stirring it in gently with a spoon or fork. Keep doing this until you are getting an even dough.

If its a bit wet then add some flour, if its a bit dry add a little bit of milk or water. Ensure you have clean hands dust them with flour and start to mix the dough in the bowl. I find its easier to knead it in the bowl and then after about 10mins or so knead it on a chopping board dusted with flour. You don't need to knead (see what I did there) to make it perfect bread dough but with the strong flour you have to show it who is boss!

Quick dust of flour in the mixing bowl you just used and return the dough to it, cover with clingfilm and pop it on or near a warm radiator.

I keep mentioning the effort in Polish cooking because this one can take a while and its not worth doing small portions.

Leave the bowl for between 2-3 hours so it rises and doubles in size.

Ok you are on the home straight honest!

Drop the dough into the buttered dish you have. Using your hands just gently smooth it out so it reaches all the corners don't worry it's looking pancake flat at this stage it will rise to the occasion.

Cover it with cling film and return it to that homely warm radiator. Let it double or grow as much as you can, normally 2.5 hours or so?

Take the film off, now with the egg white you left over, brush it gently on the top so as not to let the air escape and the cake sink.

Crumble time my favourite thing!

In yet another mixing bowl, place the flour and Vanilla sugar and butter. Using the back of a fork start to mash it in or cream I think is the term? No need to be perfect I go shabby chic style myself.

Once fairly even use your hands and squeeze the mixture through your finger so it clumps together. Gently sprinkle it all over the top and mums top tip was never put large lumps in the middle or it will sink. Mum used margarine a lot probably because it's easier to use and clumps better.

When done, place into a preheated oven on the lower shelf 180 degrees C for 30 mins. Keep watching it every 10 mins and turn the tray around if your oven is rubbish like mine. Put a stick in and if comes out clean its done.

Take it out and let it cool for 20 mins.

As a child I couldn't resist picking the crumble off the top my favourite bit straight from the oven.

Use this as a base for different variations of this cake, like plumbs or raisins or host of others. I will give them a try at a later date but for now this original one is best for me.

Serve:

Once cooled cut it into strips or rectangles, a little butter to spread and just chomp away. It's light and not too sweet.

Keep in a cake tin overnight.

Towards the end it gets dry we are talking after 6 days, pop it in the oven to bring it back to life, you must have it with butter its the law!!

You can toast slices, its very similar to French Brioche and can be used as such.

Random childhood memory

Mum gave dad large doorstep sized slices for his lunch and for his friends at work too. Lets just say he was always popular at the factory!

I always remember the smell of yeast and then vanilla in the whole house. Mum worked hard all day to make this but it lasted the entire week and is actually very cost effective.

Good all year round with a nice tea or coffee or something stronger.

Be warned though yeast tends to affect the lower regions of the body, that's all I am saying!

There you go Mrs Krawczyk's Placek drożdżowy ...................simpleski.

Updated with Marzipan.

I decided to add marzipan which I remember mum did too sometimes.

Using the same procedure as above, however before you are about to add the crumble, thinly slice a packet of Marzipan (they are usually in 500gram packets, I used 3/4 of it) and evenly place it on the top of the risen dough. Egg wash with the egg whites you kept, then crumble on the top and pop in the oven as usual.

Cheat tip.

I foolishly decided to start this at 8pm on a Sunday night, because we Polished off (pun intended) last weeks cake. Incidentally it lasted 7 days in a cake tin without going off or soggy.

By around 10pm I got as far as the dough prove phase but it was late and it had another hour to go, so I cut my losses and tipped it out onto the buttered baking tin.

I spread it out as normal although it did seem a little thin, covered it in cling film and just placed it somewhere warm (the dryer was on!)

The following morning it had risen nicely and filled out the tin so you can leave it over night if you have time to finish off the next day before work?

Thinking back mum used to put it in the tin without proving because she baked this cake almost every month she knew it would rise.

Smacznego Bon appetite Champion Lad!

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