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+ servings
Poppy seed roll, cut into several slices
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Ukrainian Poppy Seed Roll

A traditional sweet bread filled with poppy seeds and almonds.
Course Dessert
Cuisine Ukrainian
Keyword Almond, Poppy Seed
Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 40 minutes
Proof Time 1 hour 30 minutes
Servings 16
Calories 229kcal

Ingredients

Poppy Seed Filling

  • 1 cup poppy seeds
  • 1 cup slivered almonds
  • ½ cup hot milk
  • 3/4 cup granulated sugar
  • 3 Tbsp butter melted
  • 1 Tbsp lemon juice
  • 1 Tbsp lemon zest
  • ½ tsp vanilla
  • 1/2 tsp almond extract

Dough

  • 3 cups all-purpose flour
  • 2 Tbsp granulated sugar
  • 2 tsp instant yeast
  • ½ tsp salt
  • 3/4 cup warm milk
  • ¼ cup butter softened and cut into pieces
  • 2 eggs lightly beaten
  • 1 egg + 1 tsp water for eggwash

Instructions

Poppy Seed Filling

  • Place the poppyseeds in a small heatproof bowl. Boil some water, and pour over the poppyseeds until completely covered, then stir the seeds. Let them settle, and scoop out any debris that floats to the top. Let the poppy seeds sit in the hot water for about 30 minutes.
  • Drain the seeds through a cheesecloth (or a coffee filter) lined sieve. Try to press out as much excess water as you can. Let them dry out a bit before proceeding. I like to flatten a few coffee filters, and spread the poppyseeds out over them to dry on the counter for about 30 minutes. They will still be damp.
  • Place poppyseeds in a coffee grinder or small food processor (small bullet blender works good, too). Process until seeds are ground and forming a paste. This took me about 4-5 minutes using bullet blender, and scraping down the sides every minute or so. Coffee grinder would work as well, just work in batches.
  • Add the slivered almonds and process until the almonds are finely chopped and mixed in with the seeds. You can also finely chop the slivered almonds by hand.
  • Mix the ground poppyseeds and almonds with hot milk, sugar, melted butter, lemon juice, lemon zest, vanilla extract and almond extract. Stir to combine. Cover and refrigerate while making the bread. The filling will thicken up while it chills.

Dough

  • In the bowl of a stand mixer, whisk together flour, sugar, yeast, and salt. Because I use instant yeast, there’s no need to proof it in warm water first.
  • Add the warm milk and two eggs. Begin to knead on low.
  • Using the dough hook, knead the dough on low. Once a shaggy dough has been formed, begin to add pieces of butter, one at a time.
  • Continue to knead until soft and smooth, about 10-15 minutes. If your dough is still too sticky, add more flour, 1 Tbsp at a time, until it’s tacky but not sticky. You should only need 1-2 more tbsp of flour, maximum. As you knead the dough, it should become less sticky. You don’t want to add too much extra flour, as the dough will become too dry and dense.
  • Transfer the dough to a lightly oiled bowl and let rise until doubled in size, about 45 minutes to 1 hour.
  • Line a baking sheet with parchment and set aside.
  • Punch down the dough and divide into two equal portions. Work with one portion at a time, and cover the rest. On a lightly floured surface, roll the dough out into a 11x14 inch rectangle. It's important to make sure you don't roll the dough too thin. If you can't get it quite to those dimensions, don't worry much.
  • Spread the poppy seed mixture evenly over the dough, leaving a 1-inch border around all edges.
  • Starting at one of the longest sides, begin rolling the dough into a long log, like you would for a jellyroll or cinnamon rolls. Pinch the seams to secure the roll and pinch the ends and gently tuck under the roll and pinch to secure.
  • Repeat with second ball of dough.
  • Transfer the rolls to the parchment lined baking sheet, making sure they are seam-side down.  Cover and let rise for about 45 minutes, or until doubled.
  • Preheat oven to 350°F.
  • Brush the poppyseed roll with egg wash.
  • Bake for 35-40 minutes, until dark golden brown.
  • Allow to cool completely. Store in an airtight container

Nutrition

Serving: 16slices | Calories: 229kcal | Carbohydrates: 34g | Protein: 7g | Fat: 8g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 3g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 23mg | Sodium: 99mg | Potassium: 176mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 13g | Vitamin A: 72IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 145mg | Iron: 2mg