Poppy Seed Rolls

During the Easter holidays I always make desserts with poppy seeds. I couldn't imagine my Easter table without poppy seed rolls, filled buns, swirl breads, cakes and so on. These rolls are soft and pillowy and there's a sweet poppy seed filling in every bite thanks to the heart shape. I have made similar rolls before, only with ground poppy seeds which I didn't have to cook with milk. Even though I was quite sceptical about this method, I was pleasantly surprised with the results. The filling was moist and poppy seeds were soft, but I wonder if the filling worked with ground poppy seeds. That would be faster. So I think I'm gonna try it soon. However, these are not very difficult to make and all the work is definitely worth the effort. Do make these and enjoy warm, soft rolls during the holidays. Happy Easter!

Recipe found here.

Dough
300ml/1 1/4 cups milk
2 tsp active dry yeast
1 egg
1 tsp salt
1/3 - 1/2 cup sugar
28g/1/4 cup butter, room temperature
440-500g/3 1/2 - 4 cups flour
1 egg yolk (for brushing the tops)

Poppy Seed filling
1 cup poppy seeds
1 qt. milk
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract


Make the dough:

1) Heat milk until lukewarm and add yeast. Mix. Leave to rise, about 15 minutes.

2) Meanwhile, in a bowl of an electric mixer combine egg, salt and sugar. Sift the flour in and add the risen milk mixture. With a hook attachment on low speed combine flour and milk mixture, then increase the speed and continue kneading the dough until it completely stops sticking to the bowl, looks very smooth and gluey, about 15 minutes (I kneaded the dough with my hands so it took more time for me. I also added some more flour because my dough was a little bit too sticky).

3) Add room temperature butter and kneed the dough some more, until butter is fully incorporated into the dough and no traces of it are left on the bowl, about 5 minutes.

4) Shape the dough into a ball. Place into a well greased bowl and oil the outside of the dough. Cover the bowl with clean kitchen towel. Place the bowl in a warm place (I preheated my oven to 40 degrees and left the dough inside). Allow the dough to double in size, about 1.5 hours.

Meanwhile, prepare the filling.

1) Place the poppy seeds into a medium size pot, pour in the milk and bring to a boil, watching the milk so that it does not run over. Once at a boil, lower the heat and allow the mixture to simmer for about 30 minutes. You can let it sit covered off the heat, for another 30 minutes.

2) Drain through a fine mesh sieve. Put the poppy seeds through grinder twice. Then mix with sugar and vanilla extract.

Assemble:

1) Punch down the dough. Shape a round ball and then a log. With a rolling pin, roll out the log to about 76cm (30 inches) long and 30cm (12 inches) wide. 

2) Spread the filling all over the dough, leaving about 5cm (2 inches) at the other end. Roll roulade. With a sharp knife, cut the roulade about every 4-5cm (1.5-2 inches).

3) Cut in the middle of each piece, leaving the two pieces attached by about 1cm (1/2 inch) of dough. Take the two ends, separate them and lay them inside part out facing up, side by side, making it look like a heart.

4) Transfer to a baking tray lined with parchment paper. Continue with the rest of the dough, placing each piece about 7cm (3 inches) apart. Cover with a clean kitchen towel and place in a warm place, allowing the pastries double in size, about 40 minutes. 

5) Preheat the oven on to 180C. 

6) Whisk the egg yolk and using a pastry brush, brush pastries with egg yolk mixture right before placing them in the oven. Bake for about 15-20 minutes, until golden brown. (Do check the rolls earlier - mine were done after 10 minutes.)

Best eaten still warm!

Orange Poppy Seed Cake

This is probably the cutest cake I've ever made! I usually bake creamy gooey fudgy chocolate or caramel cakes wth various fillings, frostings.. This cake is totally different and maybe even better? It's so fragrant, moist and rich in flavours. The poppy seeds and orange zest gives it a very subtle flavour, the cake is not too sweet and the icing gives the "final touch" to the cake. Pure perfection. I've no idea why, but this cake reminds me of cozy evenings with a cup of tea. Do try this recipe out and you'll see how delicious can a simple cake be.

Orange Poppy Seed Cake

50g poppy seeds
185ml warm water
250g caster sugar
3 eggs
250g self-raising flour
210g unsalted butter, softened
1 1/2 tablespoons finely grated orange zest
250g icing sugar
3 tablespoons boiling water

1)   Preheat the oven to 180 degrees C. Lightly grease a 23cm fluted baba tin. Combine poppy seeds and milk and set aside for at least 15 minutes.

2)    Place the caster sugar, eggs, sifted flour, 185g of the butter and 3 teaspoons of the grated orange zest in a large mixing bowl. Add the poppy seed mixture and beat with electric beaters on low speed until just combined. Increase to medium speed and beat for another 3 minutes, or until the mixture is thick and pale. Pour evenly into the prepared tin. Bake for 50 minutes, or until a skewer comes out clean when inserted to the cake. Leave in tin for 5 minutes and then turn out onto a wire rack.

3)   To make the icing, melt the reamining butter, then place in a bowl with the icing sugar, remaining zest and the boiling watrer. Mix togather to make a soft icing, then spread over the warm cake.

Pop Tarts

 With apple-cinnamon filling

 With strawberry jam filling

 With poppy seed filling

 With banana filling

Pastry
2 cups (340g) all-purpose flour
1 tbsp sugar
1 tsp salt
1 cup (225g) unsalted butter, cut into cubes
1 large egg
2-3 tablespoons milk

Whisk together the flour, sugar, and salt. Work in the butter with your fingers until pea-sized lumps of butter are still visible, and the mixture holds together when you squeeze it. Transfer the mixture to a large bowl. Whisk the egg and milk together and stir them into the dough, mixing just until everything is cohesive, kneading briefly on a well-floured counter if necessary. Refrigerate while you prepare the fillings. 

Remove it from the refrigerator and allow it to soften and become workable, about 15 to 30 minutes. Place one piece on a lightly floured work surface, and roll it into a rectangle about 3mm thick (I rolled it into ~25x33cm rectangle). Repeat with the second piece of dough. Set trimmings aside. Cut dough into 20 rectangles. (I didn't get 20 rectangles so  I re-rolled the trimmings).

Beat the additional egg and brush it over the entire surface of the first dough. This will be the “inside” of the tart; the egg is to help glue the lid on. Place a heaping tablespoon of filling into the center of each rectangle. Place a second rectangle of dough atop the first, using your fingertips to press firmly around the pocket of filling, sealing the dough well on all sides. Press the tines of a fork all around the edge of the rectangle. Repeat with remaining tarts.

Gently place the tarts on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Prick the top of each tart multiple times with a fork. Refrigerate the tarts  for 30 minutes, while you preheat your oven to 180 degrees C.

The amounts of ingredients are for 2 pop tarts each. Just mix the ingredients of different fillings in separate bowls and fill the tarts:

Caramel Filling:

2 tbsp homemade caramel

1/3 tsp flour

sea salt for topping

Apple-cinnamon filling:

1/3 medium apple, cut into cubes

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp honey

1 tsp dark molasses sugar

Poppy seed filling:

2 tbsp ground poppy seeds

1 tbsp sugar

1/2 tbsp butter, melted

Stawberry jam filling: 

2 tbsp organic strawberry jam

1/3 tsp cornstarch

Banana filling:

1 small banana, ripe

1 tsp sugar

1/3 tsp flour 

Bake for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown. Enjoy!