Several years ago I got an Austrian cookery book which has many similar recipes to Polish ones and I made some babeczki or buleczki – little cakes, with a yeast pastry & poppy seed filling for Wigilia from it.
I thought I would have another go at these but with some changes.
The poppy seed filling I have changed quite a bit and it is easier than my traditional one. The recipe for the dough I have changed slightly and the shaping method quite a lot.
Poppy Seed Filling
Ingredients
180ml of milk (full fat or semi)
Around 100ml of runny honey (extra may be needed)
120g of poppy seeds *
50g of raisins
Strong Earl Grey tea
Grated zest of 1 lemon
*
* You can grind the poppy seeds – I used a little electric grinder.
Method
Make some strong Earl Grey tea.
Put the raisins in a small bowl and cover them with the hot tea and leave till they go cold.
Into a small saucepan put the poppy seeds and the milk.
Bring to the boil then lower the heat.
Simmer gently for around 20 minutes, stirring constantly.
Take care not to let the mixture burn.
Add the honey and continue heating and stirring.
Drain the raisins and add them to the mixture and mix them in.
Keep stirring and try and drive off any liquid left.
Taste for sweetness – you may want to add more honey.
Leave to go completely cold before using.
Add the grated lemon rind.
*
If this is too much filling – you can always freeze some.
Yeast Dough
Ingredients
1/2 tablespoon of dried yeast
4-5 tablespoons of milk (full fat or semi)
250g of strong flour
Pinch of salt
120g of butter
20g of caster sugar
1 egg yolk
1 egg white for glazing (I always use just egg white now – it does not burn as easily as whole egg)
Method
Warm 3-4 tablespoons of the milk to hand heat.
Add the yeast and leave it to froth up.
Place the flour into a large bowl and add the salt.
Cut in the butter with a knife and then make breadcrumbs with your fingers.
Stir in the sugar.
Make a well in the centre.
Add the egg yolk and the yeast mixture.
Use a knife at first to bring the dough together.
You may need some of the extra milk.
Use your fingers to gather all the ingredients into a ball.
Knead the dough for around 5 minutes till you have a smooth dough.
Leave the dough to rest for at least 45 minutes – covered with a tea cloth.
******
Grease and line several baking trays.
Cut the dough into 3 or 4 portions.
Roll the dough out thinly.
Use a 6cm cutter to cut out circles.
Place a small teaspoon of filling on half of the circles.
Place a second pastry circle on top.
Use a pastry fork to crimp the edges together making sure they are sealed.
Glaze with beaten egg white.
Pre-heat the oven to GM4 – 180°C (quite low for a yeast pastry!).
Bake for 12-13 minutes.
Dust with icing sugar whilst still warm.
Leave to cool.
You could drizzle with runny lemon icing instead.
Served here on Duchess – tea plates – Poppies from the 1960s.
Paszteciki are little savoury pastries often served as a soup accompaniment. They are made with with a pre-cooked filling which sometimes contains meat but vegetable versions are very popular and mushroom or sauerkraut & mushroom ones are very often made for Wigilia – Christmas Eve.
They are shaped like little sausage rolls or diagonal slices cut from a large roll.
I think they are best served warm.
You can make these using many sorts of pastry doughs – the following yeast dough is one that is often used.
Yeast Dough
Ingredients
250g plain flour or a mixture of spelt & plain flour
1 tablespoon of dried yeast
1 teaspoon of granulated sugar
125-150ml of milk
1 egg & 1 yolk
40g butter – melted
1/2 teaspoon of salt
1 egg white used for glaze
Method
Put 50g of the flour into a bowl.
Add the yeast and sugar.
Add enough of the milk to make the mixture like double cream.
Leave in a warm place to bubble and froth up.
Place the rest of the flour into a bowl.
Add the salt and mix.
Lightly beat the whole egg and the yolk together.
Add the egg mixture to the flour.
Add the yeast mixture to the flour.
Start to mix together using a wooden spoon.
Slowly add as much milk as needed.
Bring the dough together using your hands until it leaves the side of the bowl.
Knead the dough lightly until it is smooth.
Flatten the dough into a rectangle.
Slowly pour on the butter and fold over the dough.
Keep kneading the buttery dough until it is all incorporated.
Knead a little longer until you have a nice glossy ball.
Put the dough back into a bowl.
Cover with a cloth or cling film and leave to rise in a warm place.
***********************
Pre-heat the oven to GM7 220 °C.
Grease several baking trays.
Take the pastry and shape into a rough rectangle.
Roll out thinly into a large rectangle.
Cut the rectangle into two lengthwise so you have two long thin rectangles.
Place the cold filling in the centre lengthwise.
Fold the two long sides over the filling so the pastry just meets and is not too thick.
Turn the roll over so the seam is underneath.
Cut the roll into diagonal slices about 5cm thick.
Place the pieces on the baking trays.
Glaze the pieces with beaten egg white.
Leave for around 30 minutes.
Bake for 14-15 minutes.
Allow to cool a little and then remove from the tray and place on a cooling rack.
Served on Royal Worcester – Evesham – tea plates – a design from 1961
Fillings
A variety of fillings can be used such as ones that you would use for pierogi – Polish filled pasta, for example mushroom or sauerkraut & mushroom or you can use pre-cooked vegetables, meats and also include hard boiled eggs.
All fillings should be cold when used.
Below are two fillings that I made for my paszteciki.
Fresh Cabbage & Mushroom Filling
Ingredients
Small head of white cabbage or sweetheart cabbage.
150-200g of mushrooms (I used the chestnut ones)
1 large onion
100g of butter
2 or more hard boiled eggs
Salt & pepper to taste
Method
Shred and then chop the cabbage into small pieces.
Chop the onion into small pieces.
Chop the mushrooms into small pieces.
Melt the half the butter in a large deep frying pan.
Slowly cook the onions and the cabbage but do not brown.
Cover with a lid and let them simmer till they are both soft.
Stir occasionally – you might need to add a little hot water.
In another pan melt the rest of the butter and fry the mushrooms.
Add the mushrooms to the cabbage and onion mixture and mix well.
Heat gently together to remove all the excess liquid.
Leave to go cold.
Rough chop the hard boiled eggs and add them to the mixture.
Season to taste.
Note – this might be more filling than you need – you can always freeze what is left.
Mushroom Filling
This is a new filling for me using just fresh mushrooms.
Ingredients
250 -300g mushrooms(I used chestnut)
1 onion
Around 50g of butter
3-4 tablespoons of soured cream
Salt & pepper to taste.
Method
Slice and chop the mushrooms into small pieces.
Chop the onion into small pieces.
Fry the onion in butter till they are soft – do not brown.
Add the mushrooms and fry together.
Keep stirring and cook gently till the mushrooms are soft.
Add the soured cream and stir together.
Heat for a little while to remove excess liquid.
Leave to go cold.
Season to taste.
Note – this might be more filling than you need – you can always freeze what is left.
Two months to Christmas and I am posting this recipe so you have time to prepare for then.
I have tried out several piernik – honey spice cake recipes & many of them have been dreadful!
But at last I have found one that I am happy to share – I would describe it as a sort of soft biscuit.
This is piernik staropolski (in the old Polish style) and is a recipe which takes time to make, as the mixture is left for several weeks before it is baked – (10 days is the absolute minimum). This maturing enhances the flavour of the spices.
I have been reading that some people make their dough even earlier say in September before they bake it
This piernik is baked for Święty Mikołaj – St Nicholas Day – December 6th and for Wigilia – Christmas Eve – December 24th.
The science for this will be really interesting – I presume it is a slow fermentation that is taking place & the high honey/sugar content, low temperature & access to air prevents the dough from spoiling.
Ingredients
250ml runny honey
125g Trex™ **
230g granulated sugar
2 eggs – lightly beaten
550g plain flour (may need more)
2 teaspoons of mixed spices or piernik mix (ground cinnamon, cloves, cardamom in equal parts)
large pinch of salt
1 & 1/2 teaspoons of baking soda
70 ml of warm milk
250g mixed dried fruit (raisins, peel, chopped dates and figs)
** The original recipe uses lard (pork fat) – I used Trex™ – a white solid vegetable fat.
Method
Put the honey, sugar and Trex in a saucepan and heat gently, stirring the mixture till all the Trex is melted and the sugar dissolved.
Remove the pan from the heat and allow to cool.
Mix the flour, salt & spices together.
Add this to the honey mixture and mix together first with a wooden spoon.
Add the beaten eggs to the mixture.
Dissolve the baking soda in the milk and add this to the dough and mix till you have a thick dough.
Knead this dough lightly for around 5 minutes (add more flour if the mixture is too wet).
Add in the dried fruits and knead them in lightly.
Form the dough into a ball.
Place the dough in a glass or ceramic bowl – not a metal one.
Cover with a linen or cotton cloth – tie the string around it to keep it covered.
Do not use cling film – as air needs to circulate.
You could use foil but you would need to prick in some air holes.
Place in a cool place (mine was put into my cool cellar) for a minimum of 10 days and up to 4 weeks.
I left mine for 2 weeks.
Ensure that the dough will not pick up any unwanted flavours such as onions or garlic by carefully choosing the place you store it.
After resting
Pre-heat the oven to GM2 – 150°C
Grease and line a 2 baking tins – 22 x 33 cm.
Take the ball of dough out of the bowl and cut it into two.
Flatten each piece lightly and make into a rough rectangular shape – can use a rolling pin.
Place this into the tim and with fingers push and press it into all the sides of the tin.
You can use the blunt end of a rolling pin.
Repeat for the other
Bake for around 55 -65 minutes – checking after 40 minutes and covering with greaseproof paper if it is starting to burn.
Leave the piernik to cool in the tin.
When it is cold, wrap it loosely in greaseproof paper and then a clean linen tea towel and leave in a cool place for 2 -3 days.
To serve
Cut each cake into two or three rectangles.
Remove the crusts – optional.
Dust with icing sugar or coat in chocolate melted with butter (40g butter : 100g dark chocolate).
You can use a thin white icing semi glaze instead of the chocolate.
You can store the piernik in an airtight tin – I think the chocolate coating helps to keep it longer.
I wrote a long post on pierogi and uszka over two years ago and this has lots of details on Polish pasta.
This post is an update on how to make uszka in advance and open freeze them.
Uszka – means ‘little ears’ and traditionally mushroom uszka are made for Wigila – the Christmas Eve meal to serve either on their own with butter or floating in barszcz (clear beetroot soup).
I usually make around 250 to 300 uszka on the morning of Christmas Eve.
Last Chritmas I was going to be taking the uszka to my sister’s to cook there and also needed some on another day to cook at home.
I knew that I could make them in advance and open freeze them; so decided that this year I would make them in small batches and freeze them up over the few weeks before Christmas Eve.
In Poland these will have been made with just dried mushrooms, here in England my mother made them with fresh mushrooms with the addition of dried mushrooms when she could get them. I like them like this the best.
Ingredients – Mushroom Filling
20g dried mushrooms
250g mushrooms – older open ones are better than button mushrooms.
Pour a small amount of boiling water into the dried mushrooms and leave these overnight.
You can remove the stalks from the older fresh mushrooms as these tend to be ‘woody’ and then cut the caps into thin slices.
Chop the onion into small pieces.
Fry the mushrooms and onions together in the butter.
Chop the reconstituted dried mushroom (You can save the liquor for other recipes) and add these to the mixture and heat them together for a few minutes more.
It does depend on the mushrooms and the way they are fried as to how much liquid is produced, if you get a lot, then let them simmer gently to evaporate as much as possible or strain some of this excess off (again you can use this liquor in soups or sauces).
Allow the mixture to cool.
The mixture then needs to be minced which used to take me a long time and much effort. I now use a hand blender which works really well indeed.
To the minced mixture add the egg yolk and enough breadcrumbs to make a stiff filling.
Add salt and lots of ground black pepper.
You can divide up the mixture into 3 or 4 portions and freeze these in plastic bags or tubs to use at a later date.
Uszka Dough
The dough is made from flour, egg yolks and water and I have seen many variations of the recipe. The following is my mother’s and I think it is the best I have ever used and tasted.
She never used whole eggs, just the yolks and this gives a dough which is soft and not tough and can be easily rolled out.
My mother originally used plain flour and added a tablespoon or two of fine semolina but now that strong flour or even pasta flour is readily available this is what I use the most.
Flour does vary and it is possible to add more flour to the dough as you are mixing it but you cannot add more liquid if it is too dry!
As you mix the ingredients in the first few minutes you should be able to tell if it will be too dry and you can add some more water initially but once it is all mixed together you cannot – if it goes wrong – just start again!
The quantities that I have given work well and but you should allow for extra flour if needed.
Depending on how thinly you roll out the dough, this amount should make around 70 uszka.
Ingredients – Dough
250g pasta flour or strong flour or plain flour & 2 tablespoons of fine semolina
150ml water
1 tablespoon oil – sunflower or light olive
½ teaspoon salt
1 egg yolk
Method
In a jug or bowl mix together the water, oil and the yolk.
Put the flour and salt into a large bowl and make a well in the centre.
Pour in the liquid from the jug and initially use a knife to mix this into the flour and then use your hands to mix the liquid and flour to get a ball of dough.
Turn this out onto a floured board and knead the dough for a few minutes until you have a smooth ball.
Cut the dough into quarters.
On a floured board roll out a quarter at a time until you have a sheet of thinly rolled dough.
Now prepare a large tray and cover it with a clean tea towel and sprinkle this with flour.
Have a large surface such as a tray covered with a cotton or linen cloth which has been lightly floured ready and place the sealed uszka on this until they are all made, do not let then touch each other.
I usually make the uszka from squares of dough, about 4cm square, which are folded.
This time, I made the shape in a slightly different way – so that I got a much more uniform shape and size.
I cut them out using a 6cm diameter cutter. (I also tried a 5cm diameter cutter which was good as the uszka were smaller but much moretime consuming!)
The excess dough can be re-mixed and rolled out again.
Around a small teaspoon of filling is put on each circle and then they are folded over and the edges pinched together to make a good seal.
The two ends are the brought together and pinched to make a round “ear” shape.
You learn from experience how much filling to put in as too much will make it hard to seal them and if not properly sealed they will burst on boiling. Do not worry if you have a few mishaps – it still happens to me even with experience – it is hard to salvage one that has gone wrong – just accept that there will be a few that you do not cook.
As you are making them place them on the floured cloth.
Open Freezing
You need to have a fairly empty freezer to do this
If you have a extra chill button on you freezer, switch that on.
You will need around 3 baking trays – sprinkle flour on these.
Place the uszka apart on floured baking trays so they are not touching and place the trays in the freezer for several hours – or even overnight – making sure the trays do not squash each other.
Once they are frozen, pack the uszka into boxes.
Cook them straight from frozen by dropping them individually straight into boiling salted water – 8 to 10 at a time.
As they cook they will float to the surface, let them boil for 2 to 3 minutes and then remove them with a slotted or perforated spoon and put into a colander above a pan for a few seconds to drain and serve. Continue boiling batches in the same water.
Uszka are served with melted butter or they can be served floating in a clear soup such as rosól – clear chicken soup or in barszcz – beetroot soup.
The convention is to serve three or five uszka in each dish.
Any that are not eaten should be spread out so that they cool with the melted butter around them.
later, you can then fry them up gently so they are golden in parts.
A new tradition which was stared by my mother is on Christmas Day morning to have uszka fried with bacon and eggs, we always make sure we have some saved!
The Verdict
So much easier making the uszka in advance, so I will continue to make them like this, slowly over the weeks before Wigilia.
I came across this recipe in the book my Polish friend, who lives in Leeds, bought for me in Poland this summer.
I thought it sounded interesting and I have adapted it slightly.
Piernik is a honey spice cake which has its origins in the 12th Century.
The spices used will have originaly been brought back by the Crusadors. I make up a mixture of equal parts of cinnamon, cloves and cardamon.
Piernik in Poland is associated with the Christmas season and would be made for Christmas Eve and for Christmas Day, it would also be made for Święty Mikołaj – December 6th – St Nicholas Day. This a day for present giving in Poland to children and I would always get a piernik shaped and decorated to look like the bishop that was St Nicholas.
As it is Święty Mikołaj next week on December 6th – St Nicholas Day – I thought this was a good day to post this recipe.
The addition of chocolate to coat the piernik is more recent. Chocolate made by Wedel in Poland started in 1851.
Here the chocolate is grated or chopped finely and added to the cake mixture.
The result is delicious and I will certainly be adding this to my Wigilia (Christmas Eve) menu.
I found grating the chocolate hard work – it was easier for me to chop this amount into very small pieces, using a cleaver type knife.
Ingredients
250ml runny honey
230g granulated sugar
2 large eggs (or 3 medium)
1.5 teaspoons of piernik spices (cinnamon: cloves: cardamon in equal amounts so a half teaspoon of each).
350g plain flour
2 teaspoons of baking powder
100g dark chocolate – grated or finely chopped
100g chopped mixed peel
Icing Sugar to serve
Method
Pre-heat the oven to GM3 – 160°C
Grease and line a 32cm x 22cm shallow Mermaid tin (use one sheet for the two long sides and the base).
Put the honey, eggs, sugar and the spices into a large bowl and whisk well together.
In another bowl mix the flour, baking powder, chopped/grated chocolate and the mixed peel.
Gently fold the flour mixture into the honey mixture and then mix it all together.
Pour the mixture into the tin and bake for around 1 hour 10 minutes, check it after 40 minutes and cover if it is starting to catch.
Test with a cake tester to check it is done and then leave it in the oven for 10 minutes with the door slightly open.
Then put on a cake rack to cool.
Dust with icing sugar before serving.
Plates, cups & saucers are Lyndale by Royal Standard from the 1950s
Sauerkraut & Mushrooms is often one of the dishes for Wigilia (Christmas Eve) when meat is not eaten.
Ingredients
1 large jar of sauerkraut – around 800 – 900g.
20 – 30g of dried mushrooms
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
1 onion – finely chopped
2-3 tablespoons of plain flour
Butter or oil for frying the onion
Ground black pepper
*
The acidity of sauerkraut varies very much and homemade is often not as acid.
Rinsing bottled sauerkraut before use will lower the acidity.
*
The amount of sugar you add to the dish is a personal preference – if rinsed 1 tablespoon should be enough – if not rinsed you might need around 3 tablespoons.
Method
The evening before you want to make this dish place the dried mushrooms in a small bowl and cover them with boiling water and leave them overnight.
Cut the reconstituted mushrooms into strips.
Put the strips and the liquor into a saucepan and simmer them for around 5 minutes.
Drain the sauerkraut and keep the liquid (you might want to use it to adjust the acidity of the dish).
Rinse the sauerkraut with cold water.
Place the sauerkraut in a large saucepan and pour boiling water over it until it just covers it.
Add the sugar.
Bring to the boil and then cover the saucepan with a lid and let it gently simmer for around 10 minutes.
Add the mushrooms to the sauerkraut and mix together.
Continue heating either gently on top of the stove or put the pan with the lid into a low to medium oven.
Cook until the sauerkraut is soft.
Fry the onions until they are golden.
Sprinkle the flour over the onions and heat gently to brown the flour.
Add spoonfuls of liquid from the sauerkraut mixture to the onion mix.
Stir and heat to form a thickening roux/paste.
Add this to the sauerkraut mixture and mix throughly .
You can then serve this straight away or put it back in the oven for around 5 minutes.
Sprinkle ground black pepper on the top before serving.
Served here in Carnation by Royal Doulton, 1982 – 1998.
Serve with rye bread or boiled potatoes and hot roast pork or cooked Polish sausages.
For Wigilia (Christmas Eve ) this would just be served as a separate dish.
In Polish households fruits that have been dried from the summer often feature as one of the 12 dishes at the evening meal at Wigilia – Christmas Eve.
The main fruits that were dried were: apples, pears & plums.
The dishes are easy to make but you need to start the process 2 or 3 days before hand.
I use hot black tea to reconstitute the fruits & often using Earl Grey Tea to give it a little twist but you can use just hot boiled water.
Prunes
A good deal depends on the quality of the prunes and Agen prunes from France are the best. You need to find good plump large prunes which still have the stones in them. However these last two years I have had difficulties find these and have had to used stoned prunes.
Ingredients
500g prunes
1 litre of hot tea – Earl Grey is good
2 tablespoons of rum
Method
Place the prunes in a large bowl.
Make a jug of hot tea and leave to brew for about 4 minutes.
Pour the hot tea over the prunes, if using loose leaf tea, you need to strain it as you pour.
Make sure all the prunes are covered by adding more hot water.
Leave the prunes overnight to plump up.
Put the prunes and liquid (you might need to add some water) into a pan and simmer gently for about 15 minutes then leave to cool.
Add the rum when the prunes are cold.
Pears
Ingredients
500g dried pears ( they come as half a pear)
1 litre of hot tea – Earl Grey is good
Small piece of cinnamon stick
3-4 whole cloves or allspice seeds.
Method
Cut the pears in half.
Place the pears in a large bowl.
Make a jug of hot tea and leave to brew for about 4 minutes.
Pour the hot tea over the pears, if using loose leaf tea, you need to strain it as you pour.
Make sure all the pears are covered by adding more hot water.
Leave the pears overnight to plump up.
Put the pears and liquid (you might need to add some water) into a pan, add a small cinnamon stick, 3-4 cloves or 3-4 whole allspice seeds and simmer gently for about 15 minutes 15 minutes, stirring occasionally . Take care not to cook for too long – you do not want a “mush”.
Remove the spices then leave to cool.
Dried Fruit Salad
My mother used to buy mixed dried fruits to make this & I have bought this in the past from the dried fruit & nut stall on Leeds Kirkstall Market.
When I enquired about this – the stall holder said that they had not had this mixture for many years! She did tell me that the mixture had consisted of dried – apples, apricots, peaches, pears & plums.
Some people make the dried fruit salad for Wigila (Christmas Eve) using 12 fruits ( another reminder of the 12 apostles.) So – raisins, currants, sultanas, cranberries, cherries, figs and other dried berries would be used as well.
Ingredients
500g mixed dried fruits
1 litre of hot tea – Earl Grey is good
Small piece of cinnamon stick
3-4 whole cloves or allspice seeds.
Method
Cut the larger fruits in half.
Place the fruits in a large bowl.
Make a jug of hot tea and leave to brew for about 4 minutes.
Pour the hot tea over the fruits , if using loose leaf tea, you need to strain it as you pour.
Make sure all the fruits are covered by adding more hot water.
Leave the fruits overnight to plump up.
Put the fruits and liquid (you might need to add some water) into a pan, add a small cinnamon stick, 3-4 cloves or 3-4 whole allspice seeds and simmer gently for about 15 minutes, stirring occasionally . Take care not to cook for too long – you do not want a “mush”!
Remove the spices then leave to cool.
Note
When I make any of these at other times of the year, I often serve them with soured cream or plain yoghurt or a mixture of the two.
Piernik is a cake which has been known in Poland since the 12th century.
The very first recipes used just honey, wheat or rye flour and spices (see notes in previous piernik post for spices)
I have tried a recipe which did just use honey, rye flour and spices – I did not like the result at all, so will not be including that one!
I also tried one which used wheat and potato flour which also did not turn out well.
I then went on to make the recipe below which also uses wheat flour, egg yolks and icing sugar.
I tried this out twice as the first time it did not rise very much, so I doubled the amount of bicarbonate of soda and was pleased with the result.
Piernik with rye & wheat flour
Ingredients
110g rye flour
160g plain flour
160g runny honey
2 egg yolks
100g icing sugar
1 teaspoon of piernik spices (cinnamon : cloves : cardamom – in equal parts)
1/2 teaspoon of bicarbonate of soda
2 tablespoons of cold water.
Method
Pre-heat the oven to Gas Mark 3 – 160°C
Line the tin with aluminium foil, grease the foil and then coat with dried breadcrumbs.
Or
Grease & line a 2 lb loaf tin or use a paper liner
In a large bowl mix together the rye flour, plain flour and the spices.
In a small saucepan heat the honey to boiling point & turn it off the heat & allow to cool slightly.
Pour the hot honey over the flour and mix well.
Beat the yolks with the icing sugar until they are pale and fluffy.
Add this to the flour and honey mixture.
Mix the bicarbonate of soda with the water and mix this in.
Put the mixture into the prepared tin & smooth the top.
Brush the top with cold water.
Bake for around 40 minutes in the long tin & 1 hour in the loaf tin. Check earlier and cover with greaseproof paper to stop burning if necessary.
This piernik is not very sweet and could be split in half and sandwiched back together with powidła – Polish plum spread (see notes in previous piernik post) and covered in a chocolate coating made from melted butter & dark chocolate.
I just had it sliced and spread with powidła (Polish plum spread) or sour cherry or raspberry jam.
Served on La prune by Jet for Ter Steege in The Netherlands.
Pierna is an old Polish word for spices and piernik is a cake made with honey and spices.
Some sources say the name is frompieprz – pepper or piorun – thunderbolt or devil – because of its spiciness.
These cakes have been known in Poland since the 12th century and the spices would have come from Turkey (originally brought back by the crusaders) or India.
The very first recipes were just honey, flour (wheat or rye) and spices.
Honey was the original sweetener, long before sugar, and when you travel in Poland you will find many village ladies selling their own honey, the taste varies greatly depending on where the bees have found their flowers and the honey from a forest region is very dark and full of flavour.
Piernik can vary from being a soft dense cake to a drier but soft biscuit.
The Polish town of Toruń is famous for its piernik and Chopin was very found of this.
Pierniki (plural) coated with chocolate are called Katarzynki – which means Katherine’s cakes – named after Katarzyna the daughter of one of the bakers.
Similar cakes are found throughout Europe including the French paind’éspices, the Dutch peperkoek and the German lebkuchen.
Piernik is often translated as Gingerbread but ginger is only rarely used!
The main spices used are cinnamon , cloves and cardamom with the addition according to different recipes of: aniseed, black pepper, caraway, coriander, nutmeg, dried orange and/or lemon peel and then in later recipes allspice which is from the New World.
Spice Mixture for Piernik
Having looked at many recipes I have made my own basic 3 spice mixture – to which I can add other spices if I want a variation.
I have mixed equal parts of ground cinnamon, cloves & cardamom & saved them in a jar.
In Polish shops in England you can buy ready mixed spices for piernik.
This little packet contains around 2 tablespoons.
You can use the mixed spice mixture which is sold by Marks & Spencer which contains: dried orange peel, cassia (a variety of cinnamon), ginger, nutmeg, pimento (allspice) and caraway.
Piernik in Poland is associated with the Christmas season and would be made for Christmas Eve and for Christmas Day, it would also be made for Święty Mikołaj – December 6th – St Nicholas Day. This a day for present giving in Poland to children and I would always get a piernik shaped and decorated to look like the bishop that was St Nicholas.
I have been looking through my many recipe books and there are just dozens of different recipes & I have been trying some of these out.
Many of the recipes have the addition of chopped nuts and/or mixed peel – I have not added these to my tests as I just wanted to try out the “basic” recipe.
Some of the recipes were for large quantities & I have cut them down in size. Many do not give baking tin sizes or oven temperatures – so I have done a bit of trial and error with some of the ones I have done.
In many of the recipes the dough or batter once mixed up is left for up to 3 weeks before baking. This indeed is a slow fermentation!
Even if the piernik is mixed and baked on the same day, most of them benefit from being wrapped and left for several days before serving.
The recipes in this post are ones you mix and bake on the same or the next day.
My mother made miodownik – honey spice cake (which could be classed as a piernik). Hers is a more moist cake using vegetable oil, which is certainly a more modern ingredient.
This first recipe is adapted from a recently bought little cookbook.
The honey used in the book was given as fir tree honey – this would be a dark honey and would make the cake very dark.
(I remember getting some of this when one of my cousins came from Poland – it was nearly black!)
The honey you use will make a difference to the colour and flavour of the cake. I have used a basic clear type honey.
As only honey is used in this recipe, I think this one is nearer the old recipes.
Piernik 1
Ingredients
450g plain flour
350g runny honey
125g butter or block margarine
Grated rind of a 1 lemon
1 egg – beaten
100ml of milk
1 + 1/2 teaspoons of spices
1 teaspoon of bicarbonate of soda
pinch of salt
Method
Pre-heat the oven to GM4 – 180°C.
Grease and line a large loaf tin – mine is longer than the regular 2lb tin.
Gently melt the butter in a small saucepan.
Mix together the spices, bicarbonate of soda and salt & add these to the flour in a large bowl.
Add the egg, the milk and the lemon rind and mix together.
Add the honey and the milk and mix together till you have a uniform smooth consistency.
Put the mixture into the tin and smooth the top.
Bake for around 50 minutes – checking a little earlier & cover with greaseproof paper it it looks like burning on the top if you need more time.
Leave to cool in the tin.
Wrap in foil to store.
The piernik can be dusted with icing sugar, topped with icing or with chocolate icing – of course these are relatively modern additions to the medieval piernik!
Variation
Addition of pepper
I made the piernik as above with the addition of 1/2 a teaspoon of freshly ground black pepper with the spices.
I did not think it added much to the flavour – I was expecting it to be a little peppery!
Piernik 2
This little honey recipe book has around 2 dozen recipes for piernik to choose from! (miód is Polish for honey)
Ingredients
400g plain flour
1 tablespoonful of butter
120g of granulated sugar
2 eggs
250g runny honey
125ml of milk
1 teaspoon of baking soda
2 teaspoons of spices
Method
Warm the honey slightly.
Put the flour in a large bowl and rub in the butter.
Add the sugar, bicarbonate of soda and the spices.
Mix in the eggs.
Add the honey
Add the milk & mix to give a very thick batter.
Cover the bowl with a cloth and leave it in a cool place for a couple of hours.
Grease & line a 32cm by 22cm baking tin.
Pre-heat the oven to GM 5 -190°C.
Put the cake mixture into the tin and spread it out.
Bake for around 30 minutes (check earlier and cover if it looks like burning.)
Leave in the tin to cool.
Wrap in foil and leave for a couple of days .
Tea plate is Sonnet by Royal Doulton, 1971 to 1998.
This piernik can be dusted with icing sugar, topped with icing or with chocolate icing.
It can also be cut into 2 slabs which are then sandwiched together with powidła which is a lovely spread – often translated as jam but is not really a jam.
It is made from fresh ripe plums which are heated and stirred for hours until the water is driven off and you get a thick paste. The traditional version does not have any extra sugar added.
I bought some in my local Polish shop, I have seen it for sale before in glass jars, this product is in a plastic tub
Pierniczki – Small Honey Cakes
Pierniczki are a small cake or biscuit version of piernik.
For Święty Mikołaj – December 6th – St Nicholas Day I often buy packets of these glazed with clear or white icing or chocolate (You can get them in lots of shops nowadays including Lidl & Aldi) but sometimes I make them myself as they are very easy & delicious.
Ingredients
280g plain flour
1 teaspoon of bicarbonate of soda
180g of granulated sugar
2 teaspoons of spice
100g of runny honey
2 eggs
Optional
Icing sugar to dust
Method
Pre heat the oven to GM 5 – 190oC
Grease several baking sheets.
In a bowl mix all the dry ingredients together.
Beat the eggs lightly and mix these and the honey into the dry ingredients.
Place tablespoons well apart on the greased sheets and bake for about 10 minutes.
They do spread quite a bit.
Leave to cool for a few minutes on the tray and then put the on a wire rack to cool and the dust with icing sugar.
Pierniczki – Small Honey Cakes (filled)
The dough for these is made the evening before.
Ingredients
120g runny honey
60g granulated sugar
2 teaspoons of spice
40g of butter
250g of plain flour
1/2 teaspoon of baking powder
1 large egg
Filling
Powidła, apricot or sour cherry jam
Optional
Lightly beaten egg white for a glaze
Method
Heat the honey in a saucepan over a moderate heat and add the sugar and spices, stirring all the time for about 3 to 4 minutes so that the sugar is dissolved but do not let the honey boil.
Remove from the heat and allow it to cool.
In a separate pan melt the butter and then set that aside to cool.
In a large bowl add the baking powder to the flour.
Pour in the honey mixture, melted butter and the egg and mix with a a wooden spoon to form a soft dough.
Transfer to a small bowl and cover with a cloth and refrigerate overnight.
The next day -take out for 15 minutes before using.
Grease several baking sheets.
Pre-heat the oven to GM 4 – 180°C
You need a 6cm round cutter.
Cut the dough into halves or thirds.
Roll out the dough till it is thin and cut out circles.
Place a largish teaspoon of the powidła or jam on the middle of the circle (going for height).
The more jam the better but it can be hard to seal the circles – takes a bit of practice!
Place another circle on top and press the edges together firmly.
You can brush the tops with beaten egg white.
Place on the baking sheet – leaving some space between circles.
Bake for 15 minutes – checking earlier as they burn easily.
Leave to cool slightly on the tin before placing them on a wire rack.
Dust them with icing sugar.
Served on tea plates – Counterpoint by Royal Doulton 1973 – 1987.
Easy unfilled option
I think once you have tried the jam filled ones, these will be the only ones you want!
However if you want a harder biscuit to decorate with icing then just place single circles on the baking trays and bake for 8 – 10 minutes – you really need to keep an eye on these as they burn very easily.
These come out as a quite hard biscuit.
These can be decorated with icing or chocolate icing.
To understand a Polish Christmas one has to know about its historical and cultural background as these have shaped what we have today.
Poles love festivals and traditions and there seem to me to be more celebrations in Poland than in England with every possible Saint’s day or other opportunity for a gathering, with eating and drinking, taken.
Polish Recipe Books For Christmas
History & Background
In the first centuries AD, around the river Warta, between the river Odra (Oder) and the river Wisła (Vistula) was the cradle of Poland. (The Wisła runs from the Carpathian Mountains to the Baltic Sea.) This region was immense forest land but many areas along the rivers had been cleared. In the east of Poland there are still the remains of the primeval forest at Białowierza (White Tower), this is a National Park were bison and wild boar roam.
By the 5th century the “Amber Road” was the trade route from the Baltic in the North to the Mediterranean in the South.
In the 6th & 7th centuries, many different Slav tribes arrived there, and as by now more of the land had been cleared, they settled.
The People of the Fields
By the mid 10th centurythe Polanie tribe became dominant – these were the people of the fields – pole means fields in Polish.
Agriculture in General
Compared to England the summers are warmer and the winters much colder, a drier cold than in England, often up to -300 C, with lots of snow.
The fertile plains of Poland have made it an agricultural country and the people are close to the land and understand about the seasons and food production. Even now in towns people have vegetable gardens & allotments.
Main crops are wheat, rye, buckwheat, potatoes and cabbage.
Dill is a favourite herb, also flat leaf parsley and caraway.
Pork is the most popular meat.
Poultry and eggs are used extensively
Butter, milk, soured milk, smetana (soured cream), twaróg (curd cheese) feature in many recipes.
In the south in the Tatra Mountains they make smoked cheeses from sheep’s milk.
In the 16th century southern Poland was 40C warmer than it is today and grapes for wine were grown.
Food from the Forest
Mushrooms, fruits and berries are even today collected from forests, eaten, preserved or even sold at the roadside.
Fish are caught in rivers and lakes, fish farms are becoming popular.
Dried mushrooms provide a lot of flavour in the winter diet.
Food Preservation for the Winter
Drying
Fermentation with Brine
Bottling
Smoking
Marinating
Jams – using sugar
Christianity in Poland
In 966 Duke Mieszko the First, Poland’s first recorded leader converted to Christianity.
By the 13th & 14th centuries Roman Catholicism was the main religion in Poland.
In the late 14th century the marriage of the Polish Queen Jadwiga to the Duke of Lithuania was on the promise of his and his people’s conversion to Christianity and the formation of a new enlarged Poland.
In the 16th century the Reformation did come to Poland and did have followers but it mostly died out following arguments between different factions & the Catholic counter reformation.
After the middle of the 17th century the main religion was again Roman Catholicism and is still so today.
Poland was more tolerant of different religions than many of its neighbours and by the early 20th century it had more Jewish people that any other country in Europe.
Advent
St Andrew’s Day – 30 November is celebrated in Poland, and the eve on 29November has many superstitions and traditions to do with foretelling the future especially with regards to future husbands.
The nearest Sunday to 30 November is the start of Advent, this can be from 27 November to 3 December so there are always 4 Sundays before Christmas day.
Advent is a time of reflection, prayer and preparation.
In the past Advent was like Lent; a time of doing without.
In Poland Christmas is celebrated from the evening of 24 December – Wigilia (the vigil) and parties and visiting relatives and family happens from then on.
It seems very strange to the Poles to have all the Christmas parties before Christmas when is still Advent.
The Christmas days are called Gody – days of Harmony and Goodwill
6 December – St Nicholas Day
Older pictures show Swięty Mikołaj (St Nicholas) in his bishop’s robes, newer ones tend to be more like the English Santa.
Presents were to be found on the doorstep or hidden in the house or under the pillow.
Pierniki – spiced honey cakes are given to children, often in the shape of the bishop.
He returns again on Christmas Eve after the evening meal.
It used to be that presents were given on just one of these days, usually 6 December and Christmas Eve was more about the meal and carols and Church.
Nowadays you are likely to get presents on both days.
Before the Second World War the presents were small tokens such as mandarin oranges (a luxury – as they were imported), chocolates, and an item of new clothes or a small toy.
Christmas Tree
The old Polish Tradition was to hang from the ceiling just the tip of a spruce/fir tree (tip side down) decorated with apples and nuts which were either wrapped in silver or gold paper or painted and ribbons. Old Polish Village houses are made of wood – so it was easy to attach the tree tip.
Doorways and walls were often decorated with separate boughs of the remainder of the tree.
This custom originated in pre-Christian times and texts dating back to the 15th & 16th centuries referred to this use of the tree as a pagan rite. Unable to halt the growing trend, the church then reinterpreted the tree to be the Tree of Knowledge – the tree of good and evil.
The tradition of using the whole tree came from Germany in the late 18th century and early 19th century first into the towns and then into richer villages and by the 1920s this had taken over.
In small flats and in towns, and with small funds, people often still just decorate a branch of a fir tree.
Decorations for the tree
Apples symbolise health & beauty, strength & vitality and paradise
Nuts wrapped in Silver or Gold guarantee prosperity & vitality.
When I was young we tied wrapped sweets & chocolates on the tree.
The Tree is put up on Christmas Eve (though nowadays maybe a day or 2 before) the whole family helps.
Decorated with glass baubles – in the past these were often blown eggs decorated with glitter. There are also many straw decorations – angels and stars.
Many of the old ornaments look like the apples and nuts of before.
Some of my mother’s old nut baubles with a few newer ones
Recent Magazine Feature
Nowadays Polish Glass Factories make 2,500 glass baubles a day, some of them very elaborate and expensive.
Paper chains guarantee love within the family.
Candles and baubles guard the house from malevolent deeds.
The star on the top of the tree helps guide back absent family and friend
Bells symbolise good news
Angels are the guardians of the house.
Clip on candles holders with real candles though nowadays artificial lights are more likely to be used.
Photograph’s of my mother’s clip in candle holders.
Pierniki – spiced honey cakes with white icing were used in some areas.
Polish Cribs – szopka
Cribs are varied in Poland, mostly wooden and carved, often with the shepherds dressed in traditional Polish highland costume.
Every year In Krakow in the Grand Square (Rynek Glówny) there is a competition held on the morning of the first Thursday of December, of Christmas cribs.
Model makers come carrying their cribs and they are judged. The winners are kept in the Museum of Ethnography – the rest are sold.
I saw an exhibition of past winners when they were on tour in England in 2011 at The Lowry in Salford.
This competition began in 1937. It was intended to bring back to life a tradition which had died shortly after the First World War, that of the Crib Theatre and these cribs are portable theatres for traditional puppet Nativity plays.
These ornate cribs are very colourful and richly decorated. They are covered in coloured foils, and are inspired by the architecture of Krakow eg Wawel Cathedral and the unequal spires of The Church of the Virgin Mary – Mariatski
They can be from 15 cm high up to 2 metres high and some have clockwork mechanisms or lights.
In the past the Christmas cribs were mostly the works of Krakow masons in their idle weeks of the Polish rainy late autumn.
Nowadays it is a pastime of many Krakow dwellers of all walks of life. And the city boasts several dynasties of Christmas crib makers where two or three generations construct brand-new cribs every year.
Christmas cards
In the past these were always postcards but now folded cards are coming in to vogue.
Copies of old cards from Zakopane from the 1930s – bought in the Folk Museum there.
From an Old Christmas Card from the 1930s
Cards are only sent to family and friends that will not been seen over Christmas.
In Communist times cards depicted, branches of fir trees and baubles, nowadays many religious cards are sent.
A Polish Christmas Card
Often when Poles send cards to family abroad they include a piece opłatek. This was originally bread but now a paper thin wafer with an impression of the Nativity scene is used and is a symbol of forgiveness, unity and love.
The opłatek usually has the corner nipped off to show that this is being shared. My aunty in America always does this.
This is a very Important Meal – Poles want to be with their family on this evening.
This Christmas Eve supper became a fixed tradition in Poland in the 18th century.
It is a completely unique experience with an ordinary evening meal transformed into a celebration of family love and solidarity and it is also so strange that in a country of meat lovers this meatless meal is so important and loved.
The days before the meal were a time to thoroughly clean the house.
The day used to be a day Fasting & Abstinence as the last day of Advent – no meat on that day (abstinence) and only 1 main/large meal (fasting)
There are usually 12 dishes for the 12 apostles though some areas have an odd number of dishes either 7, 9 or 11.
I only make dishes which would have been available through food preservation in the winter or are seasonal.
Presents
If there are presents they are placed under the tree and opened at the end of the meal.
In some areas of the West of Poland– presents today come from Gwiazdor – Starman
In the South West of Poland from an angel or baby Jesus.
In Communist times to try and remove the religious idea – many tried to favour Gwiazdor often portrayed in red robes with gold star or even to introduce the Russian Grandfather Frost on January 1st – unsuccessfully.
However Gwiazdor had links with St Nicholas (Swięty Mikołaj) as he often carries a star in front of St Nicholas.
Carols
The oldest hymn/carol in the Polish Language is Bogurodzica (Mother of God) and is known from the beginning of the 13th Century.
Carols are rich and varied with examples from many different centuries with ones originating from:
church music
to many with music from the Royal Court such as the Polonaise
to lively folk & dance music &
quiet lullabies.
Many carols feature shepherds as the Poles from the countryside felt an empathy with them.
Bóg się Rodzi – a Polonaise( Polonez )– words from the 18th Century.
Przebieżeli do Betlejem – music from the 16th Century.
Carols are sung from midnight mass till 2nd February in Church.
Carollers went from the second day of the Holiday – 26 December until 6 January – carrying:
a star,
a crib,
a stork – the New Year – new life
a baby goat – fertility
a bear – hostile forces of Nature
In some areas Carollers went from Christmas Eve – after their own meal.
They are welcome visitors however if your house is left out then this is seen as a sign of bad luck.
Food for Christmas Day
Many would say that this meal is just like a very special Sunday Dinner.
There are not as many must have dishes on Christmas Day
As with all Polish dinners there is soup to start and this would be most likely rosol – clear chicken consommé with small pasta pieces (the original chicken noodle soup)
There will be lots of MEAT with Pork Dishes mainly such as:
Tort – rich layer cake often made from hazel nuts.
Nowadays there will also there will be chocolates & these Polish dried plums with chocolate continue the tradition of dried fruits at Christmas time – I love them!
My China & Tableware – A New Tradition
Classic white china would be the norm for Christmas but over the last couple of years I have started to use china with poppies* and other red flowers at Christmas time as well as china with autumn and winter foliage from my collection of china.
*Although not a Christmas flower – these poppies are a remembrance to the Battle at Monte Cassino in May 1944 & the military song – Czerwone maki na Monte Cassino – Red poppies on Monte Cassino. As my father fought there, these are very special for me.
New Year’s Eve – Sylwestra
31 December is the feast of Saint Sylwester (Sylvester) and this is the name of the festival in Polish.
In the towns & cities the evening is often celebrated with a dance – no special traditional dishes – more of the Christmas Day type food.
Sleigh rides from house to house, with food at each, were popular in times gone by on the eve and on New Year’s Day.
The 3 Kings – 6 January – Epiphany
During the Christmas period the priest would visit all the homes of his parishioners and say prayers, bless the house and get an offering. He would also bless some chalk or blessed chalk would be obtained at the Mass on 6 January. This chalk is used on 6 January to write over the door frame in the house –
For example for next year – 2017
20+ K + M + B + 17
For the year and Kasper, Melchior and Baltazar – the traditional names of the kings.
To bless all who enter or leave in the coming year.
The end of the Christmas period
In the church – 2 February – Candlemas day – 40 days after Christmas – is the official end of Christmas and then karnawał starts – the festive time before Lent.
Journey From A Polish Kitchen 