Category: Poppy Seed

Pancakes with Poppy Seeds

  • I have been looking at recipes for various pancakes using poppy seeds.
  • Some did not turn out very well.
  • So I decided to use my best perfect pancake recipe and add 1 tablespoon of poppy seed per egg.
  • Poppy seeds contain several vitamins including B12 – so it is good to include these.

INGREDIENTS

  • 200g of plain flour
  • 2 eggs
  • 200ml of milk
  • 200ml of water
  • Pinch of salt
  • 2 tablespoons of poppy seeds

METHOD

Sift the flour

You must use a mixture of milk and water – 50/50 is the best – this ensures that the pancakes do not burn as easily and also enables you to make then very thin and elastic so they are easy to work with. (This is the most important tip).

  • Beat the eggs and add then them first to the sifted flour.
  • Add the milk mixture to the egg and flour mix until you have a batter the consistency of pouring cream.
  • Add the poppy seeds and stir.
  • Leave the batter to stand for at least 1 hour in which time it will thicken, then add a little more liquid.
  • Stir so that all the poppy seeds are well distributed.
  • Use a special thin pan which you use just for pancakes, mine has a base diameter of 20 cm and is made of steel, once seasoned, just wipe it clean between uses with kitchen roll – never scour it or use detergent.
  • Work out how much batter you need for a pancake and find a measure which will then give you a consistent amount – I use a small ladle which holds 45ml.
  • Have a dish of melted butter or margarine and sunflower oil for frying so you can add just enough and tip some back if needed.
  • Can be served sweet or savoury.

Knedle with Cheese & Poppy seeds

I had a lot of poppy seeds to use up because they were reaching there best before date.

I had just made the knedle with cheese and decided to try these.

To the mixture I added around 2 tablespoons of poppy seeds, which had been simmered in milk and then drained and sieved.

INGREDIENTS

  • 500g twaróg
  • 100g semolina
  • 4 eggs – seperated
  • 30g plain flour
  • 30g butter
  • 3 tablespoons of milk
  • Milk for simmering the poppy seeds
  • 2 tablesooons of poppy seeds which had been simmered in milk for 30 minutes
  • Salt
  • *
  • Serve with meted butter or with butter and bread crumbs or soured cream

METHOD

  • In a small bowl cover the semolina with the warm milk and leave for 30 minutes.
  • Sieve the cheese and dry it.
  • Beat the butter and add the yolks – 1 by 1.
  • Add the cheese and the semolina and mix until smooth.
  • Sieve the poppy seeds and dry them and add to the mixture.
  • Whisk the whites and add to the mixture.
  • Flour your hands and take pieces of the mix to make ‘balls’ the size of walnuts.
  • Test by adding 1 to boiling water – if too loose add a little more flour.
  • Cook in boiling salted water, cover whilst cooking.
  • Use a slotted spoon to remove them from the water.
  • Place them in a colander and then in a bowl.
  • *
  • You can dust with icing sugar and
  • Serve them with melted butter or soured cream/
  • *
  • They will be good with fresh or bottled fruits.

Cake with Poppy Seed Filling

  • Today is the 11th year anniversary of my blog.
  • I started on 4 July 2015.
  • This will be my 725 post.
  • I used to have several recipes per post but have realised that is too much and I now try to have 1 recipe per post.
  • I thought I would use a very Polish ingredient in this post – that is poppy seed.
  • This is really a large version of my small buns with poppy seed filling.
  • I had some poppy seed to use up and wanted to make a simple cake.
  • I used a large cake liner in a 20cm diameter loose bottomed tin.
  • I used a 3 egg version of my sponge cake.
  • I had around 50g of poppy seeds – you can use a bit more.

INGREDIENTS

  • Cake
  • 3 eggs – weighed in their shells
  • Equal weighs of the eggs for – Sugar, Butter and Plain Flour
  • 1 teaspon baking powder for each 100g flour
  • *
  • Filling
  • 50g or more of poppy seed
  • Milk to cover these in a pan
  • 2-3 tablepoons of runny honey
  • 1 tablespoon of semolina – optional

METHOD – filling

  • Simmer the poppy seeds in the mix for around 20 minutes.
  • Using a fine sieve, sieve the poppy seeds to remove the milk.
  • Get the poppy seeds as dry as possible.
  • Put them back in the pan and heat gently to remove any move liquid.
  • Add the honey and stir this in well.
  • Stir in the semolina if using.
  • Leave to cool completly.

METHOD – cake

  • Pre-heat the oven to GM5 – 190o C.
  • Cream the butter with the sugar until light and fluffy.
  • Cream in the eggs.
  • Fold in the flour and baking powder mixture.

METHOD – to assemble the cake

  • Put the cake liner into the tin.
  • Add just over half the cake mixture and spread to the edges.
  • Put all of the poppy seed mixture on top and stir a little into the cake mixture.
  • Put the rest of the cake mixture on to and spread to the edges.
  • Bake for around 50 minutes – maybe more – until the top is golden and a tester comes out clear.

Serve on a Royal Doulton Sonnet tea plate.

Roasted Poppy Seed Buns

This recipe appeared in one of my very early posts when I wrote up several recipes per post.

I now write up 1 or maybe 2 per post as this is easier for me and for readers of the posts.

These are small cakes or buns – you can call them babeczki.

The dry roasted poppy seeds have a lightly nutty flavour.

The buns are made in small bun cases – I am not sure if these are found in Poland – but you use bun trays with the bun cases in each if you have them.

To make 12 small buns I used 2 eggs

  • 2 eggs – weigh them in their shells
  • Equal weight of caster sugar, butter and plain flour.
  • Baking powder to match the flour at 1 teaspoon per 100g

For this amount you need 40 -50g of poppy seeds.

In a small dry frying pan – without any oil or butter – fry the seeds for 5 minutes – stirring them with a wooden spoon or spatula – taking care not to burn them.

Tip the seeds into a bowl containing cold milk.

Once cool, pour the mixture into a fine sieve.

Leave the sieve over an empty bowl, press down on the seeds several times to remove the milk.

METHOD

  • Pre-heat the oven to GM5 – 1900 C.
  • Cream the sugar and butter until light and fluffy.
  • Mix the bakng powder with the flour.
  • Add the eggs 1 by 1 with a little flour.
  • Fold in the roasted poppy seeds.
  • Fold in the rest of the flour.
  • Bake for around 20 minutes.
  • Dust with icing sugar before serving.
Weighing eggs

Babeczka – Little Poppy Seed Buns – 3

  • Babka is the name of a cake in Polish, which is of a certain shape.
  • The name means grandma and the shape is round and dumpy and usually has a hollow centre.
  • A small bun or fairy cake can be called a babeczka (babeczki in the plural).
  • I have also seen the word mufinka now in Poland.
  • *
  • One of my very early posts looked at several versions with poppy seeds.
  • I now know it is easier to just do 1 or maybe 2 recipes per post.
  • So I am posting some of these again. 
  • This one is for a sponge recipe with a poppy seed filling.
  • I use a cut down version of my usual filling.
  • These were made in bun cases – I do not know if they have these in Poland.
  • But they make these easy to make and are very portable.
  • *
  • You need to make the poppy seed filling beforehand and leave it to cool.

INGREDIENTS for the poppy seed filling

  • 100g poppy seeds
  • 300ml milk
  • 2 tablespoons of runny honey
  • 1 tablespoon of semolina
  • 1 egg yolk

METHOD for the filling

  • Put the poppy seeds and milk into a saucepan and simmer then together for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally to stop any sticking or burning.
  • The aim is to cook the seeds and adsorb as much of the milk as possible.
  • You need to watch this carefully and keep adjusting the heat to stop the mixture burning.
  • Keep stirring and heating until the milk is absorbed.
  • The poppy seeds then need to be crushed, I use a hand held blender for about 5 minutes which I find is the easiest way.
  • Once crushed, add the semolina and honey.
  • Heat again to remove any excess liquid.
  • Leave to cool completely before using.

INGREDIENTS for the sponge

  • 2 eggs – weigh them in their shells
  • Equal weight of caster, sugar, butter and plain flour.
  • Baking powder to match the flour at 1 teaspoon per 100g

METHOD for the sponge

  • Cream the sugar and butter until light and fluffy.
  • Mix the baking powder with the flour.
  • Add the eggs 1 by 1 with a little flour.
  • Fold in the rest of the flour.

Putting the buns together

  • Pre-heat the oven to GM5 – 190° C
  • Put the bun cases into a bun tray.
  • 12 small buns or 9 large ones
  •  
  • The next bit is fiddly and it is easier to do them all at once.
  • You have to do this by eye –
  • 1 tablespoon of sponge at the bottom –
  • Around ½ -1 tablespoon of filling next –
  • Cover with the rest of the sponge mixture.
  • Bake for around 15 – 20 minutes until golden.
  • Dust with icing sugar before serving.

They have proved very popular and I often make them for wigilia now.

Option – Lemon icing on the top.

Poppy Seed & Lemon Buns

  • These little buns are based on one of my poppy seed cakes.
  • This amount makes 12 buns made in bun cases.

INGREDIENTS – buns

  • 100g butter
  • 100g granulated sugar
  • 2 eggs
  • 120g plain flour
  • 1 teaspoon of baking powder
  • 3 tablespoons of poppy seeds
  • Fine zest of 1 lemon
  • Juice of 1 lemon

    Topping

  • 1 large lemon – rind pared & juice
  • 50g granulated sugar & 1 tablespoon of granulated sugar

METHOD

  • Pre-heat the oven to GM 4 – 180°C.
  • Cream together the butter, sugar and lemon zest.
  • Add the eggs, one by one and whisk again.
  • Mix the flour with the baking powder.
  • Fold in the flour.
  • Mix in the lemon juice.
  • Fold in the poppy seeds.
  • Divide the mixture between 12 bun cases in a bun tray.
  • Bake for 25 -30 minutes.
  • Leave on a cake rack to cool.
  • *
  • MEANWHILE
  • Take the rind parings and boil them in a little water for 2 minutes.
  • Sieve and dry.
  • Add these to 1 tablespoon of granulated sugar and mix.
  • *
  • Mix the lemon juice with the 50g of granulated sugar.
  • *
  • Divide the topping over the buns.
  • Sprinkle parings over the buns.

Heathcote, made in England, cake plate.

Duchess Bramble Rose Tea Rose

Little Poppy Seed Cakes -2

  • I posted my little poppy seed cakes post in December 2019.
  • I have been using spelt flour – orkiszowa – a bit recently and decided to try these out using this flour.
  • They were delicious – the spelt flour giving them a slightly nutty taste.

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

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 tablespoon of fresh yeast
  • 4-5 tablespoons of milk (full fat or semi)
  • 1 teaspoon of sugar
  • 250g of spelt 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 teaspoon of sugar.
  • 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.
 

Poppy Seed Cake – 5

  • As you can see from the numbering – cake 5 – I have several recipes for a poppy seed cake – makowiec.
  • This was adapted from a recipe in a magazine I bought in Gdańsk.
  • It is baked in a rectangular tin and has a lemon glaze poured over it when cool.
  • Or you can cut it in half to make two squares and sandwich them together with Polish plum spread – powidła or another dark fruit jam.

Ingredients

  • 125g butter – softenned
  • 125 granulated sugar
  • 100g poppy seeds
  • 125ml milk
  • 2 eggs seperated
  • 150g flour (cake flour is good)
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • Grated rind of 1 lemon
  • *
  • Juice of 1 lemon
  • 50g Sugar
  • or
  • Polish plum spread – powidła or Sour Cherry or Blackcurrant jam.

Method

  • Line 3 sides of a 26 x 20 baking tin with one piece of greaseproof paper.
  • Pre-heat the oven to GM4 – 180°C.
  • Cream the butter and sugar together.
  • Mix in the egg yolks.
  • Mix in the poppy seeds and the milk.
  • Mix the flour and the baking powder together.
  • Fold the flour mix into the cake mixture.
  • *
  • Whisk the egg whites until they are stiff.
  • Fold the whites gently into the cake mixture.
  • Spoon the mixture into the prepared cake tin.
  • Smoothe the top flat.
  • Bake for 50 -55 minutes.
  • Near the end of baking check the top is not burning.
  • Cover with paper or foil if it is.
  • Leave to cool in the tin.
  • *
  • Mix the lemon juice with the sugar.
  • When the cake is cooling, spread the lemon mixture over the top of the cake.
  • *
  • Dust with icing sugar to serve.

Option

  • Rather than the lemon juice – wait till the cake is cool.
  • Cut it into 2 squares and sandwich together with Polish plum spread or dark fruit jam
  • Blackcurrant jam was used here.
  • Dust with icing sugar to serve.

St Martin’s Croissants

  • St Martin’s Day (swietomarciński) is 11 November.*
  • These rogaliki – crescents or horns  or Marcińki are traditionally eaten around that day.
  • The recipe originates from Poznań – but the bakeries in Gdańsk had many for sale at the end of October when I was there.
  • The ones in the bakeries were much smaller than ones I have made in the past – see photo at the bottom right hand side.
  • *
  • The pastry is a flaky yeast pastry.
  • The filling is a poppy seed and dried fruit filling (some recipes add chopped nuts as well).
  • They are delicious.
  • White poppy seeds are often used  – I have not seen these here in England.
  • * Since 1918 – 11 November is also Independence Day
  •  

INGREDIENTS – Filling

  • 100g poppy seeds
  • 300ml milk
  • 2 tablespoons of runny honey
  • 1 tablespoon of semolina
  • 1 egg yolk
  • 50g mixed peel
  • 75g sultanas

Method

  • Put the poppy seeds and milk into a saucepan and simmer then together for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally to stop any sticking or burning.
  • The aim is to cook the seeds and adsorb as much of the milk as possible.
  • You need to watch this carefully and keep adjusting the heat to stop the mixture burning.
  • Keep stirring and heating until the milk is absorbed.
  • The poppy seeds then need to be crushed, I use a hand held blender for about 5 minutes which I find is the easiest way.
  • Once crushed, add the semolina, mixed peel and sultanas
  • Whisk the egg yolk and honey together until this is thick and creamy and then add this to the mixture.
  • Leave to cool before using.

Ingredients – Pastry

Leaven – Starter

  • 150g plain flour
  • 200ml warm milk
  • 4 tablespoons of granulated sugar
  • 1 pkt of dried yeast (= 1 tablespoon)

Rest of Ingredients

  • 300g plain flour
  • 100g butter
  • 2 yolks
  • *
  • a little more milk might be needed 
  • Egg white to glaze
  • For layering
  • Around 180g of butter

Method

  • Mix the yeast and sugar into the hand hot milk.
  • Put 150g of flour into a bowl and mix in the milk mixture until it is like double cream.
  • Cover the bowl and leave it to rise.
  • *
  • Rub the butter into the 300g of flour until it is like breadcrumbs.
  • Add the egg yolks and the yeast starter.
  • Mix till you get a soft dough – you might need to add a tablespoon or so of milk – depends on the flour.
  • Knead the dough till you have a nice smooth ball.
  • Leave in a bowl, covered, to rise and double in size.
  • *
  • Place the butter into a dish and leave at room temperature to soften.
  • Knead the risen dough lightly for a few minutes.
  • **
  • Roll out the dough out thinly into a large rectangle.
  • Spread a around a sixth of the butter over 2/3rds of the surface.
  • Fold the dough without the butter over a third of the dough.
  • Fold the rest of the dough over this – making a rectangle.
  • Turn the dough by 90°.
  • Repeat the rolling, butter spreading and folding
  • Leave to rest for around 10 minutes.
  • ***
  • Repeat from ** to *** twice.
  • *
  • Cover the dough in greaseproof paper and place in the fridge for about 30 minutes or longer if you do not want to use just straight away.
  • When you want to use the dough take it out of the fridge for 20 minutes first.
  • *
  • Pre-heat the oven to GM 4 – 180°C
  • Grease two baking sheets.
  • Roll the dough out into a rectangle to use.
  • *
  • With a knife or pizza cutter divide the dough into 8 or 16 triangles.
  • Place a teaspoon of filling at the fat end.
  • Roll up the triangle from the fat end to get the horn shape.
  • You can curve it slightly.
  • Place them on a baking sheet – as far apart as possible.
  • Repeat with the rest of the dough.
  • Brush the tops with egg white.
  • Cover loosely and leave for about 15 minutes.
  • Bake for around 14 – 15 minutes.

NOTE

Poppy Seed – Tort

  • Today is 31 December 2023 and this will be my 590th post.
  • Thank you to everyone who reads any of them.
  • *
  • Poppy seed cakes are a very Christmas time thing in Polish cookery.
  • But of course can be found all through out the year as well.
  • This could be called a makowiec – but it is light and more a tort (sponge layer cake).
  • I got a packet of ground poppy seeds (for the first time) and this recipe was on the back.
  • I tried it out and it is light, fluffy and delicious.
  • It is good just on its own but the suggestion is to add butter cream.
  • I used a rum flavoured butter cream but think, vanilla, rum or lemon rind would also work well.
  • You can cut the cake in half and sandwich it together or put the butter cream on the top.
  • The cake takes 6 eggs and was baked in a 24cm diameter round tin.
  • It is left to cool in the tin and does sink slightly in the middle.
  • I think next time using 2 sandwich type tins would be better or
  • Make ½ the quantity.

INGREDIENTS

  • 6 eggs separated.
  • 200g granulated sugar
  • 200g ground poppy seeds (a whole packet)
  • 3 tablespoons of semolina 
  • 1 teaspoon of baking powder
  • pinch of salt

Method

  • Grease and line the base of a 24 cm round tin.
  • Pre-heat the oven to GM4 – 180°C.
  • Mix together the poppy seeds, semolina and baking powder.
  • Whisk together the egg yolks and sugar till thick and creamy.
  • Fold in the poppy seed mixture.
  • Add a pinch of salt to the egg whites and whisk till stiff.
  • Fold the whites into the rest of the cake mixture.
  • Put into the cake tin and smooth over the top.
  • Bake for 40 – 45 minutes.
  • Leave to cool in the tin.
  • The cake may drop slightly in the middle.
  • *
  • Serve dusted with icing sugar or
  • Cut in half and sandwich with a butter cream of your choice – vanilla, rum or brandy or lemon rind.

Duchess & Meakin poppy tea plates.