Category: Yeast Cakes

Poppy Seed Filling

  • There is a recipe for poppy seed filling in one of my early posts on Poppy Seed Cake and Yeast Cakes
  • This is a variation with added dried fruit and peel, which was inspired by some yeast rogaliki I tried in Gdańsk.
  • I have cut down the amount of filling as you do not need as much for small cakes.
  • 100g of poppy seeds is more than enough for filling small cakes and pastries.
  • The filling can be used in my recipes for Rhubarb Yeast Buns(instead of the rhubarb) Mincemeat Yeast Buns (instead of the mincemeat) or rogaliki.
  • I used the filling to make rogaliki.
  • *
  • Note – as with all yeast pasties they do not stay fresh long – so invite guest to eat then up with you.

INGREDIENTS

  • 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.

Meakin – Poppy plate

Yeast Placek with Plums

Ingredients 

  • 200g & 50g plain flour
  • 150 ml warm milk
  • 1 teaspoon of granulated sugar
  • ½ tablespoon of dried yeast
  • *
  • ¼ teaspoon of salt
  • 60g granulated sugar
  • 2 egg yolks
  • *
  • 400g of ripe plums
  • 1-2 tablespoons of sugar
  • ½ teaspoon of ground cinnamon
  • *
  • Egg white for brushing
  • *
  • Icing sugar to dust

Method 

  • Mix the milk, yeast, 1 teaspoon of sugar and 50g of plain flour.
  • Leave for 20 minutes.
  • Put the 200g of plain flour, 60g of sugar, salt, yolks and yeast mixture in a bowl.
  • Mix together to form a soft dough.
  • Add a little extra milk if this is too dry.
  • Knead for 10 minutes – set a timer – till you get a smooth ball.
  • Cover and leave for 1½ – 2 hours.
  • *
  • Line a baking tray with baking paper.
  • *
  • Cut the plums in half and remove the stone.
  • Cut the plums into slices – thinner ones if not so ripe.
  • Mix them with the sugar and cinnamon.
  • *
  • Lightly mix the dough back into a ball.
  • Roll out and stretch the dough to fit the baking tray.
  • Brush the top with beaten egg white.
  • Place the plums and sugar mix on top.
  • Cover and leave for 30 minutes.
  • *
  • Pre-heat the oven  to GM5- 200°C.
  • Bake for 20 -25 minutes.
  • Leave to cool on a wire rack.
  • Dust with icing sugar to serve.
Elizabethan – Carnaby – 1970s

Pampuchy – 2 – Sweet

  • These  sweet pampuchy are made exactly like the ones in  pampuchy – 1.
  • There is no extra sugar in the dough.
  • The jam inside and the sugar on top is enough sweetness.

Ingredients

  • 350g plain flour
  • 250 warm milk
  • 2 teaspoons of granulated sugar
  • ½ tablespoon of dried yeast
  • Large pinch of salt
  • 2 egg yolks
  • 2 tablespoons of melted butter
  • *
  • 1 teaspoon of jam for each one – apricot and whinberry were used here.
  • *
  • Granulated or icing sugar to dust 

Method

  • To the milk add the sugar, yeast and 1 tablespoon of the flour.
  • Leave to froth up for around 20 minutes.
  • Add the yeast mixture to the flour and salt and add the egg yolks.
  • Mix together to make a rough ball.
  • Add the melted butter and mix it in until you have a ball again.
  • Knead for about 5 minutes.
  • Cover and leave to rise for about 1 hour.
  • Bring the dough together and gently knead for about 2 minutes.
  • Divide the dough into 16 equal parts.
  • Roll them gently into smooth balls.
  • Place each one on a wooden board and flatten it into a disc with you fingers.
  • Place a spoonful of jam in the centre.
  • Bring up the dough around the jam and seal each one in a ball.
  • Place on a tray or board, cover and leave for about 30 minutes.
  • Steam them for 10 minutes.
  • *
  • Dust with granulated or icing sugar to serve (optional) 
  • *
  • Some people serve these with a warm, fruit sauce
  • Vintage Pyrex
  • Greenway by John Russell
  • Royal Doulton – Sonnet

Jagodówki – Whinberry Yeast Buns

  • These  drożdżówki – sweet yeast buns – with whinberries(bilberries) get their own name.
  • Jagodówki or Jagodzianki – – Jagody being whinberries.
  • These grew in abundance in the woods near where both my mother and father used to live in the North East of the then Poland.
  • I imagine both my grandmothers baking these when the fruit was ripe in summer.
  • Some also grew in the area of Lancashire where I was brought up and we often picked these.
  • If you are lucky enough to have these growing near you – go and pick them and bake.
  • Otherwise use imported blueberries – their big American cousins.

Filling

There are 3 ways to make the filling:

  • Berries sprinkled with granulated sugar and left for a while.
  • Berries sprinkled with granulated sugar and cooked in a pan for a few minutes.
  • Use blueberry jam.

Ingredients – Buns

  • 200g & 50g plain flour
  • 150 ml warm milk
  • 1 teaspoon of granulated sugar
  • ½ tablespoon of dried yeast
  • ¼ teaspoon of salt
  • 60g granulated sugar
  • 2 egg yolks
  • *
  • Egg white for brushing – beaten

Ingredients – crumble topping – kruszonka

  • 30g plain flour
  • 20g butter
  • 20g granulated sugar

Method – crumble topping – kruszonka

  • Rub the butter into the flour to get breadcrumbs.
  • Stir in the sugar.

Method – Buns

  • Mix the milk, yeast,  1 teaspoon of sugar and 50g of plain flour.
  • Leave for 20 minutes.
  • Put the 200g  of plain flour,  60g of sugar, salt, yolks and yeast mixture in a bowl.
  • Mix together to form a soft dough.
  • Add a little extra milk if this is too dry.
  • Knead for 10 minutes – set a timer – till you get a smooth ball.
  • Cover and leave for 1½ – 2 hours.
  • Line baking tray with baking paper.
  • *
  • Lightly knead the dough for a few minutes.
  • Divide the dough into 6.
  • Roll each one to make a ball and then flatten it.
  • Place a tablespoon of the filling in the centre.
  • Take the edges of the dough and bring together and seal.
  • Place the balls, sealed side down, on the baking tray.
  • Brush with beaten egg white.
  • Sprinkle the kruszonka – crumble mixture over the top 
  • *
  • Cover and leave for 30 minutes.
  • *
  • Pre-heat the oven  to GM6 – 200°C.
  • Bake for 12-14 minutes.
  • Leave to cool on a wire rack.

Rhubarb Yeast Buns

  • Today, 4 July 2021, is the 6th anniversary of my blog. 
  • I still enjoy trying out recipes and writing about them.
  • I still have many more traditional and modern recipes to do.
  • Today’s recipe is very Polish –  drożdżówki – sweet yeast buns.
  • The yeast dough I used for onion rolls was very good and I thought I could use it with different toppings.
  • I found that adding some granulated sugar to the dough was better for sweet toppings.
  • I have previously made similar buns – see kołaczyki, which means little wheels from the word koła which means wheels.
  • I like this dough recipe even more than the ones I have used before – this will become the one I will use the most.

Ingredients – Roll

  • 200g & 50g plain flour
  • 150 ml warm milk
  • 1 teaspoon of granulated sugar
  • ½ tablespoon of dried yeast
  • *
  • ¼ teaspoon of salt
  • 60g granulated sugar
  • 2 egg yolks
  • *
  • Egg white for brushing – beaten
  • 3 to 4 stalks of rhubarb
  • 3-4 tablespoons of granulated sugar

Method – Rhubarb

  • Pre-heat the oven to GM4 – 180°C.
  • Chop the rhubarb into small pieces.
  • Place them on a baking tray.
  • Sprinkle them with sugar.
  • Bake in the oven for around 30 minutes.
  • The aim is to part cook them to be soft.
  • Leave to go cold before using.

Ingredients – Kruszonka

  • 30g plain flour
  • 20g butter
  • 30g granulated sugar

Method – Kruszonka

  • Rub the butter into the flour to get breadcrumbs.
  • Stir in the sugar.

Method

  • Mix the milk, yeast, 1 teaspoon of sugar and 50g of plain flour.
  • Leave for 20 minutes.
  • Put the 200g  of plain flour, 60g of sugar, salt, yolks and yeast mixture in a bowl.
  • Mix together to form a soft dough.
  • Add a little extra milk if this is too dry.
  • Knead for 10 minutes – set a timer – till you get a smooth ball.
  • Cover and leave for 1½ – 2 hours.
  • Line baking tray with baking paper.
  • *
  • Lightly knead the dough for a few minutes.
  • Divide the dough into 6.
  • Roll each one to make a ball.
  • Place the balls on the baking tray and flatten each one.
  • Cover and leave for 30 minutes.
  • Pre-heat the oven  to GM6 – 200°C.
  • Using finger tips or the base of a tumbler flatten the centre of each roll.
  • Brush with beaten egg white.
  • Place around 8 pieces of rhubarb in the centre of each roll.
  • Sprinkle the kruszonka – crumble mixture over the top of the rhubarb
  • Bake for 20 minutes.
  • Leave to cool on a wire rack.
  • *
  • Serve warm or cold.
J & G Meakin – Topic – 1966- 1979
Vintage Pyrex

Optional

  • Dust with icing sugar.
  • Drizzle with runny icing.

Yeast Pancakes

  • These would be called placuszki drożdżowe in Polish.
  • They are small American style pancakes.
  • They are similar to dropped scones in the north of England.
  • They are similar to bliny but made with wheat flour.
  • They are a variation on my bliny recipe and you could use half wheat and half buckwheat flour  (I intend to try this soon).

Ingredients

  • 170g plain flour
  • 1 tablespoon of dried yeast
  • 250ml of lukewarm milk.
  • 3½ tablespoons of granulated sugar
  • 50g of melted butter
  • 2 eggs
  • Pinch of salt
  • *
  • Little bit of sunflower oil for frying

Method

  • In a bowl mix the yeast, 1 tablespoon of  sugar and 125ml of milk.
  • Leave for around 10 minutes to froth up.
  • In a large bowl mix the flour, salt and 2½ tablespoons of sugar.
  • Mix in the eggs, 125ml of milk and the butter.
  • Add the yeast mixture and mix well.
  • Cover the bowl (a shower cap is good) and leave to rise.
  • This will depend on the room temperature – mine took 90 minutes.
  • Use a cast iron gridle pan or similar.
  • Heat the pan up and add a little sunflower oil.
  • Place large tablespoons of batter on the pan.
  • Adjust the temperature to a medium heat so not to burn them.
  • Cook on both sides.
  • Keep in a warm oven whilst making more.
  • Serve sweet or savoury

Served here with caster sugar on La prune by Jet for Ter Steege of the Netherlands.

Currant Tea Cakes

  • This recipe is a variation of Yorkshire Tea Cakes –  bułeczki.
  • These are soft bread buns with the addition of currants.
  • In Polish the word – rodzynki – is used for raisins and sultanas – ie dried grapes.
  • I do not know what word is used for currants – the dictionary gives the word   porzeczki  –  but that is used for berries such as black  or red currants.

Ingredients

  • 340g plain flour
  • ½ tablespoon of dried yeast
  • ¼ teaspoon of salt
  • 30g granulated sugar
  • 30g of butter
  • 220ml of milk & water mixed – lukewarm
  • 60g currants

Method

  • Mix the yeast, sugar and milk and water mixture and leave to froth up.
  • In a large bowl rub the butter into the flour.
  • Add the salt.
  • Stir in the currants.
  • Pour the yeast mixture into the flour mixture and mix well.
  • Cover the bowl and leave in a warm place for an hour.
  • Grease a baking tray.
  • Divide into 6 pieces and shape into flattened circles.
  • Place the circles, evenly spaced onto the greased baking tray.
  • Cover and leave for 40 – 60 minutes
  • Pre-heat the oven to GM6 – 200°C
  • Bake for 10- 12 minutes.
  • Leave on the tray for a few minutes then put them on a wire rack to cool.

They are delicious, split, toasted and buttered.

Yorkshire Tea Cakes

I have been looking at some old Yorkshire recipes and tried out this recipe for soft bread buns – tea cakes in Yorkshire  – bułeczki in Polish.

This recipe is so easy and the tea cakes are delicious – I think I will be using this recipe often.

Ingredients

  • 340g plain flour
  • ½ tablespoon of dried yeast
  • ¼ teaspoon of salt
  • 30g granulated sugar
  • 30g of butter
  • 220ml of milk & water mixed – lukewarm

Method

  • Mix the yeast, sugar and milk and water mixture and leave to froth up.
  • In a large bowl rub the butter into the flour.
  • Add the salt.
  • Pour the yeast mixture into the flour mixture and mix well.
  • Cover the bowl and leave in a warm place for an hour.
  • Grease a baking tray.
  • Divide into 6 pieces and shape into flattened circles.
  • Place the circles, evenly spaced onto the greased baking tray.
  • Cover and leave for 30-40 minutes
  • Pre-heat the oven to GM7 – 220°C
  • Bake for 10- 11 minutes.
  • Leave on the tray for a few minutes then put them on a wire rack to cool.

Fruity Yeast Cake

  • This started as a recipe for buns but the dough was much too soft.
  • I decided to make it as a large flat cake ( placek) instead.
  • It has turned out similar to my aunt’s recipe for  drożdżówka  a sweet cake made using yeast.
  • This yeast cake is made with spelt flour (not strong flour) and the mixture is mixed with a wooden spoon or a Danish whisk to form a soft mixture and is not kneaded.
  • As with any recipe made with yeast, timings are so unpredictable depending on many variables including the room temperature.
  • I try to bake with yeast when I am at home for most of the day with other activities to do whilst waiting for the dough to rise.

Ingredients

  • 450g spelt flour
  • 100g granulated sugar
  • 100g butter
  • 180g currants
  • 40g mixed peel
  • 25g fresh yeast
  • Around 280ml of milk – warmed
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon mixed spice

Method

  • In a bowl mix the flour and salt.
  • Rub in the butter till you have breadcrumbs.
  • Stir in the sugar, mixed spice, currants and mixed peel.
  • Make a well in the centre, add the yeast and enough of the warmed milk to make a soft dough.
  • Cover the bowl and leave it in a warm place to rise.
  • The rise will not be very large.
  • Line a large baking tray with a rim.
  • Tip out the dough and spread it out to the edge of the tray with a spatula.
  • Cover and leave to rise for 30 to 60 minutes.
  • Pre-heat the oven to GM6 – 200°C.
  • Bake for 20 – 25  minutes.
  • Cool on a baking rack for 5 minutes.
  • Remove from the baking paper and put back on the rack to avoid it going soggy at the base.

Royal Doulton – Sonnet  tea plates – 1971 – 1998

As with most yeast cakes this is best eaten as soon as possible as it will soon go stale.

If all is not eaten on the day of baking, I cut the cake into slices and pack into a plastic container and freeze – these are then toasted and served with butter at a later date.

Kulebiak with Cabbage & Mushrooms

  • Kulebiak is the nearest there is in Polish Cookery to a pie or a pasty.
  • It can be made with a yeast dough, a short crust type of pastry or puff pastry.
  • It is very much a large version of   paszteciki – the small savoury pastries,  which I posted in November 2019.
  • Popular fillings include cabbage & mushrooms of various sorts, hard boiled eggs and fish.
  • Many people serve this for Wigilia –  the Christmas Eve meal.
  • Sometimes the several fillings are put in as layers.
  • Here I have made it with a yeast dough with a fresh cabbage and fresh mushroom filling.
  • It is best served hot.
  • *
  • In the early part of the 20th century Auguste Escoffier, the French chef, wrote about this dish and called it Coulibiac.
  • Was this the start of dishes such as Salmon en croute?

Ingredients – Yeast Dough

  • 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 & water for a glaze

Method – Yeast Dough

  • Put 50g of the flour into a bowl.
  • Add the yeast and sugar.
  • Add enough of the milk to make the mixture as thick as 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 a shower cap and leave to rise in a warm place.
  • *
  • Grease a baking tray.
  • Take the pastry and shape into a rough rectangle.
  • Roll out into a large rectangle around a finger width in thickness.
  • 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.
  • Fold over the short sides.
  • Turn the roll over so the “seams” are underneath.
  • Place on the baking tray, cover and leave to rise.
  • *
  • Pre-heat the oven to GM4 180 °C.
  • *
  • Lightly beat the egg white with a little water and brush this on the top.
  • Bake in the oven for around 1 hour.
  • *
  • Best served hot – but still good cold
  • Cut into thick slices to serve.

Ingredients – Filling

  • Small head of white cabbage or sweetheart cabbage.
  • 250g of mushrooms
  • 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 

Served on a vintage Pyrex platter and Royal Doulton – Carnation plates – 1982-98