Yeast Buns – Journey From A Polish Kitchen

Rosemary & Sultana Buns

This recipe is based on an Italian recipe – Pan di rameniro.
These were originally eaten on Holy Thursday.
I am sure they would be well loved in Poland.
They are both slightly sweet and savoury.
*
If you want whole buns you will need to use 2 baking sheet.
Here only 1 sheet was used and the buns spread into each other slightly

INGREDIENTS

10g of dry yeast
200ml of hand hot water
1 tablespoon of granulated sugar
*
300g plain flour
*
2 large sprigs of fresh rosemary
70g of sultanas
60ml of virgin olive oil + little extra for brushing
*
Large pinch of salt
*
4 tablespoons of granulated sugar
2 tablespoons of water

METHOD

Mix the dry yeast, sugar and hand warm water.
Leave for around 10 minutes so it gets frolly.
*
In a large bowl mix the flour with the yeast mixture.
Gather the mixture together and mix till you have a smooth ball.
Cover the bowl with a cloth or a plastic cover and leave for around 90 minutes.
*
Remove the rosemary leave from the woody stems.
Chop the leaves into small smaller pieces.
Mix the olive oil with the rosemary and sultanas – stir ocasionally.
*
Gather up the sides of the risen dough and form into a rectangle.
Pour in the oil mixture and mix together by kneading.
NOTE – this can be a little difficult.
You might need a little extra flour.
Keep on kneading until you have a uniform dough.
Flatten this out on a board and cut into 8 pieces.
*
With your hands shape each piece into smooth balls.
*
Place some baking parchment over a baking tray.
Place the buns on the tray leaving some room to spread.
Cover the tray loosely with a cloth.
*
Preheat the oven to GM5 – 200°C.
Brush the tops of the buns with a little olive oil.
With a sharp knife make a noughts and cross grid on each bun.
Let them rest for 16 minutes.
Bake in the oven for 30-35 minutes.
*
Prepare a sugar glaze by gently heating together 4 tablesoons of sugar with 2 tablespoons of water.
Brush the cooked buns with the hot syrup.

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

This pastry is very time consuming – you could try a rich shortcrust pastry instead – Not tested.

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

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.

Optional

Dust with icing sugar.
Drizzle with runny icing.

Onion Rolls

When I visited one of my aunties in Białystok we often talked about cooking and recipes.
She mentioned making making bread rolls with onions on top.
I did not get an actual recipe and looked some up instead.
You can call these cebulaki – (cebula = onion in Polish).
However I did find that they are often called biały as they are a traditional recipe from Białystok.
I discovered you will find these for sale in New York as they were brought there by Polish and Jewish émigrés from Białystok around 1920.
The traditional topping is fried onion and poppy seeds.

Ingredients – Rolls

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

Ingredients – Topping

1 onion
1 tablespoons of butter
Large pinch of salt
Ground pepper
½ tablespoon of poppy seeds

Method – Rolls

Mix the milk, yeast, sugar and 50g of plain flour.
Leave for 20 minutes
Put the 200g of plain flour, 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 the baking tray with baking paper.
*
Make the onion topping.
*
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.
Put the onion and poppy seed mixture into the centre of each roll.
Bake for 20 minutes.
Leave to cool on a wire rack.
*
Serve warm or cold.

Method – Onion Topping

Thinly slice the onion and cut the slices into quarters.
Fry the onion in butter till golden brown.
Add salt and pepper.
Leave to cool completely.
Mix in the poppy seeds.

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.

Poppy Seed Yeast Buns

I recently posted a recipe for cinnamon buns, which were very soft and fluffy.

I thought – Why not use the traditional sweet Polish poppy seed mixture instead of the cinnamon mixture? – and so I did.

A mixture of strong and plain flours is used making the dough softer and a little harder to handle. After the first rising the dough is NOT knocked back, just used as it is to make a rectangular shape. Putting the buns into a deep foil lined roasting tin helps to let them rise into shape.

Ingredients – Dough

250g strong flour
250g plain flour
Half a tablespoon of dried yeast
50g butter
50g granulated sugar
1 egg
Around 330ml milk

Method

Line a roasting tin with foil taking it all up the sides.
Warm a little of the milk and add the yeast.
Leave for around 10 minutes.
Mix the flours together.
Rub the butter into the flour – like breadcrumbs.
Add the sugar.
Make a well in the centre and pour in the yeast mixture.
Add the beaten egg.
Slowly add the milk – you might not need all of it.
Use a knife first to start to bring everything together
Then use your hands and form a soft dough ball.
Knead the dough on a lightly floured surface for at least 5 minutes – even up to 10 minutes.
Place the dough into a bowl, cover (a disposable shower cap is good) and leave to rise until the dough has doubled in size.
Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured board.
DO NOT KNOCK BACK THE DOUGH.
Using you fingers gently flatten and shape the dough into a rectangle.
Cover the dough with the poppy seed mixture.
Roll into a log.
Slice into thick pieces.
Place the pieces into the tin.
Cover and leave to rise.
Pre-heat the oven to GM6 – 200°C
Once all the pieces are touching put in the hot oven.
Bake for around 20 mins – check and maybe cover after 15mins.
Drizzle some icing made from lemon juice and icing sugar over these or just dust with icing sugar.
Leave to cool in the tin on a cake grid.

Ingredients – Poppy seed mix

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.

Caraway Yeast Buns

Whilst doing some research on caraway, I found that in 2011, Finland produced over 25% of the worlds caraway.

So I thought why not a recipe from Finland!

This is a based on a recipe for pulla – in Poland they would be called bułeczki – they are yeast buns and in Finland they are served with coffee.

These buns are originally flavoured with crushed cardamon seeds – I have adapted this for caraway.

In Poland caraway is often added to rye bread but not usually added to wheat flour buns.

Ingredients

500g plain flour

50g butter

80g of granulated sugar

300ml tepid milk

1 teaspoon of dried yeast

1 egg beaten

1 tablespoonful of caraway seeds

1 teaspoon of salt

1 egg white, beaten, for glazing (does not burn as easily as whole egg).

Optional

Crushed sugar cubes.

Method

In a small dish start the yeast off with 2 tablespoons of the milk and 1 tablespoon of the sugar until it is bubbling.

Rub the butter into the flour.

Add the salt, caraway seeds, sugar, yeast mixture, milk and egg.

Mix thouroughly with a wooden spoon.

Cover the dough with clingfilm or a cloth and leave to rise.

I left mine over night in a cool cellar and then followed by a few hours in the morning in a warmer kitchen.

Grease 2 baking sheets.

Take the dough out of the bowl – a special dough scraper is very good for this.

20180320_063137

Divide the dough into 12 pieces – a dough cutter is most useful for this and shape each one into a ball using floured hands – do not over work the dough or add flour – keep the mix as soft as possible.

Place the balls on the sheets – leaving room for expansion.

Cover and leave to rise.

Pre-heat the oven to GM 6 – 200°C

Brush the top of each bun with the beaten egg white and sprinkle with the crushed sugar if desired.

Bake for 10-15 minutes until golden – brown.

Getting ready for morning coffee

Enamelled coffee pot by the Cathrineholm ironworks in Norway – Lotus – from the 1960s,

Coffee cups and saucers by Elizabethan – Carnaby – from the 1970s

The buns are on a hand-decorated cake stand made by Fairmont & Main who were established in Huddersfield in 1994.

The pattern is Carnival and this is a recent birthday present from one of my friends.

Note

As with all yeast buns these will go stale quickly – if I have any left – I cut them in half and pack into bags and freeze them.

On de-frosting I toast them and serve with butter.

Kołaczyki – Little Wheels

Sweet Yeast Buns

Kołaczyki means little wheels from the word koła which means wheels.

In a previous post – Bułeczki – Sweet Yeast Buns– I gave a recipe for basic sweet yeast dough – since then I have tried out a slightly different recipe – nearly the same ingredients but a slightly different method – and I think these turned out to be the best yeast buns I have ever made – so this is – Basic sweet yeast dough version two.

A few reminders when using yeast in baking

Learn to be patient – you cannot control the timings exactly with yeast, it depends on the temperature of the room and the flour used and other variables.
Do yeast baking on a day you are planning to be in & have other things to do, but ones you can break off from when needed.
Heat the milk so it is at body temperature – use the finger test – too hot and you will kill the yeast – too cold is okay – it will just take longer.
An egg glaze often burns too quickly – I have found an egg white or egg white & water glaze gives a better result.

Older Polish recipes use fresh yeast. I have used dried yeast and have had very good results. (I have not tried using easy bake yeast for this recipe).

Basic Sweet Yeast Dough Version 2

Ingredients

Leaven – Starter

100g plain flour
30g fresh yeast or 15-20g dried yeast
125ml milk

Rest of ingredients

3 egg yolks
60g sugar
50g melted butter or block margarine
400g plain flour
1/4 tsp salt
Zest of 1 lemon
2-3 drops of vanilla essence
125ml milk

and

Save 1 egg white for use as a wash on the buns.

Method

Warm the milk slightly – so it is just warm to the touch – and add the yeast and mix together.
Put the flour in to a bowl and add the milk and yeast mix it all together and leave it covered until it is double in size.
*
Melt the butter and leave it to cool.
*
Whisk the yolks and sugar until they are pale and fluffy.
Grease 2 baking sheets – You should get around 15 buns. – invite people round!
Into a large bowl put: the flour and the salt, the yeast starter, the yolk mixture, the zest of a lemon, the vanilla essence and the milk.
Mix it all together so that you get a soft dough that comes away from the side of the bowl – you do not have to knead it.
Then work in the melted butter (this is the hardest part) until it is all incorporated and you have a uniform shiny dough.
Cover the dough with a cloth and leave this to rise until it is double in size.

Onto a floured surface place the dough and form it into a rectangle and then roll this out until it is around 2cm thick.
Using a 8cm diameter cutter cut out circles of dough and place them on the greased baking sheets, leaving room for the dough to rise.
Gather together the left over dough and repeat the process.

Cover the trays and leave the circles to rise and double in size.
Pre heat the oven to GM5 – 190ºC
Use a clean napkin or tea towel and cover the base of a tumbler.
Use the covered tumbler and press down on the centre of each circle to form an indentation into which you will put a filling.

Fillings

These are the ones I tried –
Cheese mixture – similar to ones for baked cheesecake.
Mix together around 250g of cream cheese/twaróg/curd or yoghurt cheese, 70g icing sugar, 1 egg yolk and 2-3 drops of vanilla essence.
Blackcurrant jam (you could use any tart jam such as cherry or gooseberry )
English style sweet mincemeat – I use Delia Smith’s recipe (without the nuts)
Put a large dollop of the filling onto each circle.