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Polish Poppy Seed Roll

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Last updated on February 6th, 2018 at 12:32 pm

Polish Poppy Seed Roll – a traditional poppy seed roll recipe that will result in the best and most delicious poppy seed roll ever!

Polish Poppy Seed Roll - a traditional poppy seed roll recipe that will result in the best and most delicious poppy seed roll ever!

Today I’m going to tell you all about poppy seed rolls and about dinosaurs. The two go hand in hand, right? Well, not really, but I’m excited to tell you about Drumheller and how much fun we had there today. What a gorgeous day, it was really a beautiful warm and sunny day and hubs and I just didn’t want to waste it. So off we went to Drumheller.

If you’ve never heard of Drumheller, it’s a little town in the Badlands of east-central Alberta, about an hour and a half drive from Calgary. Drumheller is known for the Horseshoe Canyon, which is just amazing and beautiful and below you can see a picture of the canyon, that’s what you see everywhere you look around.

drumheller-5

But Drumheller is also known for its dinosaurs, specifically the Royal Tyrrell Museum which we visited today again. It’s a museum that hosts Canada’s largest collection of dinosaur fossils, so if you or your kids are into dinosaurs, this is the place to see! I swear I feel like a little kid every single time we go there!

drumheller

It’s about as close to Jurassic park as you’re going to get. Here are a couple shots of my favorite, the Tyrannosaurus Rex, or trex. How amazing is it that these guys used to roam the earth a few million years ago!

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Now I’m in the mood to see Jurassic Park again!

But that’s enough about dinosaurs. Let’s talk poppy seed rolls now. Poppy seed rolls or Walnut breads are always found on our dinner table during the holidays. I recently just made this for our Easter which was just last weekend and I’ve been dying to share this recipe with you, because it’s the best poppy seed roll I’ve ever had, and I’ve had quite a few.

It was a huge roll, but everyone couldn’t stop eating it. The poppy seed filling is flavored with lemon and orange zest and it was the best. But let me start at the beginning.

I never used to do this before, grind my poppy seeds. I always thought they’re small enough so no need to grind them. But a reader asked me about it not too long ago and of course my curiosity got the better of me and I bought a spice grinder, yep never had one before! Below you can see a shot of the poppy seeds before and after so you can see the difference. The difference is not only in how they look but as you grind them the seeds release all their oils and other goodness, and they’re just more flavorful, let’s just put it that way.

Polish Poppy Seed Roll - a traditional poppy seed roll recipe that will result in the best and most delicious poppy seed roll ever!

The dough is a very typical and simple dough to make. The rest is like making cinnamon rolls. You roll out the dough, spread the poppy seed filling then make a roll and pinch the side.

Polish Poppy Seed Roll - a traditional poppy seed roll recipe that will result in the best and most delicious poppy seed roll ever!

I brushed mine with egg and sprinkled with turbinado sugar, but there are many options here. For example you could skip the egg wash and make a simple icing or glaze to pour over once the roll is done baking, another option is to sprinkle it with poppy seeds. I prefer the turbinado sugar, but it’s totally up to you.

Once baked, it will smell incredible. You really really must let it cool before slicing into it. Hard job, but you must resist. The wait will be worth it. This is my favorite recipe for a poppy seed roll and it’s a Polish recipe. I’ve made this before using different doughs, and the filling can vary a bit. The great thing is that you can get fancy with the shapes for this roll, or you can make many mini poppy seed rolls. Whatever you decide, the taste will be amazing.

Polish Poppy Seed Roll - a traditional poppy seed roll recipe that will result in the best and most delicious poppy seed roll ever!

If you guys love this recipe, and most importantly make it yourselves, please let us know. Take a picture and tag it #jocooks on Instagram so we can see it. I always love to see what you guys come up with!

Polish Poppy Seed Roll

Polish Poppy Seed Roll - a traditional poppy seed roll recipe that will result in the best and most delicious poppy seed roll ever!
4.67 from 9 votes
Print Pin Rate
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: Polish
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 35 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour 5 minutes
Servings: 12
Calories: 234kcal
Author: Joanna Cismaru

Ingredients

Dough

  • 2 1/4 cup all purpose flour
  • 2 tsp active dry yeast
  • 1/4 cup sugar
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 2/3 cup milk , heated to 110 F
  • 2 tbsp vegetable oil
  • 1 egg
  • 1 egg beaten (for egg wash)

Poppy Seed Filling

  • 1 cup poppy seeds
  • 1/3 cup boiling water
  • 1/4 cup ground almonds
  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • 1/2 tsp vanilla
  • zest of 1/2 a lemon
  • zest of 1/2 an orange
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Instructions

  • Using a spice grinder, grind the poppy seeds slowly, about 2 tbsp at a time and 10 seconds for each portion. Scoop out any that stick to the bottom of the grinder as you go. Add the poppy seeds to a medium size bowl and add the boiling water, and the rest of the poppy seed filling ingredients, stir and set aside.
  • Add the flour, yeast, sugar and salt to the bowl of your mixer. Stir in milk, oil and egg. Beat for a couple minutes and if the dough is too sticky, add more flour and beat using the dough attachment until it forms into a ball and the sides of the bowl are clean.
  • Cover the dough with plastic wrap and let it sit and rise in a warm place for about 30 minutes. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
  • Roll the dough into a 14 by 16 rectangular shape. Spread the filling almost to the edges, and roll starting at the 14 inch end. Seal the edges and pinch and tuck the ends under. Place on prepared baking sheet and let it rise in a warm spot until it doubles in size, should take about an hour. A few minutes before ready for baking, preheat oven to 350 F degrees.
  • Brush with egg wash and sprinkle with some sugar or poppy seeds if preferred. Bake for about 35 minutes or until golden brown and fully baked inside.

Notes

Always check the expiration date on your yeast and make sure it hasn't expired. All your yeast products whether it’s in a jar or a package should be stamped with a “Best if Used by” date. Always make sure you check this date, even when you purchase the yeast, who knows it could have been on the shelf past its expiry date.
To keep your yeast fresh and longer lasting, unopened yeast packages or jars should be stored in a cool or dry place such as your cupboard. However, you can also store your yeast in the fridge or freezer. If you do store it in the freezer and need to use yeast for your baking, make sure you take out the amount you need and let it sit at room temperature for at least half hour before using.
Once your yeast package or jar has been opened, you must refrigerate the yeast or freeze it in an airtight container.
One thing to remember about your yeast, is that it is a living organism and over time it will lose activity, even if you’ve never opened the jar or package. So if you don’t bake often, buy the smaller yeast packages rather than a big jar of yeast.
 
Please keep in mind that nutritional information is a rough estimate and can vary greatly based on products used.

Nutrition

Serving: 80g | Calories: 234kcal | Carbohydrates: 31.47g | Protein: 6.6g | Fat: 9.56g | Saturated Fat: 2.98g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 3.897g | Monounsaturated Fat: 2.015g | Trans Fat: 0.003g | Cholesterol: 29mg | Sodium: 117mg | Potassium: 163mg | Fiber: 3.5g | Sugar: 9.7g | Vitamin A: 3% | Vitamin C: 3% | Calcium: 20% | Iron: 14%
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Nutrition Facts
Polish Poppy Seed Roll
Amount Per Serving (80 g)
Calories 234 Calories from Fat 86
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 9.56g 15%
Saturated Fat 2.98g 15%
Trans Fat 0.003g
Polyunsaturated Fat 3.897g
Monounsaturated Fat 2.015g
Cholesterol 29mg 10%
Sodium 117mg 5%
Potassium 163mg 5%
Total Carbohydrates 31.47g 10%
Dietary Fiber 3.5g 14%
Sugars 9.7g
Protein 6.6g 13%
Vitamin A 3%
Vitamin C 3%
Calcium 20%
Iron 14%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

Recipe source from Jenny Can Cook

Polish Poppy Seed Roll - a traditional poppy seed roll recipe that will result in the best and most delicious poppy seed roll ever!

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Comments

  1. Jane Keefe says

    April 24, 2019 at 6:52 pm

    Thanks for sharing this recipe, Jo! I’m using it with leftover Solo poppy seed filling, which is presweetened. I used most of it for kolacky and didn’t want to waste the rest.

    Reply

  2. David Barnabo says

    February 1, 2019 at 11:38 am

    Dough was easy to make. Turned out great. I used one can of poppy seed filling. It worked well. Will use this recipe again. I will try to make another one tomorrow. Use raspberry filling instead of poppy seed.

    Reply

  6. Theresa Mierzwa Roke says

    March 5, 2017 at 8:34 pm

    I’m 100% Polish and my mom was a fantastic cook and baker. Poppyseed loaves were traditional at Easter and Christmas-she would make dozens of full-size loaves. It’s been so long since I’ve looked at her recipes, but I was lucky enough to enjoy spending time with her in the kitchen. I close my eyes and see exactly how she prepared the filling- melted butter in a huge pan (I still have it!), ground poppyseed stirred in with sugar and applesauce (for moistness) with an old wooden spoon. Everyone who visited left with a loaf of poppyseed or walnut. Now I want to make it for Easter and teach my granddaughter what her great-grandmother taught me! (I was also lucky that my mom had a notebook full of hand-written recipes in her beautiful penmanship-I’ve made copies for both my daughters.)

    Reply

  7. Oksana says

    August 12, 2016 at 2:04 pm

    This is by far the best poppyseed bread I’ve ever had. It’s so easy to make too. I have tried other fillings like apricot, raspberry and cherry. That gives it a completely different bread. It’s a softer and lighter bread. I always make two breads. One poppyseed and one with a Solo filling. Thank you for the delicious recipe.

    Reply

  9. Danna O'Donnell says

    March 21, 2016 at 1:45 pm

    Baked this the other day and it was good. I liked the size of the recipe. I didn’t like that the yeast was not dissolved first. I found it a little bumpy on rolling out. After it was baked it was fine. I think I prefer a richer dough for this though and will be trying a recipe with butter and more egg in it today. I used a small canned poppy seed filling which worked well.

    Reply

  11. Valerie says

    December 8, 2015 at 12:12 pm

    hi…OMG….the same poppy seed roll my grandma would make us every summer…do you grind the poppy seeds before you make the rugelach
    can’t rate it until I make it , but it sure looks like it….

    Reply

  13. Maureen | Orgasmic Chef says

    April 18, 2015 at 8:22 pm

    This reminds me of the time we spent in Eastern Ukraine several years ago. We were having coffee and a poppy seed roll in a cafe. In the center of the cafe was a country marker showing that in years prior, one side of the cafe was in Poland. Everywhere we visited in Lviv had poppy seeds in nearly everything. I learned to love these pastries and can’t wait to try yours.

    Reply

  14. Helene says

    April 17, 2015 at 11:39 am

    When I was a kid, 7/8 years old, my Mom would send me to the bakery to get the ground poppyseed I would get on my bike and ride about 10 blocks to get there. My Mom did not drive. This is my favorite kolach, the Slovak term for this roll. There is only one change I would make and that would be to increase the poppyseed filling by half. That’s how much I like this. Thank you for the recipe.

    Reply

  16. Cathy says

    April 17, 2015 at 8:49 am

    My Mom used to make this – it is soooo good. It is great with a cup of tea or coffee.
    Thank you for the recipe and the reminder!

    Reply

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