Makowiec
A yeasted roll wound around a thick poppy seed filling, sliced to show the spiral. Poland's Christmas cake.
Photograph credit: File:04477 Poppy seed cake Makowiec.jpg by Silar · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia · this resized copy is shared under the same licence
The poppy seeds must be simmered in milk and then ground twice, and the second grind is what people skip. Once-ground seeds stay gritty and the filling tastes of dry seed; ground twice they release their oil and turn into a dark, almost creamy paste. A meat grinder or a strong blender both work, but it needs two passes.
Questions About Makowiec
How long does Makowiec take to make?
40 minutes of preparation and 45 minutes of cooking, plus 2 hours 10 minutes of proving the dough, so allow 3 hours 35 minutes from start to finish. The method also needs time for cooling completely, which it does not time, so treat that as a minimum. The recipe serves 10.
How to Make Makowiec
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Mix the flour, caster sugar, yeast and salt, then work in the warm milk and egg yolks.
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Knead 8 minutes, work in the softened butter, and knead 4 minutes more. Prove 90 minutes.
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While the dough proves, simmer the poppy seeds in the filling milk for 25 minutes, then drain thoroughly.
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Grind the drained seeds, then grind them a second time — they should turn dark and pasty.
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Cook the ground seeds with the filling sugar, honey and butter for 8 minutes, stirring.
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Stir in the raisins, walnuts and candied peel and cool completely.
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Whisk the egg whites to soft peaks and fold them into the cooled filling.
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Roll the dough into a 40 x 30 cm rectangle and spread the filling to within 2 cm of the edges.
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Roll up tightly from the long side, tuck the ends under and lay seam-down on a lined tray.
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Prove 40 minutes, brush with egg, bake at 180°C / 355°F for 45 minutes, then cool and drizzle with icing sugar mixed with lemon juice.
Related guide: Prep, cook and total time.
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Tips That Matter
- Grind the poppy seeds twice.
- Cool the filling completely before it meets the dough.
- Roll tightly or the spiral has gaps.
Pairs Well With
Strong tea · Christmas Eve · Compote
Keeping and Reheating
Keeps 5 days wrapped and improves after a day. Freezes 2 months.
Makowiec Nutrition
Per serving, calculated from the ingredient list with USDA FoodData Central figures (SR Legacy). A calculation, not a laboratory analysis: brands, cuts and how you measure change the real numbers. How the figures are worked out.
Your notes on this recipe
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Compiled by Turab
Checked by script for timings, diet labels and nutrition arithmetic. How the recipes are checked. Found a mistake? Tell us.
First published ; last changed .
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