Polish Poppy Seed Rolls - Food Wishes

Traditionally, a Polish Poppy Seed Roll is rolled, baked in a loaf, glazed, and then sliced, but here we’re using those same ingredients to create individual rolls, which ended up being as unusual, as they were deliciously addictive. Speaking of which, do not make these before a drug test. You’ve been warned. Enjoy!

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[gorzana]

That's a great recipe! Some tips for people who'd like to try this: Polish poppy seed filling usually includes chopped raisins and walnuts, just throw a handful of each into the mixture. The glaze is usually made with powdered sugar and lemon juice. It should be much thicker than the one in the video and applied when the rolls are still a bit warm. And if you sprinkle some candied orange zest over the top, you'll end up with the essential Polish Christmas roll.

[feebeedoc]

I’m going to be honest Chef John, I will never make or eat these but you’re basically a bedtime story at the moment 👍

[sarakott]

Dear Chef John,
I live in Kraków in Poland and I approve Your Polish Poppy Seed Rolls we call these Drożdżówki z makiem, so You made them 100% authentic 😊
Yes I know the pronouciation is challenging 😉
Greetings from a Danish Girl 🇩🇰living in Poland 🇵🇱

[magdalenamiastowska]

My favourite childhood snack :D Thanks, and best wishes from Bydgoszcz, Poland.

[G-Rat]

My mom made her own poppyseed roll recipe after my dad described a dish he had in Germany. Its been a staple in my family ever since. Ever birthday and holiday doesn't start without it.

[frauleintrude]

Poppy seeds are delicious. They are much more smooth and rich when ground. Simmer them slowly and give them lots of time to rest to absorb the milk. I always grind a batch in small portions in a spice blender. Here in Germany you can buy precooked ground poppy seeds in the super market. But it tastes awful loaded with way too much sugar and artificial flavouring. Better to make your own mixture. I often add a shot of dark Rum and prune jam as sweetener. Chopped almonds or walnuts are a good addition too, rum soaked currants. Good in a Babka, in cornets, two layered cheesecake, traybake with Streusel mixed in pound cake or a hazelnut poppy seed cake. You can mix the ground and cooked seeds in runny vanilla custard and spread the sauce over steamed yeast dough dumplings. I never heart of any one who had problems with the police after consuming a piece of poppy seed cake. But you may be at risk to end up quite heavy eating too many poppy seed pastries: Low in Opium but high on fat.

[cynicalsparrow]

Why is it so calming to listen to him talk?? He is like the Bob Ross of cooking

[jamessheridan]

When I was a kid (1960's), a local bakery used to offer something called Poppy Strudel Cake. The log you see in this video would have been wound into a coil and when baked and cooled would have been topped with a thin, clear glaze. Us kids were permitted only a taste because it was considered too rich for kids. By the time I was old enough for a slice of my own the bakery had closed.

[FlyxPat]

I lived in Düsseldorf for a while and my absolute favourite cake there was poppy seed cake. It was SO yummy

[UrbanPanic]

"These are only gonna be like, 50% authentic" So, not so much polish as... pol-ish.

[bleuefish]

It's so easy to grind the poppy seeds in a coffee grinder, or a food processor. The filling comes out much smoother. It's more nutritious since it opens all the seeds. It also improves and intensifies the flavor. Do this before adding to the simmering milk mixture. it also thickens up better. Plus, the ridiculous amount of seeds you have to use is a bit lessened, since grinding the seeds also plumps their volume. 8 oz of poppy seeds will make roughly 16 oz of filling this way.

[AndyJayLark]

Still to this day the best voiceover for any recipe is John’s.

[karlanorvell]

I really enjoyed baked goods with poppy seeds at my favorite coffee shop/bakery when I lived in Poland. I am going to give this recipe a try.

[dominika]

For anyone doing things with poppy seed I recommend soaking in milk for a few hours and grinding. At least twice.

For Christmas we're doing this with shortcrust pastry

[driftspecs]

Everybody who makes this and then has a random drug test:

"I found out why I was testing positive for opium!"

[MarkNedostup]

My Slovak grandmother made this as a loaf. Also a version with chopped walnuts instead of poppy seeds. She also made individual ones as rolled crescents sprinkled with powdered sugar, which kept the fillings nicely tucked inside, instead of on the top where they could get singed in the oven. Just saying.

[donnalynn]

I'm half Polish. My great grand parents came to America from Poland. In fact my Great Grandpa grew up in the same village as Pope John Paul II. He knew him as a boy. I only met my great grandfather once when I was litle but I remember him telling me this. If there is one thing Polish women can do well it's cook and bake. My mom was a wiz in the kitchen. I was eating poppyseed in the womb. I could eat poppyseed by itself. Kolackys are my favorite but I love these rolls too. Mmmmm, just seeing them agsin makes my mouth water. I haven't made these in forever. May have to change that

[karolinakepinska]

I was born and raised in Poland and now I'm living and studying in the UK... honestly I miss those poppy seed rolls so much the nostalgia hits hard!!
Thanks a lot for that! I will definitely try making them! 😄

[dustinbreitkreuz]

It's interesting that you call these Polish because my German grandmother (born in Prussia) makes these, so I've always associated this sort of thing with German cooking. It's always fun to see what kinds of food different cultures have in common, especially in places as diverse as Central/Eastern Europe!

[marathee]

Thank you chef john for being so awesome 😄