Polish poppy seed pie
8 servings
180 minutes
Polish poppy seed pie is a traditional treat embodying the coziness of home cooking. Its roots go back centuries when poppy was used in Polish baking as a symbol of abundance and prosperity. The fluffy yeast dough with a tender texture envelops the aromatic poppy filling soaked in milk, butter, and sugar, creating a harmony of sweetness and richness of flavor. This pie is perfect as a festive treat or a cozy dessert in family gatherings. After baking, it acquires a golden crust while the filling becomes soft and rich. It is traditionally served sliced, complemented by a cup of fragrant tea or coffee. Such a pie not only offers enjoyment in taste but also conveys warmth and traditions of Polish cuisine.
1
Dissolve dry yeast in half a glass of warm milk (100 ml), adding a tablespoon of flour and sugar. This mixture should sit in a warm place for 20-30 minutes until it is covered with 'foam'.
- Dry yeast: 10 g
- Milk: 450 ml
- Wheat flour: 500 g
- Sugar: 200 g
2
Melt the butter (80 g), add half of the sugar (100 g), vanillin, 2 eggs, and mix well until the sugar is completely dissolved.
- Butter: 100 g
- Sugar: 200 g
- Vanillin: 2 g
- Chicken egg: 3 pieces
3
Mix the starter, butter-sugar mixture, flour, and 100 ml of milk. Knead well. Adjust the dough with flour. If you make it elastic and almost non-sticky to the hands, it will be easy to work with and roll up, but after baking the pie will be dry, stale, and hard. If you make a slightly sticky and soft dough, it will be harder to work with but the pie will be soft and fluffy.
- Wheat flour: 500 g
- Milk: 450 ml
4
Cover the dough with plastic wrap in the container (not the container itself, but place a strip of wrap on the dough), then put the dough in a warm place to rise. A trick is to place it in the oven and turn on the light. There is no draft, and the lamp provides gentle heat. The dough will rise instantly. Wait for an hour, then punch it down and let it rise for another half hour.
5
Filling for poppy pie: first grind the poppy seeds in a coffee grinder while dry. Then bring the remaining milk (200 ml) to a boil, add the poppy seeds, and return to low heat. Stir constantly until the poppy seeds almost completely absorb the milk. Next, add sugar (remaining 100g) and a piece of butter (remaining 20g).
- Milk: 450 ml
- Poppy: 300 g
- Sugar: 200 g
- Butter: 100 g
6
On a floured table, knead the dough again and release the carbon dioxide from it. Roll it out into a rectangle 7-9 mm thick. Trim the uneven edges. We will use these scraps to make decorations for the pie.
- Wheat flour: 500 g
7
We lay out the filling. We roll the dough starting from the long edge.
8
Pinch the edges of the roll, transfer it to a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Trim the edges you pinched (already on the baking sheet) and connect the ends of the roll to form a ring.
9
We decorate the pie with leftover dough.
10
Bake for 40-60 minutes at 180°C (time depends on thickness and oven). About 5 minutes before the end, brush the pie with the remaining egg white.
- Chicken egg: 3 pieces
11
Take out the pie and cover it with a towel - this will make it soft instead of hard right away.