I am proud to announce that my entry into the Twin Cities Polish Festival baking contest took first place this past weekend! I made
the traditional Makowiec
(pronounced "Ma-KOH-viets")
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| Photo taken by Scott Knutson, Insideout Studios |
It is a classic Polish dessert or tea
bread that is commonly served around the holidays. Made from a sweet yeast dough with
butter, eggs, and even a bit of sour cream filled with a freshly made poppy seed
paste then rolled up and glazed with a simple icing. Little did I know that I
chose the most complex out of the three potential categories for the contest, and that you can actually buy poppy seed filling already made, ready to go. But
no, I made my own and not just once, but several versions until I found what I
thought was the best one. Now, I must say that this bread is soft, unique and
quite delicious; but do not enter into this without allowing yourself at least
3 hours. Trust me the efforts are worth it, but man do I wish I had a cute little
Polish grandma to make it for me. All the hard work paid off with a pretty blue ribbon and
a very proud future mother in-law. Here is my winning recipe, maybe it will be a new
tradition for you too.
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| All the winners of the contest |
Note
the sweet Polish lady next to my right, said that you could wrap the rolls in
parchment paper before baking them to help keep the shape round and the filling
tightly together. It sounds like it would work, as this was one of the hardest
struggles for me. Don’t worry though even if your roll is not prefect it is still
way delicious.
Enjoy!
Makowiec
Qty Measure Ingredient
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2 Teaspoon Dried Yeast (same as 1, 7g packet)
2 Teaspoon Caster Sugar
½ Cup Milk, lukewarm
1 Pound + Bread Flour plus more for dusting (3
1/2 cups)
1/2 Cup Caster Sugar, extra (11g)
1 Teaspoon Salt
1/2 Cup Butter, melted and cooled (100g)
1/4 Cup Sour Cream
2 Each Eggs, lightly whisked
1 Teaspoon Vanilla
1 Teaspoon Orange Zest
2 Tablespoon vegetable oil to grease the bowl
FILLING
1 1/2 Cups Poppy Seeds
1/2 Cup Caster Sugar
1/4 Cup Butter
1/4 Cup Milk,
1/4 Cup Honey
1/4 Cup Raisins
1/4 Cup Dried apricots
1 Teaspoon Vanilla extract
2 Each Egg whites, slightly beaten
ICING
¾ Cup Powdered Sugar
1 Tablespoon Butter, melted
1 Tablespoon Fresh Squeezed Orange Juice
¼ Teaspoon Vanilla
Instructions:
1. Combine yeast,
sugar and half the milk in a bowl. Set aside in a warm, place for 10 minutes or
until frothy.
2. Combine the flour,
extra sugar and salt in a large bowl. Make a well in the center. Pour in the yeast
mixture, butter, sour cream, egg, vanilla, orange zest and remaining milk. Use
a wooden spoon to stir until combined, then use your hands to bring the dough
together in the bowl.
3. Turn the dough
onto a lightly floured surface. Knead for 10 minutes or until smooth and
elastic. Brush a large bowl with oil to grease. Place the dough in the bowl.
Cover with a clean towel. Set aside in a warm,
place for 1 1/2 hours or until doubled in size.
4. For the filling,
grind poppy seeds in a coffee grinder place in a bowl and cover with boiling
water, set aside for 30min to soften. Drain. In the bowl of a food processor
combine the raisins and apricots and process until coarsely chopped. In a
saucepan melt the butter and add the raisins, milk, honey, vanilla and poppy seeds . Bring to a simmer over medium heat. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 10
minutes. Set aside to cool.
5. Lightly whisk the
egg whites in a bowl. Add to the filling and stir to combine.
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| Try wrapping with parchment here for more round looking results |
7. Sift the powdered
sugar into a bowl. Whisk in the butter, orange juice, and vanilla until the icing reaches pouring
consistency. spread over the cake. Set aside for 10 minutes or until set.
Freezing note: Wrap in plastic wrap and 1 layer of foil.
Label, date and freeze for up to 4 months. Thaw overnight at room temperature
and frost if desired.
Yields: 2 loaves
