Table of Contents
Key Takeaways
- If you’re looking for a well-tested recipe for Croatian poppy seed and walnut rolls, just like your grandma or mum used to make, this article has everything you’re looking for!
- You’ll learn how to properly knead sweet yeast dough, how to make poppy seed and walnut fillings, how to spread them evenly over the dough, and how to roll poppy seed/walnut rolls so they look beautiful after baking.
- You’ll also learn how to prevent the filling from separating from the top crust and how to keep this Croatian poppy seed and walnut roll fresh so they don’t dry out.
The holiday season is when we often remember some of the people we love, our shared memories with them, and our family traditions. And then at that time, through some familiar rituals, tastes, and smells of food, it’s as if we try to call them to come back to us. We imagine that they are sitting with us now, that we are talking about stuff that was once close to us, and that together, in the warmth of our home, we are preparing for the end of another year.
We imagine.
We bake, we cook, we knead.
Maybe even a tear appears in the corner of our eye, and a lump tightens in our throat… but, we continue on. Remembering those memories today, with our youngest, we create new ones.
As much as I love trying out new recipes, I’m just as happy when I nail those traditional Croatian recipes, like this recipe for poppy seed and walnut roll. I “borrowed” the dough from my recipe for buhtle (jam-filled yeast rolls) and adjusted it a bit. It took me several tries to come up with a recipe I’m happy with; in our family, my Dad is the one who loves these sweet yeast cakes the most so I dedicate this post to him.
What is Poppy Seed/Walnut Roll
Poppy seed or walnut roll (makovnjaca and orahnjaca), in Croatia, generally can be made in 2 ways: with sweet yeast dough or some type of shortcrust pastry. The filling can also be made with carob or almonds, but walnuts and poppy seeds are the most popular.
This cake is most often baked for Christmas or Easter. Similar types of fragrant yeast rolls are popular in Croatia, Slovenia, Hungary, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Serbia. Countries of Eastern Europe also have other versions of poppy seed rolls.
Don’t let the list of ingredients and detailed instructions scare you; I have written everything I know about baking poppy seeds and walnut rolls that will help you during your preparation. Follow all my tips and tricks carefully and you’ll nail it.
Ingredients For Poppy Seed And Walnut Roll
- Flour – you need all-purpose flour, which I recommend sifting to avoid any lumps.
- Milk – it’s best to use fresh, full-fat milk. You need some for the dough (warm milk), and some for pouring over the poppy seeds and walnuts (very hot milk). A small portion of the milk is also needed for the eggwash.
- Yeast – you can use fresh or dry yeast.
- Sugar – you will need 3 types of sugar: granulated sugar for the dough and fillings, bourbon vanilla sugar for the poppy seeds filling, and powdered sugar for dusting over the rolls after baked and cooled.
- Sunflower oil and lard – the dough is very rich in different fats so it stays fresh for as long as possible and has a rich flavor. You can replace the lard with butter.
- Eggs – they bind all the other ingredients together, and the egg mixed with a little milk will give the poppy seed and walnut roll a shiny crust after it’s baked.
- Orange zest – you don’t need to skimp on this. Orange and poppy seeds go really well together! Orange zest can be replaced with lemon zest, too. It’s important to use zest from organic citrus fruit.
- Salt and spices – salt enhances all the other flavors so don’t forget it. As for spices, you’ll need some cinnamon in the walnut filling and (optionally) a little pumpkin pie spice or gingerbread spice in the dough. This is not a traditional ingredient at all when it comes to Croatian makovnjaca and orahnjaca, but I love the subtle aroma that the spices add.
- Poppy seeds – when buying poppy seeds, please choose ground poppy seeds as fresh as you can find; it’s an ingredient that goes rancid very easily. Also, read the packaging carefully and avoid the one that says “poppy seed/walnut filling”. This is not what we need for this recipe.
- Apricot jam – makes the poppy seed filling moist, gives it freshness, and additionally sweetens it. Instead, you can use rosehip jam.
- Walnuts – you need finely ground walnuts, also pay attention to the expiration date.
- Honey – goes great with walnuts and makes the walnut filling moist and full of flavor.
- Rum – for additional aroma in the walnut filling.
Croatian Poppy Seed And Walnut Roll, Step By Step
Check out the recipe card at the end of this post. It has the exact amounts of ingredients and detailed recipe instructions! I recommend using kitchen scale and metric measurements for this recipe.
STEP 1: Make a yeast dough
Yeast: Mix together some of the milk, 1 tablespoon of flour, and the dry yeast. Cover and leave for 10 minutes to become foamy.
Dough: Add the sifted flour, sugar, salt, orange zest, yeast, lard, egg, and egg yolk to a bowl. Knead on low speed, gradually adding the remaining milk and oil, until the dough becomes smooth (10-15 min). Divide into 2 balls, cover, and leave to double in size.
Pro Tip!
Although you don’t have to divide the dough into 2 balls right away, I personally find it easier to roll it out to an even thickness later.
STEP 2: Make poppy seed and walnut filling
Poppy seed filling: Mix ground poppy seeds, both types of sugar and apricot jam, then gradually pour in hot milk, stirring until the mixture is well combined. Cool.
Pro Tip!
Never add all the milk at once; depending on the type of poppy seeds (or walnuts), they may absorb more or less liquid. The filling must be completely cooled before spreading on the dough.
Walnut filling: Mix together ground walnuts, cinnamon, sugar, rum, and honey. Gradually add hot milk, stirring constantly until well combined. Cool.
STEP 3: Roll And Bake
Rolling: After lining a baking pan with parchment paper, take the first dough ball and roll it out to the length of the sheet you will be using (in my case it’s 30 cm). Spread evenly with the filling and carefully roll into a loaf. Repeat the process with the second dough and walnut filling and place both loaves in the prepared baking tray to rise for another 30 minutes (covered).
Pro Tip!
The rolled dough shouldn’t be too thin, no thinner than 1 cm. Otherwise, it will crack during baking and the loaves won’t look neat.
Baking: Preheat the oven to 170°C (338°F). Beat the egg with a little milk, brush the loaves with it, prick them with a fork, and bake for 45-50 minutes (cover with foil if they start to get too dark).
When the walnut and poppy seed rolls are baked, remove them from the oven, turn them upside down together with the pan, and leave them like that for about 10 minutes. This step will additionally prevent the top crust from separating from the filling. Turn them over again, carefully remove each one from the pan, and wrap them in a clean kitchen towel to cool completely. Cut and serve.
Storing And Freezing
Now that we’ve put so much effort into our makovnjaca and orahnjaca , it’s important to store the walnut and poppy seed rolls properly, so they stay moist and soft for as long as possible. To prevent them from drying out, here are a few tips that I follow:
- Poppy seed and walnut rolls should never be cut while they are still warm. Otherwise, the inside can become rubbery and messy and will be more prone to drying out.
- Leftovers should be wrapped tightly in plastic wrap, beeswax wrap, or aluminum foil. The dough mustn’t come into contact with air.
- If you are going to eat them within 3 days, store the leftovers at room temperature. In that case, there is no need to refrigerate them.
- If you are going to eat one part right away and save the other part for another occasion (e.g., half of a poppy seed roll), it is best to wrap it in double aluminum foil while it is still as fresh as possible (well-chilled) and put it in the freezer. When you want to eat it, just leave it at room temperature until it’s completely thawed. Then proceed as with freshly baked loaf.
If you know someone who loves Croatian poppy seed roll or walnut roll, but doesn’t have time to bake, why not simply give it to that person as a nice Christmas gift? The only important thing, as I already wrote, is to wrap it well so that it doesn’t dry out. For more similar ideas, check out my post about edible Christmas gifts!
More Holiday Desserts
- CROATIAN FRITULE – SWEET FRIED DOUGH BALLS
- RASPBERRY LINZER COOKIES
- VANILLA WALNUT CRESCENT COOKIES
- RASPBERRY BRIOCHE BABKA
- CRANBERRY PISTACHIO SHORTBREAD COOKIES
- CAROB AND ORANGE BUNDT CAKE
I hope this poppy seed and walnut rolls will bring a smile to your face when you try it and that you will enjoy it with the ones you love the most. If you try this recipe, leave your opinion and rating of the recipe below in the comments! Your experience helps other readers and me to bring you even more great recipes.
Don’t forget to tag @foodandmoodblog in your posts on social media, if you try any of my recipes!
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Croatian Poppy Seed And Walnut Roll
Ingredients
FOR THE DOUGH:
- 550 g all-purpose flour (sifted)
- 250 ml milk
- 7 g active or instant dry yeast
- 70 g granulated sugar
- 70 ml sunflower oil
- 30 g lard (or butter, room temperature)
- 1 egg (M size)
- 1 egg yolk
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
- ½ teaspoon pumpkin pie spices (optional)
- 1 big orange (only grated zest)
POPPY SEED ROLL FILLING (1 LOAF):
- 180 g poppy seeds (ground)
- 70 g granulated sugar
- 10 g bourbon vanilla sugar
- 1 tablespoon apricot jam
- 160 ml milk
WALNUT ROLL FILLING (1 LOAF):
- 220 g walnuts (finely ground)
- 70 g granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon honey
- ⅓ teaspoon cassia cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon rum
- 120 ml milk
EGGWASH:
- 1 egg (S size)
- 2 tablespoon milk
SERVING:
- powdered sugar (optionally)
Instructions
- Weigh and prepare all the ingredients first.
DOUGH:
- Take 50 ml of milk and 1 tablespoon of flour from the prepared quantity of milk and flour and mix them well with dry yeast. Cover and wait about 10 minutes for the yeast to become foamy.
- Sift the rest of the flour into the bowl of a stand mixer. Add the sugar, salt, grated orange zest, activated yeast, lard, egg, and egg yolk. Start kneading the dough with a paddle attachment at the slowest speed, then gradually pour in the rest of the milk and oil.
- Knead the dough at the lowest speed until it becomes shiny, smooth, and pliable. This should take between 10 and 15 minutes. Avoid adding additional flour unless necessary.
- Then transfer the dough to a lightly dusted working surface and divide it into 2 equal balls (weigh them). Place each in a separate bowl.
- Cover and leave in a warm place until the dough has doubled in volume (about 2 hours).
POPPY SEED FILLING:
- Meanwhile, prepare the fillings. Mix the ground poppy seeds with both sugars, add the jam, and start pouring the hot milk over it, stirring constantly.Never pour all the milk at once; depending on the type of poppy seeds, they may absorb more or less liquid. Also, if the filling seems dry, it will need a bit more milk. Set aside to cool completely.
WALNUT FILLING:
- Mix the ground walnuts with cinnamon, sugar, and rum. Add the honey and start adding the hot milk, stirring constantly. Leave to cool completely before filling.
ROLLING AND BAKING:
- Line a deeper baking pan with parchment paper. Set aside.
- Once the dough has risen, transfer it to a lightly floured work surface and roll it into a rectangle at the length of the pan you will be using (in my case it is 30 cm/11.8 inch).Make sure you roll the dough evenly and not too thin, otherwise, it will crack during baking in those thinly rolled areas.
- Spread the rolled-out dough evenly with the poppy seed filling, leaving about 1 cm (0.4 inch) empty on each side. Fold the side edges (or you don't have to fold, in the photo instructions you have both ways) and carefully roll the dough. Transfer to a baking tray. Repeat the process with the walnut filling.
- Cover them with plastic foil and let rise in a warm place for about 30 minutes.
- 20 minutes before baking, turn on the oven to 170°C (338°). Make an eggwash and brush both loaves well before baking.
- Prick the dough with a fork or toothpick and bake for about 45-50 minutes. At about 25-30 minutes, the poppy seed and walnut roll will probably start to get dark; cover them with aluminum foil and return them to the oven.
- When the poppy seed and walnut rolls are done, remove them from the oven and turn them upside down together with the pan. Let them rest like that for up to 10 minutes; this way the filling will not separate from the crust.
- Then turn them back over, wrap each loaf in a clean kitchen towel, and let them cool completely before cutting. If desired, you can dust them with powdered sugar when serving.
Notes
- This recipe will yield 1 poppy seed loaf and 1 walnut loaf. If you want to make, for example, 2 poppy seed or walnut loaves, the amount of ingredients for the dough remains the same, and you need to double the amount of ingredients for the filling.
- Before baking, you can place a piece of parchment paper between the loaves, as I did (see the photos in the post). This way, the loaves won’t stick to each other during baking and will cool faster after baking.
Nutritional information provided is an estimate based on ingredients data and should be used for informational purposes only. Actual nutritional content may vary based on factors such as portion size, preparation methods and ingredients used.
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