Poppy Seed And Apricot Babka Recipes

OLD WORLD POPPY SEED ROLL

Steps:

• Place poppy seeds into a food processor and process until seeds are ground, about 1 minute.
• Mix poppy seeds with 3/4 cup sugar, 1 tablespoon melted butter, lemon juice, and hot milk in a bowl; stir to combine. Cover poppy seed filling and refrigerate while making bread (filling will set up and thicken as it chills).
• Mix yeast with water and 2 tablespoons sugar in a small bowl. Allow to stand until the yeast forms a creamy layer.
• Whisk flour with salt in a bowl; use a pastry cutter to cut 1/4 cup butter into the flour mixture until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs.
• Pour yeast mixture and egg yolk into flour mixture and stir to make a soft dough.
• Turn dough out onto a floured work surface and knead until smooth and slightly springy, about 5 minutes. If dough is too sticky, knead in more flour, about 2 tablespoons at a time.
• Cut dough into 2 equal pieces. Roll each piece out into a 12x16-inch rectangle.
• Spread half the poppy seed filling over each rectangle, leaving a 1-inch border. Fold the 1-inch border back over the filling on all sides and press down.
• Pick up the shorter side of a dough rectangle and roll it like a jelly roll; repeat with second rectangle. Pinch ends together or tuck ends under to prevent filling from leaking out.
• Line a baking sheet with parchment paper; place rolls seam sides down on the baking sheet and allow to rise in a warm place until doubled, about 1 hour.
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
• Beat egg white in a bowl until frothy; brush the rolls with beaten egg white.
• Bake in preheated oven until dark golden brown on top, 30 to 40 minutes. Remove from oven and cover rolls with a clean kitchen towel until cool to keep crust soft. Cool completely before slicing.

CHOCOLATE BABKA

Steps:

• Pour warm milk into a small bowl. Sprinkle yeast and pinch of sugar over milk; let stand until foamy, about 5 minutes.
• In a bowl, whisk together 3/4 cup sugar, 2 eggs, and egg yolks. Add egg mixture to yeast mixture, and whisk to combine.
• In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine flour and salt. Add egg mixture, and beat on low speed until almost all the flour is incorporated, about 30 seconds. Change to the dough hook. Add 2 sticks butter, and beat until flour mixture and butter are completely incorporated, and a smooth, soft dough that's slightly sticky when squeezed is formed, about 10 minutes.
• Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface, and knead a few turns until smooth. Butter a large bowl. Place dough in bowl, and turn to coat. Cover tightly with plastic wrap. Set aside in a warm place to rise until doubled in bulk, about 1 hour.
• Place chocolate, remaining cup sugar, and cinnamon in a large bowl, and stir to combine. Using two knives or a pastry cutter, cut in remaining 1 1/2 sticks butter until well combined; set filling aside.
• Generously butter three 9-by-5-by-2 3/4-inch loaf pans; line them with parchment paper. Beat remaining egg with 1 tablespoon cream; set egg wash aside. Punch back the dough, and transfer to a clean surface. Let rest 5 minutes. Cut into 3 equal pieces. Keep 2 pieces covered with plastic wrap while working with the remaining piece. On a generously floured surface, roll dough out into a 16-inch square; it should be 1/8 inch thick.
• Brush edges with reserved egg wash. Crumble 1/3 of the reserved chocolate filling evenly over dough, leaving a 1/4-inch border. Refresh egg wash, if needed. Roll dough up tightly like a jelly roll. Pinch ends together to seal. Twist 5 or 6 turns. Brush top of roll with egg wash. Carefully crumble 2 tablespoons filling over the left half of the roll, being careful not to let mixture slide off. Fold right half of the roll over onto the coated left half. Fold ends under, and pinch to seal. Twist roll 2 turns, and fit into prepared pan. Repeat with the remaining 2 pieces of dough and remaining filling.
• Heat oven to 350 degrees. Brush the top of each loaf with egg wash. Crumble 1/3 of streusel topping over each loaf. Loosely cover each pan with plastic wrap, and let stand in a warm place 20 to 30 minutes.
• Bake loaves, rotating halfway through, until golden, about 55 minutes. Lower oven temperature to 325 degrees. Bake until babkas are deep golden, 15 to 20 minutes more. Remove from oven, and transfer to wire racks until cool. Remove from pans; serve.

POPPY SEED AND APRICOT BABKA

Steps:

• Finely grind the poppy seeds for filling using a coffee grinder.
• Toast the almonds in a non-greased frying pan over medium-low heat until they are lightly browned, about 5 minutes. Let cool, about 5 minutes. Reserve about 1 dozen for the topping and finely grind the rest in a food processor.
• Combine ground poppy seeds, ground almonds, 1/2 cup milk, and 1/4 cup sugar in a saucepan. Slowly bring to a boil, stirring often. Cook until it starts to thicken, about 1 minute, stirring constantly. Remove from the heat. Stir in apricots and cardamom and let cool, then refrigerate until using.
• Whisk cream cheese, 2 tablespoons sugar, heavy cream, and vanilla together in a bowl until smooth. Refrigerate until using.
• Make the yeast dough: Heat milk and and butter in a saucepan over low heat. Remove from the heat and let cool to lukewarm, 2 to 3 minutes. Stir in yeast and let stand until it becomes frothy, about 5 minutes.
• Combine flour and salt in the bowl of a stand mixer. Add egg, sugar, vanilla, and yeast mixture. Knead for 4 to 5 minutes on low speed, until the dough is elastic and detaches from the bowl.
• Drizzle with a little vegetable oil and turn the dough over so it is lightly oiled all around. Cover the bowl with a damp tea towel and a large plate and let rise in a warm place for 60 to 90 minutes.
• Punch down the dough and roll it out on a silicone baking mat to a square about 1/4 inch thick. Evenly spread with cream cheese mixture and leave 2 inches free at the far end. Spread with an even layer of the poppy seed filling. Roll it up tightly using the baking mat, and fold in the two sides as you go. Pinch the seems together with your fingertips to seal. Place the roll on a large plate and refrigerate for 30 minutes to firm it up.
• Place the roll on a large cutting board and cut it in half lengthwise with a sharp, large knife, dipping it in warm water a few times so the filling won't stick.
• Gently separate the roll into two strands. With the cut sides inwards, twist the two strands around each other. Seal the ends by pinching with your fingertips. Grease a loaf pan and line with parchment. Place the babka in the pan. Cover and let rise in a warm place until visibly risen, 60 to 75 minutes.
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Coarsely chop the remaining almonds. Cut apricots into thick strips.
• Brush the dough parts with heavy cream. Place the apricot strips along the seams and sprinkle the dough parts with almonds and poppy seeds.
• Bake on the center rack of the preheated oven until nicely browned, 40 to 50 minutes. If the top browns before the time is up, cover it with a large sheet of parchment paper. Remove from the oven and let cool in the pan for 10 to 15 minutes. Gently unmold onto a wire rack and let cool completely before cutting.

APRICOT AND POPPY SEED JAM

Steps:

• After pitting the apricots measure the fruit to make 900 g fruit for jam.
• Cut the apicots into small to very small pieces.
• Mix apricots and sugar in a suited pot and let stand for about 1 hour.
• Bring apricot mixture to a boil over medium high heat stirring frequently. Cook for 4 minutes strirring all the time.
• Remove from heat and add lime juice and poppy seeds. Mix.
• Fill into twist off preserving jars and close jars. Let stand for 1 minute and then turn up side down. Let stand for 10 minutes and turn over again. Let cool completely.
• NOTE on "Dr. Oetker's Super Gelling Sugar 3:1". Dr. Oetker is a well known brand in Germany. There are several gelling sugars available. The "3:1" super gelling sugar already contains pectin and you only need 1/3 of sugar. If you can't get it, you could also use Dr. Oetker's 2:1 super gelling sugar (then use 450 g sugar). Follow the instructions on the package.

HOMEMADE POPPY SEED FILLING FOR MAKOWIEC AND OTHER CAKES

Steps:

• To get rid of any impurities, soak poppy seeds in water first. Collect any dirt that floats to the top with a slotted spoon.
• Rinse the poppy seeds and drain them on a sieve lined with gauze (cheese cloth or a muslin square). It can stay there for up to an hour if you're doing something else in the meantime.
• [Raisins] Rinse raisins under running water. Place them in a small bowl and pour 2-3 tablespoons of almond spirit or golden rum over them. Cover the bowl with a small plate and set aside.
• [Fresh Orange Peel] Chop fresh orange peel (finely) and set aside.
• Pour 2.5 cups of milk into a cooking pot (1.5 qt / litre pot should be large enough) and bring it to boil.
• Drop all the poppy seeds in. Are they fully submerged in milk? If not, pour in some more.
• Reduce the heat to 'low' and cook for 15-20 minutes, stirring from time to time. Poppy seeds absorb the milk quite a bit, so make sure there's enough of it.
• Drain the poppy seeds on a sieve lined with gauze, cheese cloth or a muslin square. If you can, try to squeeze out as much milk as possible.
• Using a disc with the smallest holes, grind the poppy seeds 2 to 3 times.
• Separate yolks from egg whites. Whisk yolks together with 6 tablespoons of powdered sugar, set aside.
• Place chopped walnuts and almonds in a wide pot (or a deep frying pan). Add a pinch of salt and roast them for 4-5 minutes on a medium heat, not allowing the nuts to burn.
• Add in 2 sticks of butter. Add 4 tablespoons of honey and 4 tablespoons of chopped orange peel. Let the orange peel fry for a bit, a few minutes is enough.
• Add in ground poppy seeds, chopped dried fruit and alcohol-soaked raisins. Mix everything together with a spatula, gradually adding egg yolks mixed with powdered sugar. Take the pot off the heat.
• Whip the remaining egg whites until stiff, adding 5 tablespoons of powdered sugar near the end of whipping. Gently add them into the poppy mass.
• And we're done! The poppy seed filling is ready to use in 'Makowiec' (Polish Poppy Seed Roll) or another dessert.