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The Mighty Polish Poppyseed Roll

 

There are few Polish baked goods as coveted as the mighty poppyseed roll, or makowiec (pronounced mack-ov-yetz). Poppyseed rolls are good on holidays or really anytime. Poppyseed rolls can be found in Polish bakeries and grocery stores across the Chicago area, but it’s also nice to be able to make them at home. I’ve found that homemade makowiec are more moist and soft than store bought, making it worth the time and effort. But for those looking for a less labor-intensive recipe, I’ve also included a short-cut version of mini-poppyseed rolls below.

Chicago welcomed tens of thousands of Polish immigrants in the 19th century. Poles saw Chicago as a land of opportunity, with its stockyards, tanneries, and steel mills. More Poles displaced by World War II settled in Chicago in the 1950s, as did Polish political refugees during the Solidarity period in the 1980s. The stretch of Division Street between Ashland and Damen was once nicknamed “Polish Broadway.” Today, 20% of Chicagoans are of Polish ancestry, and the city of Chicago has the third largest Polish population outside of Poland. This accounts for the large number of Polish restaurants, delis, bakeries, and grocery stores across the metropolitan area.

Here are my recipes for those who want to get their home-made makowiec fix. The key ingredient in both is poppyseed filling, which you can find in a Polish grocery store and may be able to find in the baking aisle of a regular grocery store if you're lucky.

Polish Poppyseed Roll

*based on a recipe from the Culinary Arts Institute’s Polish Cookbook: Traditional Recipes Tested for Today’s Kitchens

Ingredients:

1 can poppyseed filling

1 package active dry yeast

¼ cup warm water

2¼ cups all-purpose flour

3/8 c. sugar

¼  tsp. salt

¼ c. butter or margarine

2 eggs

¼ c. sour cream

½ tsp. vanilla extract

½ cup powdered sugar

1 tbsp. lemon juice

Directions:

Soften the yeast in warm water in a small bowl. Mix flour with sugar and salt. Cut in butter with a pastry blender until mixture has a fine, even crumb. Beat one egg with one egg yolk. Mix the extra egg white in with the poppyseed filling. Add the yeast mixture to the eggs, then stir into the flour mixture. Add the sour cream and vanilla and mix well.

Knead dough on a floured surface for 5 minutes. Roll the dough into a 12-inch square. Spread filling over the square. Roll up, jelly-roll fashion. Seal the edges by pinching with wet fingers. Place on a greased baking sheet. Cover with a clean dish towel and let rise until it’s doubled in bulk, about 1 ½ hours. 

Bake at 350 degrees F for 40-45 minutes. Cool. For icing, blend the sugar and lemon juice until smooth. Spread on top of roll. Enjoy! Smacznego!

Shortcut Mini Poppyseed Rolls

1 package of crescent rolls

1 can of poppyseed filling

½ c. powdered sugar

1 tbsp. lemon juice

Spoon a small amount of filling onto each triangle of dough before rolling them up. Bake according to the directions on the package. For icing, blend the sugar and lemon juice until smooth. Spread icing on top of each roll. Enjoy! Smacznego!

Sources:

Jesse Dukes, “Can Chicago Brag About the Size of Its Polish Population?” Curious City, October 26, 2015.

“The Remains of ‘Polish Broadway,’ Chicago, Illinois, where old school Polish Chicago and young hipster Chicago live side by side,” Atlas Obscura, July 25, 2010.

 

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