Sweet poppyseed scroll loaf (makovnjaca)

I wanted to try this recipe because I remember eating it at our Yugoslavian neighbour’s house when I was little. Kind of a faff to make – you need to start it the day before – but it looked great and tasted pretty good too. Recipe from the Eatori website.

Sweet poppyseed scroll loaf
(makes one loaf)

Dough

• 50 g  caster sugar
• 7 g instant yeast
• 100 ml milk, lukewarm
• 300 g  flour
• 2 egg yolks
• 75 g butter, melted
• pinch of salt
• extra flour for dusting

Filling

• 1 cup poppyseeds, ground in a spice grinder
• 125 ml milk
• 50 g caster sugar
• 4 Tb apricot jam
• 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
• grated zest and juice of 1/2 lemon

• 1 beaten egg to glaze
• 2 Tb  additional poppyseeds to garnish

1. In a large bowl, dissolve the sugar and yeast in the lukewarm milk. Leave in a warm place for 15 minutes.
2. Sift in the flour, then add the egg yolks, butter and salt. Mix with your fingertips to form a dough.
3. Knead the dough until smooth, then cover with clingfilm and leave in a warm place for three hours, until it has doubled in size.
4. To make the filling,  grind the poppyseeds in a spice grinder. Bring the milk to a simmer in a small pot, and add the ground poppyseeds and sugar. Stir and cook for 3-4 minutes until the seeds absorb the liquid.
5. Remove from the heat, and stir in the apricot jam,  cinnamon, and lemon zest and juice. Allow to cool.
6. Once the dough has doubled, roll it out into a long rectangle on a lightly floured surface. (Tapering the ends will give a better shape when you roll the loaf.)
7. Spread the filling on the dough, leaving a one-inch margin around the edges. Fold these edges over onto the filling, like a picture frame.
8. Starting at the far end, carefully roll the dough into a loaf. Place it seam side down, on a baking sheet lined with baking parchment, and leave to rise in the fridge for 3-4 hours, or overnight.
9. Preheat the oven to 350°F.
10. Brush the top of the loaf with beaten egg and sprinkle with the extra poppyseeds.
11. Bake for about 40 minutes, until golden. Allow to cool for at least ten minutes before slicing.

Family score: 8.4 out of 10

Tags: poppy seeds, vegetarian, yeast breads