Friday 6 September 2013

Vegan Makowiec (Polish Poppy Seed Strudel)


I made this delicious poppyseed strudel during Polish food month (July 2013) but didn't get time to post it, so I'm bringing it out for Vegan Mofo and my Spice Rack theme. Poppy seeds are possibly not actually a spice (although I guess that depends on your definition) but they're kept with my spices so I'm including them in the list.

Poppy Seeds
Two varieties of poppy seeds are commonly consumed - white and blue poppy seeds. Blue poppy seeds are most commonly seen in European/Western cuisines - they're the ones you'll find sprinkled on bread rolls, pastries and in your orange and poppyseed cake. White poppy seeds have a slightly milder flavour but otherwise are fairly interchangeable - they're more commonly found in Indian, Asian and Middle Eastern dishes. Both types of poppy seeds are gathered from the same poppy that produces opium, however the ones used in cooking have virtually no narcotic content (just 50 ppm). Poppy seeds contain a relatively high amount of oils, so can easily become rancid if they are old or stored improperly. Try to buy small quantities of poppy seeds (only as much as you need) from shops which have a high turnover and store any remaining ones in an airtight container.

Reference: Hemphill, 2006
For my month of spices I'm using Spice Notes and Recipes by Ian Hemphill as my reference tool to learn about spices and for all the information above. Thanks Ian for writing such a great and informative book! 


Makowiec (Polish Poppy Seed Strudel)

Ingredients
Pastry:
1/4 cup soy milk, warmed
2 tsp active dry yeast
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup canola oil
1/2 tsp salt
1/3 cup apple sauce
2 cups plain flour

Filling:
3/4 cup poppy seeds
1/4 cup soy milk
2 tbsp vegan margarine
1 cup sugar
zest of 1 orange
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 cup raisins
1/2 cup walnut halves, broken up

Soy milk, for brushing the top
Whole poppy seeds, to garnish

To Make
1. Cover the poppy seeds in hot water and soak over night. Then drain and grind in a food processor.
2. Whisk together the warm soy milk and the dry yeast and set aside for 10 minutes, until foamy (if this does not foam up, your yeast may no longer be active and you may need to buy some fresh stuff).
3. Add the 1/4 cup sugar, oil, salt and apple sauce to the yeast mixture and mix well to combine.
4. Add the flour and mix until a dough forms. Turn dough out onto a floured surface and knead for 6 minutes by which time you should have a smooth ball of dough. Return to the bowl and cover with a tea towel. Let sit in a warm spot for 1 1/2 hours to rise.
5. To make the filling: combine the soy milk, margarine, sugar, ground poppy seeds, orange zest and raisins in a saucepan and place over a medium heat.  Cook until thickened, stirring frequently. After about 4-5 minutes it should be quite thick, remove from the hear and stir the vanilla extract through.
6. Heat the oven to 180 degrees.
7. Turn the dough out onto a floured surface and roll out into a big rectangle. Spread the filling over the rectangle of dough, leaving about 1 1/2 cm around the edge. Sprinkle the walnuts on top.


8. Roll up into one big log (starting from the longer side of the rectangle) and place seam side down on a baking tray lined with baking paper. Brush the top with milk and sprinkle with poppy seeds.
9. Bake for 20 minutes, or until golden brown on top. Allow to cool, then slice and serve.


Check out my other Polish recipe posts from Poland Month:



13 comments:

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    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I thought about removing this comment but I have decided to leave it. Firstly, I would never hand over the content of my blog to another party. Secondy, if you really want to take advantage of my high blog hits for the benefit of your own company then you might at least address me by name (it's not hard, it's at the top of the page) and send me a direct email (it's not hard, it's in the "contact me" section). You must have very little respect for bloggers.

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  2. I've never made strudel before but it looks so superdelicious and I love poppy seedy sweets so I must try this sometime. Many thanks for the recipe and the info too! Cheers!

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  3. Thank you for this recipe! This looks just like my grandma makes, when I get to see her (rarely). Our family is Czech and makes lots of delicious food. :)

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    Replies
    1. Thanks Meg! I think "look like my grandma makes" is the most wonderful compliment about food! Thanks for stopping by :)

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  4. Hi, how would you drain the poppy seeds? You'd need a very fine sieve?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yes, it is a bit tricky. My sieve was fine enough so I could strain them without problems (it's ok if they're still wet, just that there is no excess liquid). You could try a tea strainer as they tend to be quite fine?

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  5. Amazing blog! So many yummy vegan recipes here...

    Thanks for sharing so many cruel-free recipes...

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  6. Just out of curiosity, which recipe did you most enjoy: this Polish poppy seed strudel or the Croatian one?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. That is an interesting question! I hadn't really thought about it. They were both really delicious, but I did like the addition of the walnuts in the Polish one, they added a great textural element as well as taste, so probably the Polish one :)

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  7. Hi Keely, have you ever tried swapping out a nut milk for the soy milk?

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    Replies
    1. I haven't tried it no, but it would definitely work fine. :)

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  8. Keely, Thank you very much for this beautiful poppy seed strudel recipe. I am eager to make it when I have the time.

    ReplyDelete