Did you ever make a homemade poppy seed roll? If you haven’t, this is the perfect time to try. Soft dough, warm milk, vanilla, sweet raisins, and a rich poppy seed filling come together to create a traditional treat that feels like winter holidays in every slice. It looks impressive, tastes comforting, and makes your kitchen smell incredible.
Ingredients for the Dough
4 cups all-purpose flour
1 oz fresh yeast (or 1 packet active dry yeast)
½ cup sugar
¾ cup warm milk
Zest of 1 lemon
Pinch of salt
4 tablespoons melted butter
Ingredients for the Filling
3 cups ground poppy seeds
2 cups milk
½ teaspoon cinnamon
1 cup raisins
2 tablespoons vanilla sugar (or 2 teaspoons vanilla extract)
Zest of 1 lemon
4 tablespoons sugar
Powdered sugar for dusting
Mix the yeast with a little warm milk and a pinch of sugar, and let it activate for 5–10 minutes. Add the rest of the warm milk, sugar, melted butter, lemon zest, salt, and flour. Knead until the dough becomes soft and smooth, then cover the bowl and let the dough rise until doubled in size, about 1 hour.
While the dough rises, heat the milk for the filling and pour it over the ground poppy seeds. Add cinnamon, raisins, vanilla sugar or extract, lemon zest, and sugar. Stir well and let the mixture thicken and cool slightly.
Roll the risen dough into a rectangle on a lightly floured surface. Spread the filling evenly over it, leaving a small border around the edges. Roll the dough tightly from one side to the other and gently press the seam to close it.
Transfer the roll to a lined loaf pan or a parchment-lined baking sheet. Cover lightly and let it rise again for 30 minutes.
Bake the poppy seed roll in a preheated oven at 350°F (175°C) for about 50 minutes, or until the top is lightly golden and the roll feels firm.
Let the poppy seed roll cool completely, then generously dust it with powdered sugar before slicing and serving.
