Poppy seed roll, known in Hungary as mákos bejgli, is a traditional Hungarian pastry made with soft yeast dough and a rich, sweet poppy seed filling. This classic poppy seed roll recipe is especially popular during Christmas and festive seasons, when it is sliced and served as part of the holiday dessert table. With its tender dough and aromatic filling, mákos bejgli is a cornerstone of Hungarian baking tradition.
Poppy Seed Roll (Makos beigli)
Print RecipeIngredients
- YEAST DOUGH
- 50 Dekagram (dkg) flour
- 25 Dekagram (dkg) butter
- 2 Piece egg yolk
- 3 Dekagram (dkg) fresh yeast
- 2 Table spoon (tbsp) icing sugar
- 1 Decilitre (dl) sour cream
- 1 Peck salt
- 1 Decilitre (dl) milk
- POPPY FILLING
- 25 Dekagram (dkg) poppy seed, grounded
- 20 Dekagram (dkg) icing sugar
- 1 Decilitre (dl) milk
- 1 Piece grated lemon peel
- 2 Table spoon (tbsp) apricot jam (optional)
- 2 Piece egg white (brush the tops)
Instructions
YEAST DOUGH
The Poppy Seed Roll is a traditional Hungarian pastry that is a sweet bread known as Beigli. Poppy Seed Roll is o!en prepared for the holidays such as Thanksgiving and Christmas.
Dissolve the yeast and a peck of sugar in tepid milk. Set aside for 10 minutes until the liquid forms a foamy mixture. Combine the flour, sugar, and salt in a large bowl. Cut in the butter and mix well. Make a well in the center and add the yeast mixture and egg yolks. Mix gently, gradually adding sour cream (1-1.5 dl) until the dough can be formed into a ball. Cover with a cloth and let rise until doubled in size (2 hours).
POPPY FILLING
Grind the poppy seeds. Mix the milk, sugar and lemon peel and bring to boil and mix with poppy seed. Remove from the stove and allow to cool.
Divide the dough into two halves and roll each half 0.5 cm thick. Spread the poppy seed filling on the dough, leaving a margin of at least one cm on all edges. Turn up the sides to prevent leaking and roll the beigli lengthwise to form two rolls. Preheat oven to 180°C and line a standard baking sheet with parchment paper. Carefully transfer the rolls onto the baking sheet and let it rise 30 minutes. Than brush the tops of the rolls with egg whites, poke a few holes in them with a fork. Bake for 30-40 minutes or until golden brown and firm to the touch. Allow rolls to cool. Slice just before serving and arrange slices like roof tiles on a plate.
