Here’s a recipe that I’ve had brewing in the back of my head for a while and – hurray! – here we are. These sweet poppyseed rolls, a Hungarian-inspired take on everyone’s favorite cinnamon rolls.
Now, I’m probably like most of you when it comes to cinnamon rolls- I don’t make them very often. Because they are an every-so-often affair, I always walk towards them with a bit of trepidation. I never know if my dough is quite right. If my rolls will rise. If I’ve over or under-filled them. If they will cook all the way through. I think I’ve watched enough of the GBBO to fear the over/under proof and raw dough. Undercooked tops, overcooked bottoms. There are so many things that can go wrong, ya know?
Potential issues with baking aside, the other thing about cinnamon rolls is that, in my head, there is such a high standard that they must meet for eating them to be ‘worth it.’ Whether or not you’re a calorie counter (I’m not), you have to prepare yourself for the sugar high followed by sugar crash followed by carb coma that comes along with eating a cinnamon roll. I’m not wrong. It’s not only savoring the moment, but bracing yourself for the hangover. And for me, in order to justify the highs and lows of cinnamon roll consumption, it better be a damn good roll.
The base recipe for these rolls comes from the lovely Joy, and is actually a recipe for overnight rolls because no one wants to spend 3 hours making rolls first thing in the morning, right? The dough comes together quickly, is not all that sweet on its own, and WILL rise, I promise.
The filling comes from my mom’s recipe for Hungarian poppyseed rolls. You’ve seen them before, and hear me wax poetic about them every Christmas season. They are one of my favorite things that Mom makes all year- and one of the few baked goods that I hesitate to share. They are mine, all mine.
However, I wanted to figure out a way to bring my favorite holiday treat into the every day. Or at least, perhaps in a less work, less quantity version that we see each holiday. Really, in essence, the labor that comes from cinnamon rolls and the original sweet poppyseed rolls is pretty similar, but somehow this felt different because of the icing on top- which takes it to cinnamon roll level. No cream cheese in this one – keeping it simple all around.
A night in the fridge and a bit on the counter the morning-of, these certainly don’t disappoint and do an acceptable nod to the original. Definitely worth it!
Sweet Poppyseed Rolls
These sweet poppyseed rolls are a nod to the beloved Hungarian holiday favorite, filled with poppies, left to sit overnight and topped with a simple icing.
Ingredients
- For the filling:
- 1 cup ground poppy seeds
- 1/2 TB lemon rind.
- A squeeze of lemon juice (about 1 TB)
- 1/4 cup water
- 1/4 cup plus 2 TB sugar
- pinch cinnamon
- icing:
- 1 1/4 cup confectioner's sugar
- 2 TB unsalted butter, melted
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 2-3 TB whole milk or cream
- For the rolls:
- 1/4 cup plus 2 TB warm whole milk
- 1 large egg, room temperature
- 4 TB unsalted butter, softened
- 1 1/2 cups - 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 1/8 tsp active dry yeast
- 1 TB sugar
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
Directions
- Step 1 First, make the filling:
- Step 2 In a small saucepan, add all the filling ingredients. Cook on the stove until the sugar dissolves and becomes lightly brown. Remove from the heat and cool. Set aside.
- Step 3 Make the rolls:
- Step 4 Place all of the dough ingredients in the bowl of a stand mixer. Mix all of the ingredients together by hand with a spatula before putting the bowl on the stand mixer fitted with a dough hook. Beat about 6 minutes- the dough will come together into a soft, sticky dough ball after several minutes.
- Step 5 Place the dough in a lightly greased bowl and lightly dust the top of the dough with flour. Let rise in a warm place about one hour.
- Step 6 After the hour, on a lightly floured work surface, roll the dough into a 14 x 8ish” rectangle. Spread the filling over the entire rectangle. Beginning with one long edge, roll the dough into a log. Cut the log into 6 equal slices. Place the slices in a greased pie plate, cover with plastic wrap, and let rise in the refrigerator overnight.
- Step 7 The next morning, take the rolls out of the oven an place in a warm place for about 30 minutes. One hour if you’re not chomping at the bit.
- Step 8 Preheat the oven to 375F. Bake 30-37 minutes until golden brown.
- Step 9 While the rolls are baking, make the icing. Whisk together the remaining cream cheese and sugar. Add the milk and whisk until smooth.
- Step 10 Spread the icing over the warm rolls and enjoy!
