Makovnjača – yeast dough poppy seed roll

What to say about the pastry that pretty much everyone in Zagreb tasted? Your elders may have baked it, or maybe your neighbours. Whichever way, it is a part of our tradition.

A tasty crisp dough with a sweet poppy stuffing is ideal to have for dessert, and maybe even better for dipping in a glass of warm milk in the morning.

 

Ingredients for about 30 slices

For the dough:

1 kg white smooth flour

40 g yeast

150g butter

1 egg

400 ml of milk

1 pinch of salt

100g granulated sugar

2 egg yolks for coating

grated zest of half lemon

 

For stuffing:

60 g raisins

100 ml rum

600g ground poppy seeds

600 ml of milk

220 g granulated sugar

Preparation:

Cover dry raisins with rum and leave to soak. Pour sugar in a suitable bowl, add dry yeast and milk. Stir and set aside for 20 minutes for a foam to form. Pour flour in a mixing bowl, pour the foam in, zest half a lemon, add two yolks, sugar, a pinch of salt, melted butter and milk. Mix until you get an even dough. Move the dough to an oiled bowl, cover with a dishcloth and leave in a warm place for an hour to rise. In the meantime, pour milk in a pot over a flame and add sugar. When it boils, add the soaked raisins, ground poppy and cook while stirring for 1 to 2 minutes over a low flame until the ingredients mix. Move the risen dough to a floured board, flour it some more and roll into an elongated square 1.5 cm thick. Cut the dough width wise and stuff both halves with the poppy mixture. Coat the sides of the dough towards which you will roll the dough with a whisked egg. Roll the dough. Move the rolls to a suitable baking pan, cover with a dishcloth and leave in a warm place for about 20 minutes to allow the dough to rise once more. Then coat the rolls with whisked yolks and bake for about 50 minutes in an oven preheated to 175°C. Remove the baked Makovnjača from the mold and place it on the rack to cool before cutting.

Celebrities about Zagreb

Flogging Molly

Flogging Molly

We're enjoying this Tuesday in Zagreb. We're heading onto the main stage of the INmusic Festival soon.

Source: INmusic festival

Courtney Thorne Smith

Courtney Thorne Smith

Thank you for one of the best hotel experience ever. The rooms were extraordinary, the staff was great, and every moment was beautiful. And Zagreb... magical! All the best!

Source: Esplanade Zagreb Hotel

Tommy Emmanuel

Tommy Emmanuel

I like Lisinski very much. It was very intense to perform there, because people came, listened carefully and felt the music in their hearts. Lisinski is a beautiful concert hall, and I am very honored to be performing there. I have wonderful memories of my first performance in Lisinski.

Source: www.muzika.hr

Chris Urbanowicz

Chris Urbanowicz

I remember our performance at INmusic festival. We can hardly wait to see our fans again. I expect it to be very exciting.

Source: www.tportal.hr

Alex Kapranos

Alex Kapranos

Alex Kapranos (Franz Ferdinand) wrote about Zagreb on his blog: http://bit.ly/nO3yin

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

THE BLACK KEYS (Patrick)

THE BLACK KEYS (Patrick)

This is our first time in Zagreb. We're really having a great time. We won't be able to see the coast, but we'll get some rest and walk around the city...

Source: INmusic festival

Foals

Foals

We're excited about our first concert in Croatia and delighted that we had the opportunity to walk around the wonderful city of Zagreb.

Source: INmusic festival

Jesse Eisenberg

Jesse Eisenberg

Jesse Eisenberg (actor) spent the autumn in Zagreb in 2007: Zagreb is an incredible town. I enjoyed sightseeing the old parts of the town, and at night I went to clubs. I was thrilled that it was near Austria and Italy, so I visited Venice, Milan, Ljubljana, Graz, Split... over the weekends.

Source: www.vjesnik.com

Pixies

Pixies

Big thanks on behalf of the PIXIES for another wonderful day in Zagreb! This is a great festival and a wonderful audience (less rain next time, please!). See you.

Source: INmusic festival

50Cent

50Cent

I was very looking forward to coming to Zagreb, especially because my mother travelled with me. My people found out everything about it, so that we could see the main stuff in the city!

Source: Hotel Antunović Zagreb