German Recipe Monday – Poppy Seed Rolls

I’ve never had a cinnamon roll until I was in my twenties. I got to eat it at a cafeteria at the university of Oslo a couple of years ago. Norwegian cinnamon rolls are different from US-American cinnamon rolls, because they are made with cinnamon and cardamom. Those soft and fluffy rolls got me addicted very soon.

In Germany cinnamon rolls or buns are not easy to find. But we have other rolls (and call them snails, btw.): pudding rolls, nut rolls, and poppy seed rolls. Poppy seed rolls are definitely my favourite and I already came up with a recipe a while ago. When I was testing for Celine these days, she also came up with a wonderful roll recipe and it reminded me that I had never posted my poppy seed roll recipe. I wanted to save it for a zine. (I also think I shared the picture of these here before.) But since that zine hasn’t happened yet and will probably be „just another project“ for quite some time, I can as well share the recipe with you.

Tip: To grind the poppy seeds you can use a coffee grinder or a small food processor. If you use a coffee grinder, check the manual to find out if it can be used for oily nuts and seeds.

Poppy Seed Rolls (makes 10 small rolls)

Difficulty level: medium

For the dough:

200 g (1 1/2 cups plus 2 1/2 tablespoons) whole spelt flour
100 g (3/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon) all-purpose flour
180 ml ( 3/4 cup) soy milk
2 teaspoons instant yeast
55 g (1/4 cup) margarine (or coconut oil)
75 g (1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons) sugar
1 pinch salt

For the filling:

70 g (1/2 cup) poppy seeds, ground
2 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon vanilla sugar (or 1 additional tbsp sugar + 1/2 tsp vanilla extract)
2 tablespoons hot water
2 tablespoons margarine, room temperature (or coconut oil)
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon cornstarch

To make the dough:

Sift together flours. Add milk and yeast and stir the mixture a bit. Melt margarine, let cool to room temperature. Stir in sugar and salt and add to flour mixture. Knead with your hands for about 5-7 minutes. The dough will be rather soft but should not be sticky. Place in a bowl, cover with a damp kitchen towel and let the dough rise for 90 minutes.

Meanwhile prepare the filling:

Combine poppy seeds, sugar, and vanilla sugar. Add hot water and margarine. Stir well until margarine has melted and everything is combined. Stir in flour and starch.

Sprinkle your working surface with flour. Roll the dough into a rectangle. (30 cm x 40 cm or 11.8 inch x 15,7 inch) Spread poppy seed mixture on top. Make sure to leave a 2 cm (0.8 inch)  margin on each side.

Preheat the oven to 180°C (375°F).

Roll the dough into a log, starting with the shorter side. Cut into 10 rolls and place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Cover with a damp kitchen towel and let rise for 30 minutes. Bake for 15 minutes.