Poppy Seed Rolls make for the perfect breakfast, snack or dessert. This recipe is amazing because it requires NO rising time.
Poppy Seed Rolls in a flash? That’s right. Without having to wait for the rising time, you can have bakery fresh pastries on the table in under an hour!
Poppy Seed Rolls are stuffed with a sweet and crunchy filling that is seriously to-die-for. While poppy seeds are no stranger to American baking, they are IMMENSELY popular in Polish and Ukrainian baking.
Some of the best memories I have as a child include gobbling up these delicious rolls. Now that I am an adult, I like to pair them with a nice cup of coffee or mug of tea. I’m looking forward to hearing your thoughts and feedback in the comments below!
How to Make Poppy Seed Rolls
- Use fresh yeast. A common mistake I see bakers make is using yeast that has been sitting around for too long. It’s important to keep tabs on the expiration dates on your yeast to prevent your rolls from turning out dense and flat.
- Make sure your milk is at perfect temperature. To make sure all the sugar dissolves and you set the stage for a nice, custardy texture, get your milk to the right temp before dissolving in your sugar.
- Add your flour slowly. Add your flour in small portions for easier mixing. Depending on the brand you use, you may need more or less. The dough should be sticky, yet elastic and easy to to work with!
- Get your “knead” on. Knead the dough long enough to achieve the desired texture. When using a standing mixer, like a KitchenAid, this takes about 10 minutes.
- Give the rolls space! When placing your rolls on the baking sheet, make sure to leave some space in between. They will double in size and you don’t want them sticking together.
- Make it golden. Brush the tops of your rolls with egg to give them a nice and shiny, bakery-worthy top!
Poppy Seed Filling
A great poppy seed filling really makes or breaks this recipe. In my opinion, the more filling the better! You will find, however, that some bakers like a thin layer. Whatever suits your taste buds is the route you should follow!
If you have never tried poppy seed filling before, you are probably wondering what the heck it is! Simply put, it’s a custard like filling made with, you guessed it, poppy seeds! It also contains sugar, eggs, butter and a pinch of salt. The end result is delectably sweet and earthy filling. Be prepared to get some poppy seeds stuck in your teeth! But, trust me, it’s worth it…
Depending on the energy and time you want to spend, you have TWO options for making your way to a great filling. Try your hand at making my poppy seed filling recipe or head to the nearest Eastern European grocery store. You can also purchase some filling online.
Storing Poppy Seed Rolls
Room Temperature
After you bake your poppy seed rolls, let them cool down completely. Store them in an airtight container or Ziploc bag to keep them fresh for longer. Leave ‘em right on the counter and they will stay fresh for up to five days.
Hot Tip: If your rolls become stale faster, reheat them in the microwave or oven to soften them up again!
Freezing Piroshki
After forming your poppy seed rolls, freeze them raw on a baking sheet. Once they are completely hard and frozen, remove them from the baking sheet and store them in a Ziploc bag or airtight container. When you are ready to bake, allow the rolls to completely thaw in the fridge overnight. Then, bake according to directions!
Other Russian Piroshki to Try:
- Fruit Piroshki Recipe – a childhood classic filled with jam or any other fruit filling!
- Savory Piroshy – These fried Piroshki are amazing, filled with ground meat and onions.
- Vatrushka Buns– They are to die for, filled with farmers cheese and raisins.
Share Some Love ❤️
Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 1/2 cup milk
- 1 tbsp yeast
- 40 g oil
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 4 tbsp margarine
- 3/4 cup sugar
- 7 1/2 cup flour (depending on the brand, you may need more or less)
- 1 egg
- 16 oz poppy seed filling
Instructions
- Combine lukewarm milk with yeast and sugar. Let yeast dissolve for 5 minutes. Add salt, melted margarine and oil. Using a dough hook, mix in flour in small portion.
- Knead the dough for about 15 minutes, until it’s elastic and not sticky.
- Dust your counter with flour and roll out the dough with a rolling pin to very thin rectangle. Brush it with whisked egg, this makes poppy seed stick to the dough. Spread even thin layer of poppy seeds.
- Roll up the shorter side, making it into a long string. Flour knife and cut them into 2 inch pieces.
- Place them on baking sheet covered with parchment paper, leaving about an inch of space in between each one. Repeat until you run out of dough.
- Preheat the oven to 300 °F. Brush tops of piroshky with wisked eggs. Bake for 30-45 minutes, until golden brown.
I made these today and they are delicious. My problem was that I could not slice the roll without smashing it. My rolls are unattractive but yummy. Any suggestions?
Hey Gail, They are should fluff up as they bake even if you smash them. But if you use a very sharp knife, it should work just fine. Hope this helps. Thank you so much for taking the time to share your feedback.
Can they be made with crescent dough sheets?
Hey Lana, I think you can but the dough is not the same so the texture will not be the same. But either way, it sounds delish! 🙂
I have been trying for years to find a poppy seed roll as good as the ones we had growing up from local bakeries. This is it. Delicious. The filling recipe is enough for the full dough recipe. I made a half batch of individual rolls last week and a half batch as two logs to use the rest of the filling yesterday. I used your filling recipe. There is plenty of poppy seed in both batches. I subbed half the flour for whole wheat yesterday.. Thank you. My siblings and I have been missing this and now they're baking it too.
Carol, I'm so glad this recipe has worked out for you, thank you for taking the time to share your feedback!
Can you make them with chocolate? How?
Hey Wanda, I do need to test a few options. There might be away. But you can check out our babka recipe, the concept is very similar. https://momsdish.com/chocolat…
I made these with regular butter and instant yeast, they were delicious! They rose a lot in the oven and I wonder if I accidentally added a little bit too much yeast. But they were delicious!!! And so easy to make. Thank you for this recipe, I'll be making these all the time now.
Anna, I'm so glad you enjoyed the recipe, thank you for your feedback!!
Hi. May I clarify, 40 g oil or 40 ml oil? Thank you.
Hey Corina, as far as I understand, that measurement would be the same.
Can I use this dough recipe for pirsoshki with tvorog
Hey Christine, yes if you bake them the same way. It should work great. Enjoy
A lot of the poppy seed came out while baking other wise the were good ,we eat poppy seed rolls all year round The dough seamed hard to roll out
Hey, this is an easier version of the rolls. You can try our poppy seed buns, they hold in poppy seeds and have a fluffy dough but the process is more leanghty.
I don’t have margarine- what can be a substitute? Thank you so much in advance
I know some people made it with butter and it worked great for them.
How can I substitute instant yeast for regular yeast in this recipe?
Hi Hellee, yes, you definitely can. Enjoy
Thinking about making these! But are they still gonna be good if I make them a day early and refrigerate them?
Hey Sierra, Yes they can be made a day in advance. I would suggest keeping them sealed in a plastic bag, it will keep them fresh. Refrigerating will make them hard.
Thank you!
Excellent dough and recipe. My family cannot stop eating it. I am Slovak and this roll has always been a tradition in our family. Question: I like making and then baking a full roll but it tends to burst at the side (not at the seam because sealed it with water). Any tricks on how not
To get it to burst? Thank you
My mom always made them like that too and so did I. I got tired of the dough splitting so I now make 2 logs and put them into my cast iron bundt cake pan. Easy!!! Oh and pretty.
Thank you for that tip, Diane!
Makovnik, you should brushed rolled dough with melted butter before you put filling in don't roll it too tight, they bursting on side because they rolled too tight, let them rise after rolling for 15 min and bake, before baking poke them with fork so steam will escape from inside. Hope this will help.
Hey Heidi, I wonder if the poppy seed rolls have been over-proofed and they burst for that reason. Thats the only thing I can think of.
They came out looking just like hers. I was very disappointed in the dough. They were very heavy and dry not like the ones I usually make.
Hi Regina, I am trying to figure out why they would be dry. I think the poppy seed filling must of being dry. What did you use for a filling?
Tried the recipe this morning. I’ve eaten and made poppyseed roll my whole life and love them. One question and one comment. The dough was perfect, light and easy to work with. I rolled out thin but got less than half of the recipe amount. My question is what is the science of baking at 300 for 35 to 40 minutes opposed to a more traditional temp of 350 for a shorter time? Love your recipes..thank you
Hi, because they don’t get much rising time they are able to do that while baking.
Can you use evaporated milk in this recipe should I thin it with water and if so in what amounts?
Hey Kathy, I have never work with evaporated milk in yeast dough. I cant make a good recommendation. If you test it out, please give us some feedback. I would love to learn more.
I love this recipe. Question, what kind of KitchenAid Mixer do you have? After couple of minutes my Stand Mixer tires up, probably time to upgrade 🙂
I have the 6qt. I love it so much. I had it for like 10 years and its still great
I halved all of the ingredients and it was enough to feed a hungry family of four. Young kids (and parents) really enjoyed these as a dessert. Easy recipe , also a GREAT recipe for poppy fill on the other page. Thanks so much, definitely going to save this as a favourite!!
I am so glad you enjoyed them, they really do make for the best dessert.
I had so much fun making these...everything went perfectly! Thx so much. I'm exploring my Ukarainian and Russian heritage as well as my husbands. So interesting. A few differences than the way my mom and her mom cooked but very good. I wish I should send you a picture...delectable!
Patricia, I am so glad you enjoyed the recipe and that it went well. I hope you continue exploring Ukrainian and Russian recipes, they really are amazing!
hello, just wondering instead of the fresh yeast is the ratio for yeast the same for instant or active yeast?
When we say fresh yeast, we mean a new package not something that's expired.
What is 40 god oil thanks
Hey dear, I am assuming you are wondering what 40 g oil is, it si 40 grams. Its about 3 tbsp of oil.
Hi Natalya, I'm really looking forward to making these! I'm planning to make your poppy seed filling (https://momsdish.com/recipe/3…) and I'm wondering if that will make the same amount of filling you need for these rolls? Or should I reduce the amount of filling to match this recipe? Thanks!
Hey Carolyn, this should be a good amount of filling for the recipe. We like to fill them generously.
Perfect, thank you! 🙂
Hello! Is it possible to half this recipe? Thanks!
Hey, yes for sure. Just half all the ingredients.
Hi, I have a question about the dough can you make the dough ahead of time and put it in the fridge to use later?
Hey Julia, I think you can but probably no longer than 2-3 days.
Without a Kitchen Aide, what do You suggest for mixing the dough ?
We use this 6qt Kitchen Aid, here is the link to exact one https://amzn.to/3dE4AOw.
Made these twice already. I realized that if using Canadian flour, you only need about 6 cups. Also, it's not very clear in the instructions that you're supposed to roll out the dough in a couple batches. So the first time I made these, they were huge, lol 😆 but they taste really good! I actually prefer these over the traditional bulochki.
Hey Kate, thank you for sharing the feedback. I am hoping that the video does help. 🙂
Love it! Just made those poppy seed rolls and and we love them! Thank you Natalya!
What kind of KitchenAid mixer do you have? Thank you
Hey Ina, I have the 6 Qt. Professional 600, here is the link to it. https://amzn.to/3cti53k
They are delicious, i used butter instead of margarine. And the dough was so easy to work with.
Hey Yulisa, thank you for sharing your feedback. I am so happy you loved the recipe. Thank you for sharing!
Love how easy these were to make! The first batch was good (but the second was even better.. the 3rd was the best! I think it's because the dough did have some tome to rest and rise). New family favorite!
Wow! This is so sweet. Thank you for sharing your sweet feedback.
In the print out you listed 4oz of margarine... in the video it 4tbs. Which is it? I already made it with 4oz and hope it still works 😕
Hey Lina, it is 4 tbsp. Thanks for catching that.
I used 4oz butter🤦♀️
Hello Natalya,
Could I substitute margarine of same ratio for the butter for the recipe? Thank u for your time
Hey Luda, yes you definitely can.