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Poppyseed cake and pastry filling is a staple in Russian and Ukrainian kitchens. The good news: it’s not difficult or time consuming to master and you can pre-make it even a week in advance. I just can’t guarantee someone won’t break into your fridge and sneak bites of it during the week. I love that there are just 2 ingredients.
You can find good poppy seeds at Whole Foods and Fred Meyer in the bin/bulk food sections. Most stores carry them but it’s worthwhile to pay a little more for a higher grade poppy seed that tastes sweeter. The cheaper poppy seeds have a slight bitterness to them. Store-bought pre-made poppyseed fillings can’t touch this. It’s wonderful in the poppyseed roulade that I posted awhile back and the recipe that I’ll be posting next (stay tuned!).
Ingredients for Poppyseed filling:
1 cup dry poppy seeds
8 to 10 oz sweetened condensed milk (about 2/3 of a 14 oz can)
Optional Add-ins:
Raisins (white or brown)
Finely chopped walnuts
Tools you’ll need:
A meat/food grinder (preferred method)
– OR – a clean coffee grinder (can be milled in small batches).
Prepping the Poppy Seeds while dough is rising:
1. Rinse poppy seeds thoroughly in a fine mesh colander, then drain them and transfer to a medium sauce pan.
2. Add 3 cups water to the pot. Over medium heat, bring to a simmer. (Don’t boil). Turn off. Cover with lid and let it sit for 30 minutes. Return to a simmer (don’t boil). Turn off. Cover and let it sit for another 30 minutes.
3. Drain poppy seeds well through a colander or by keeping lid on and placing several layers of cheese cloth over lid to catch stray poppy seeds. Life is just easier when you use a fine mesh sieve like this OXO Strainer.
4. Push the poppy seeds through a food grinder, using the fine grinding plate. I use my KitchenAid food grinder attachment for my stand mixer. You can also use a coffee grinder and do it in smaller batches. Note: If using a meat grinder, you need to push firmly. The seeds won’t grind well unless they are under pressure. P.S. I’ve tried putting them through a food processor and it did not work. Drain off excess liquid if any has accumulated in the bowl.
5. Mix 8-10 ounces of sweetened condensed milk into ground poppy seeds. I like to add 10 oz because I’m wild like that ;). Add raisins if desired (depending on the recipe you’re making). Store in tupperware and refrigerate until ready to use.
How to Make PoppySeed Filling (2 ways)
Ingredients
For the PoppySeed Filling:
- 1 cup dry poppy seeds
- 8 to 10 oz sweetened condensed milk, about 2/3 of a 14 oz can
Optional Add-ins:
- Raisins, white or brown
- Finely chopped walnuts
Tools you'll need:
- A meat/food grinder, preferred method
- - OR - a clean coffee grinder, can be milled in small batches.
Instructions
- Rinse poppy seeds thoroughly in a fine mesh colander, then drain them and transfer to a medium sauce pan.
- Add 3 cups water to the pot. Over medium heat, bring to a simmer. (Don’t boil). Turn off. Cover with lid and let it sit for 30 minutes. Return to a simmer (don’t boil). Turn off. Cover and let it sit for another 30 minutes.
- Drain poppy seeds well through a colander or by keeping lid on and placing several layers of cheese cloth on lid to catch stray poppy seeds. Life is just easier when you use a fine mesh sieve.
- Push the poppy seeds through a food grinder, using the fine grinding plate. I use my KitchenAid food grinder attachment for my stand mixer. You can also use a coffee grinder and do it in smaller batches. Note: If using a meat grinder, you need to push firmly. The seeds won’t grind well unless they are under pressure. P.S. I’ve tried putting them through a food processor and it did not work. Drain off excess liquid if any has accumulated in the bowl.
- Mix 8-10 ounces of sweetened condensed milk into ground poppy seeds. I like to add 10 oz. Add raisins if desired (depending on the recipe you're making). Store in tupperware and refrigerate until ready to use.
Thank you for your wonderful recipes. I am making poppyseed kolaches and was unable to find poppyseed in bulk so will use Solo canned poppyseed filling instead. I would appreciate any suggestions about how to make it more like from scratch. Should I add a bit of milk ? Maybe some butter or egg ?
Hi Veronica, I haven’t tested that filling to offer advice on that. I also don’t know what is pre-mixed into it. It would be a wild guess at best. Sorry I can’t be more helpful.
Perfect mohn. Im eating the leftovers with a spoon. Coffee grinder worked great.
I’m curious why you don’t grind the poppy seeds first. It seems like it would be a lot easier. Any thoughts?
Hi Janet, I can see why you may want to do it that way, there are various reasons including using traditional methods, flavor preservation, time consideration and general preferences. If you experiment, let me know how you liked the recipe.
@Natasha,
Can you substitute Coconut
Milk or Coconut Cream plus sweetener to make it Gluten Free ??
Hi Tee, are you trying to make it gluten free or dairy free with the coconut substitution? I haven’t tried an alternative to either to advice.
I’ve been making poppyseed roll for years. When I saw this recipe my heart ❤️ said YES. I cannot wait to try it. Thank you
I hope you love this recipe, Gladys!
I saw your recipe and was so happy Granny used to make these when we visited but never gave us the recipe. I tried your recipe and it was like stepping back in time. Thank you for sharing.
That’s amazing, Ella! I’m so glad you liked the recipe.
I am making Kutia for our supper club. I followed the direction for the poppyseeds but after the second 30 minutes, I had a gelatinous mess similar to fishers. My water may have been too hot. I did grind the mess in my Vitamixer and that grinds it but I wound up flushing down the toilet. Will try something else now. Maybe just grind them as is.
Hi Jeri, I haven’t had that experience, and it’s hard to say what went wrong without being there. I recommend reading through the post again and ensuring the steps or ingredients were substituted.
the vita mixer pureyed the poppies seed rather tha grinding them as in the grinder -would not have thrown them away but would have added nuts and raisins and baked a pie