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Makówki (Silesian poppy-seed bread pudding)
Layers of milk-soaked eggless rolls and honeyed poppy seed with nuts and dried fruit
Makówki are a must on the Christmas Eve table in Silesia, around Katowice and Opole, made the day before so they are ready when the first star appears. Slices of stale white rolls are soaked in sweet milk and layered with a thick mass of ground poppy seed cooked with honey, butter, nuts, raisins and candied peel, then left overnight to settle into a soft, moist, spoonable pudding. It tastes of honey and nuts, rich and not too sweet. Serve it cold, scooped from the dish. Use plain eggless white rolls (kajzerki or a basic white loaf), not brioche or challah, which are enriched doughs. The pudding is otherwise naturally egg-free: the soaked bread and the sticky poppy mass bind each other as they chill, so nothing else is needed. Chef's tip: grind the scalded poppy seed twice until it looks like wet paste; the common mistake is grinding it once, which leaves it gritty and bitter.
- Total time
- 330 min
- Difficulty
- medium
- Serves
- 8
Ingredients
For the poppy-seed mass
- 9 oz blue poppy seeds
- 1 ¾ oz butter
- 3 ½ oz honey
- 1 ¾ oz sugar
- 2 ⅛ oz raisins
- 1 ¾ oz blanched almondschopped
- 1 ¾ oz walnutschopped
- 1 ⅜ oz candied orange peeldiced
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
For the bread layers
- 4 stale eggless white bread rollsabout 250 g, sliced 1 cm thick
- 1 ¼ cups full-fat milk
- 2 tbsp sugar
To finish
- 4 dried figs (optional)sliced
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Method
0/8 doneStep 1: Rinse 9 oz blue poppy seeds in a fine sieve, put in a bowl and pour over boiling water to cover. Leave for 30 minutes, then drain well.
30 minStep 2: Grind the poppy seed twice in a grinder or blitz in a blender with a splash of milk, until it is a dark, moist paste.
10 minStep 4: Stir in 2 ⅛ oz raisins, 1 ¾ oz blanched almonds, 1 ¾ oz walnuts, 1 ⅜ oz candied orange peel and 1 tsp vanilla extract, then take off the heat. It should be soft and spreadable; add a little of the milk if it is stiff.
Step 5: Warm 1 ¼ cups full-fat milk with 2 tbsp sugar until steaming and pour into a wide dish.
3 minStep 6: Dip one-third of the 1 ⅓ stale eggless white bread rolls slices briefly in the milk, just to soften, and lay them in the base of a 20 cm dish. Spread with a third of the poppy mass.
Step 7: Repeat with the remaining 2 ⅔ stale eggless white bread rolls and poppy mass to make three layers, ending with poppy seed. Press gently and pour over any leftover milk.
Step 8: Top with 4 dried figs, cover and chill for at least 4 hours or overnight, until set enough to scoop cleanly.
240 min
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 420 kcal
- Protein
- 11 g
- Carbs
- 48 g
- Fat
- 22 g
- Fibre
- 6 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does makówki (Silesian poppy-seed bread pudding) take?
- About 330 minutes in total: 300 minutes to prepare and 30 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 8 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegetarian?
- Yes. It has no meat or fish.
- Can I make it ahead?
- Yes. It keeps well, so you can cook it earlier in the day or the day before and reheat it.
- What can I use instead of butter?
- The same weight of ghee or coconut oil (for frying and most baking).
- What can I use instead of honey?
- Maple syrup or golden syrup, same amount.
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