I think anyone that has Eastern European blood running through their veins has probably been familiar with poppy seed filling from a very young age. Or perhaps I’m assuming a little too much?

For as long as I can remember, poppy seeds have graced many-a-cake, bread or pastry of which I’ve had the pleasure of shoving into my mouth. The sweet, moist poppy seeding filling was always my favourite part; so much so that I managed to eat my way around it and save it for last.

Opening a jar or tin of the pre made stuff is all too easy, yet making it by hand is not only rewarding, but you know exactly what has been put in there.

Two pieces of equipment make life much easier during the construction of this versatile filling. A very fine mesh sieve that doesn’t allow the poppy seeds to filter through, and some kind of grinder that allows you to effortlessly pound up the seeds and break them down.

My sieve is a little too coarse so I lined it with a piece of paper kitchen towel. As for the grinding, I used my spice grinder. It’s a little on the small-side, so I ground the seeds two heaped tablespoons at a time. Having a grinder attachment on a mix master would be the best option, but I have neither. A mortar & pestle would do the trick as well, if you feel like an upper body workout.

Recipes where I’ve used this filling –

• {Chocolate poppy seed scroll with figs}

Print Recipe

Poppy seed filling

This poppy seed filling will make many baked treats so much better.

Course

Condiments, The Larder

Cuisine

Croatian

Servings

g

Ingredients

• 250 g poppy seeds
• ¾ cup milk
• 50 g caster sugar
• 70 g raisins
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 tsp lemon zest finely grated
• 1 tbsp rum
• ¼ cup honey

Course Condiments, The Larder Cuisine Croatian Servings g Ingredients 250 g poppy seeds ¾ cup milk 50 g caster sugar 70 g raisins 1 tsp vanilla extract 1 tsp lemon zest finely grated 1 tbsp rum ¼ cup honey

Instructions

1. Using a very fine sieve, rinse the poppy seeds under running water. Drain very well. Transfer the poppy seeds to a small saucepan and pour in about 3 cups of water. Over medium heat, bring the water to a gentle simmer, then turn off the heat immediately. Allow it to sit for 20 minutes to half an hour. Turn the heat onto medium again and bring to the point of simmering. Turn off the heat once again and allow to sit for 20 minutes.
2. Drain the poppy seeds through the fine sieve very well. You could even sit the sieve on a clean sponge to draw out any excess water, squeezing out the sponge a few times over 10 minutes.
3. Grind the drained poppy seeds using either a mortar & pestle, a meat-style grinder or a spice grinder.
4. Transfer the ground poppy seeds to a small saucepan, add the milk, sugar and raisins and heat very slowly over low-medium heat to dissolve the sugar. Simmer gently for 2 minutes and do not let it boil as it will curdle.
5. Set aside to cool, then transfer the mixture to a food processor. Add the remaining ingredients and process for 30 seconds or so, scraping down the sides every 10 seconds.
6. Refrigerate the poppy seed mixture until needed. It can be frozen, as well.

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