Sweet Glazed Poppy Seed Rolls

Growing up, my mom made this poppy seed roll recipe a lot. I can remember my dad eating a slice or two with his morning coffee before heading off to work. I ate it too, but never really found the love for it like my parents (or now husband) did. — Pamela of My Man's Belly

Sweet Glazed Poppy Seed Rolls

For Dough
1 Package Active Dry Yeast (2 teaspoons)
1/4 Cup Water
1 Cup Milk (scalded)
1/4 Cup Sugar
1/4 Cup Shortening (or lard)
1 Teaspoon Salt
3 1/2 Cups, Sifted, All Purpose Flour
1 Large Egg

For Poppy Seed Filling
1/2 Pound Ground Poppy Seeds
3/4 Cup Sugar
1/2 Cup Milk
1 Tablespoon Honey
1 Tablespoon Butter (softened)
1 Teaspoon Lemon Juice

For Confectioner's Glaze
3/4 Cup Confectionery Sugar
1 - 1 1/2 Tablespoons Milk

For Dough

Step 1: Warm the 1/4 cup water to 110 degrees Fahrenheit and pour in yeast to soften (if the water is too hot, it will kill the yeast and if it's too cold the yeast won't bloom). Set aside.

Step 2: In a large bowl combine scalded milk, sugar, shortening and salt. Let cool to room temperature.

Step 3: Once cooled, add 1 cup of the flour and mix in well (a stand mixer with its dough hook works really well for this recipe).

Step 4: Beat in the softened yeast and egg. Gradually add in the rest of the flour and mix to combine.

Step 5: Cover with a tea towel (a terry cloth towel could stick to the dough and leave fuzzies - yuck) and let rise in a warm place for 1 1/2 - 2 hours. The dough should double in size. If your dough hasn't doubled, try letting it sit for another 20 minutes (it may not have been warm enough). If it hasn't really changed size at all either your yeast was too old or the water was too hot when you were blooming it. Time to start over.

Step 6: Turn out dough onto lightly floured surface and roll out to a 16"x9" rectangle.

Step 7: Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.

For Poppy Seed Filling

Step 1: Add all ingredients to a medium sized bowl and mix thoroughly. You should notice that the poppy seeds are a bit darker because they have been fully incorporated with the wet ingredients.

Step 2: Spread evenly onto rolled out dough.

Step 3: Using a sharp knife, or a pizza cutter, cut dough into 12 - 16 equal strips.

Step 4: Roll dough strips (snugly) into rounds and place on parchment paper lined baking sheet. Leave approximately 1 inch between each roll.

Step 5: Bake for 20 - 25 minutes. Dough should be lightly browned when finished baking.

For Confectioner's Glaze

Step 1: In a small bowl mix confectionery sugar with 1 tablespoon milk. Stir to combine.

Step 2: If you would like the glaze to be thinner, add milk until you get the consistency you like.

Step 3: Once rolls are cool, you can drizzle or ice them.

Step 4: Serve.

Quick Note: You can omit the honey in the poppy seed filling if you like.

Variations: An easier way to make these is to not cut them into strips making individual poppy seed rolls. After spreading the filling onto the dough, tightly roll the dough (starting from the wide edge). Then lay the roll on the lined baking sheet (seam side down) and bake. Or you can put them into a 8" or 9" cake pan to bake which will then make them portable. When cool, drizzle with the glaze and cut into slices and serve.

Preparation time: 2 hours, 15 minutes

Cooking time: 20 minutes

Number of servings: 12