Those Under-Appreciated POPPY SEEDS
They really deserve more appreciation than they get. For one thing, they’re so versatile. They add a pretty touch to breads, rolls, cookies and cakes. They do a good job of thickening various types of sauces. And they can be used in desserts and salads as well as in entrees and baking. They also provide a wonderful flavor and aroma when added into a recipe.
But besides offering good taste, these seeds also pack a number of health benefits. For instance:
They’re a good source for a variety of minerals like iodine, manganese, magnesium, zinc and copper.
They’re a good source of vitamins and trace elements such as thiamine, riboflavin, lecithin, oxalic acid, pentosans and amorphous alkaloid.
Poppy seeds enhance enzyme utilization (diastase, emulsin, lipase and nuclease).
They’re loaded with fatty acids, especially the omega-3 fatty acids, which are required by human body to ensure good health.
They’re a great source of carbohydrates and thus they are helpful in enhancing the level of energy supplied to human body for routine functions.
Poppy seeds are good for digestion.
They contain linoleic acid, which protects the body from heart attacks and other heart disorders.
They help protect against breast cancer. It’s the oleic acid in poppy seeds that makes them a powerful cancer fighter.
Isn’t nature’s food wonderful? Here’s a tiny seed that blesses our lives in so many ways, and enhances any food it graces as well. My fascination with this seed led me to hunting recipes that incorporate it.
I found that Eastern Europeans, especially, regularly use poppy seeds in their baking and cooking, and a dessert table would invariably include something sweet made with poppy seeds, either ground or whole. The poppy seed yeast bread or roll (known as Makowiec in Polish), for instance, uses poppy seed paste available in the ethnic aisle of most supermarkets.
It really is a food worthy of more appreciation and more use. So to get you started, here’s a recipe for the above-mentioned poppy seed roll. Not only delicious, it’s fun to make!
1 package active dry yeast
2 cups warm milk
8 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon salt
5 eggs
4 ounces (1 stick) butter melted
2 (11-ounce) cans poppyseed filling
Directions:
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But besides offering good taste, these seeds also pack a number of health benefits. For instance:
They’re a good source for a variety of minerals like iodine, manganese, magnesium, zinc and copper.
They’re a good source of vitamins and trace elements such as thiamine, riboflavin, lecithin, oxalic acid, pentosans and amorphous alkaloid.
Poppy seeds enhance enzyme utilization (diastase, emulsin, lipase and nuclease).
They’re loaded with fatty acids, especially the omega-3 fatty acids, which are required by human body to ensure good health.
They’re a great source of carbohydrates and thus they are helpful in enhancing the level of energy supplied to human body for routine functions.
Poppy seeds are good for digestion.
They contain linoleic acid, which protects the body from heart attacks and other heart disorders.
They help protect against breast cancer. It’s the oleic acid in poppy seeds that makes them a powerful cancer fighter.
Isn’t nature’s food wonderful? Here’s a tiny seed that blesses our lives in so many ways, and enhances any food it graces as well. My fascination with this seed led me to hunting recipes that incorporate it.
I found that Eastern Europeans, especially, regularly use poppy seeds in their baking and cooking, and a dessert table would invariably include something sweet made with poppy seeds, either ground or whole. The poppy seed yeast bread or roll (known as Makowiec in Polish), for instance, uses poppy seed paste available in the ethnic aisle of most supermarkets.
It really is a food worthy of more appreciation and more use. So to get you started, here’s a recipe for the above-mentioned poppy seed roll. Not only delicious, it’s fun to make!
Poppyseed Rolls (Makoweic)
Ingredients:
1 package active dry yeast
2 cups warm milk
8 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon salt
5 eggs
4 ounces (1 stick) butter melted
2 (11-ounce) cans poppyseed filling
Directions:
In a small heatproof bowl, dissolve yeast in 1/2 cup of the warm milk. In the bowl of a stand mixer or a large bowl, combine flour, sugar, salt and eggs. Add remaining 1 1/2 cups warm milk, butter and yeast mixture. With the paddle attachment, or by hand, beat until smooth. Dough will be sticky at this point.
Scrape dough into a clean, greased bowl. Sprinkle the top with a little flour and cover. Let stand in a warm place for 1 hour or until double in size. Punch down dough and turn out onto a floured surface. Divide dough in half and shape each half into a rectangle. Spread 1 can of poppyseed filling on each rectangle of dough and roll up like a jelly roll. Turn ends under so filling will not leak out. Place on a parchment-lined or greased pan, cover and let rise again until double in size.
Heat oven to 350 degrees. Brush tops of rolls with additional melted butter. Bake 45 to 60 minutes or until rolls are golden brown. Remove from oven and cool. Dust rolls with confectioner's sugar, if desired.
Scrape dough into a clean, greased bowl. Sprinkle the top with a little flour and cover. Let stand in a warm place for 1 hour or until double in size. Punch down dough and turn out onto a floured surface. Divide dough in half and shape each half into a rectangle. Spread 1 can of poppyseed filling on each rectangle of dough and roll up like a jelly roll. Turn ends under so filling will not leak out. Place on a parchment-lined or greased pan, cover and let rise again until double in size.
Heat oven to 350 degrees. Brush tops of rolls with additional melted butter. Bake 45 to 60 minutes or until rolls are golden brown. Remove from oven and cool. Dust rolls with confectioner's sugar, if desired.
Recipe formatted with the Cook'n Recipe Software from DVO Enterprises.
Alice Osborne
Weekly Newsletter Contributor since 2006
Email the author! alice@dvo.com
