Magda's Cauldron

I almost gave up on my dream… because of a poppy seed roll.
This was supposed to be a simple recipe test for new improved overnight dough. Instead, it turned into a full‑on soap opera in my Kraków kitchen. On the surface it’s “just” a yeast cake, but somewhere between the third cracked roll, I realized I wasn’t only fighting with dough. I was fighting with the part of me that still doubts this whole “new life” can actually work.
Makowiec is one of the kings of the Polish Christmas table: soft yeast dough wrapped around a sweet, nutty poppy seed filling that’s meant to bring luck and abundance for the New Year. I’ve known that since childhood. This year, Christmas started early for me because I was testing this version for you – adjusting the dough, fixing the filling, trying to get that perfect swirl that would make my inner perfectionist finally shut up.
Attempt one: a new dough recipe, full of hope. It cracked completely. A dramatic, total crack from one end to the other. If you only saw the photo, you’d think: disaster. But it tasted amazing, so I sliced it up, shared it with a friend, and made myself a quiet promise: if I’m not giving up on this new life, I’m not giving up on this cake either.
That promise goes way back. I’ve had a food blog since 2009, and I’ve been writing in English since 2011, when I moved to Ireland and realized how much I love sharing Polish food with people abroad. I already wanted to quit IT back in 2012. I dreamed about recipes, not release cycles. But I got scared and stayed where it felt safe.
This time, when I lost my job, I decided to read it as a sign instead of a failure. Maybe it really is time to take Polish food, my camera and these recipes seriously, even without a perfect business plan, a 5‑year forecast or a neat LinkedIn headline. Maybe “somewhere between food blogger, photographer, recipe creator, food tour guide and pierogi teacher in Kraków” is enough of a starting point.
Attempt two: same overnight dough, two shapes, a classic roll and a fancy krantz that looked bakery‑perfect in my head. In real life? The filling was too dry because I forgot the egg whites, the roll cracked again. I wanted to cry a little, then laugh, then throw the whole thing out. My friends did none of that. They quietly packed slices into boxes, left me only crumbs, and asked when I was making it again.
Attempt three: leftover poppy seeds, not enough filling, tired baker. It wasn’t the platonic ideal of makowiec; it was almost perfect, but not quite. And yet, for the first time in this little saga, I looked at the roll cooling on the counter and thought: “Okay. This one I can show the internet.”
So is there a big lesson here? Maybe it’s this: right now my life feels exactly like that makowiec. Messy, cracked, not bakery‑perfect, but good enough to share and worth making again. I heard once that the reason we don’t improve is because we don’t take ourselves seriously. This time I did take myself seriously and I still almost wanted to crack like that poppy seed roll.
From the outside, you probably wouldn’t know. I could have quietly scrapped the footage, published some other safe recipe, and pretended everything was smooth and glossy. But that’s not the woman I want to be. I don’t want to be someone who shatters at the first sign of imperfection. I want to be someone who learns how to gather the broken bits, knead them back together, and try again. In dough and in life.
So here’s where I am: chasing a dream without a neat roadmap, cracking a poppy seed roll, messing up fillings, figuring out how to turn Polish food and stories into an actual living. It feels vulnerable to show you the cracks. It also feels like the only honest way forward.
As for the poppy seed roll itself, here’s the good news: it’s delicious, no matter what it looks like. The dough is soft, the filling is rich and aromatic, and even the “failed” versions disappeared into friends’ Tupperware boxes faster than I could complain about them.
If you’re also in your “cracked poppy seed roll” era, this recipe is for you. Bake it with me, even if your first roll breaks. Slice it, share it, laugh at the crumbs. And if you feel like your life is a little messy and not‑quite‑ready for the bakery window, you’re very welcome in my little Kraków kitchen. There’s always room here for imperfect cakes and imperfect dreams.
Tell me in the comments which attempt you’re on.

I find this recipe softer, the dough lighter. For the classic recipe – check poppy seed roll.

Poppy seed roll (makowiec)

• Servings: Makes 2 rolls
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Soft overnight poppy seed roll (Makowiec) filled with honey, nutty, poppy seed filling. Often made for Christmas and Easter.

Recipe adapted from Yotam Ottolenghi Jerusalem Chocolate krantz cakes

Poppy seed filling

• 250 g (2 cups) poppy seeds
• 85 g (1/4 cup) light brown sugar or caster sugar
• 2 tablespoon honey
• 1/1 tablespoon soft butter
• 50 g mix of raisins, prunes, dates, figs, dried apricots or dried cranberries, chopped
• 25 g walnuts or mix of any nuts, chopped
• 1/4 cup candied orange peel, chopped
• 1/2 tablespoon almond extract or almond flavouring
• 2 Tbsp orange juice
• 2 egg whites

Dough

• 1 packet (14 grams) active dry yeast / 30 grams fresh yeast
• 2 1/2 cups (320 grams) all-purpose flour
• 4 Tbsp sugar
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1 Tbsp strong alcohol like vodka or rum
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 4 egg yolks
• 1/2 cup milk lukewarm
• 7 Tbsp (100 grams) unsalted butter, melted and cooled down

Icing

• 1 cup icing sugar
• 3-4 Tbsp lemon juice

Dough

1. If you are using fresh yeast – mix yeast with 1 tablespoon of sugar (it will turn into liquid). Add 2 tablespoons of flour and all milk, stir and leave aside for 20-30 minutes until you see bubbles on the surface. Follow the steps below, adding the yeast mixture in place of the water.
2. If you are using dry yeast – in a big bowl mix together yeast, flour and sugar.
3. Add eggs, water to yeast mixture. Finally salt. Knead for about 5-10 minutes until smooth. You can use stand mixer.
4. Gradually add cubed butter while kneading until fully incorporated into the dough.
5. Cover dough with a cling film and leave in the fridge overnight.

Poppy seed filling

1. Put the poppy seeds in a saucepan and cover with boiling water, just to cover.
2. Simmer gently for 20 minutes, then drain very well.
3. Grind the poppy seeds twice, until soft and a bit pasty.
4. In a clean pan melt the butter, then add sugar and honey. Stir until dissolved.
5. Add it to the ground poppy seeds.
6. Add chopped nuts, dried fruits, candied orange peel, orange zest, orange juice and almond extract. Mix well and taste.
7. In a separate bowl whip egg whites until stiff peaks form; gently fold them into the poppy seed mixture.

Assembling

1. Divide the dough into two equal portions.
2. On a floured surface, roll each portion into a rectangle about 1/2 inch thick (~1 cm).
3. Spread half of the poppy seed filling evenly onto each rectangle, leaving about a half-inch border around the edges (~2 cm).
4. Roll each rectangle tightly from the long edge like a jelly roll; tuck ends under to prevent filling leakage during baking.
5. Place the rolls seam-side down on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
6. Transfer each poppy seed roll onto a piece of baking paper, then wrap it in the paper twice, leaving about 1 cm of space between the dough and the paper (no more).
7. Leave it to raise in warm place for an hour or until the dough rises around 20-30%.
8. Bake in a preheated oven at 340°F (190°C/170° fan) for 30-40 minutes.
9. Remove the rolls from the oven and let them cool completely on a wire rack.

Icing

1. Place the icing sugar and juice in a bowl and mix to combine.
2. If it is too runny just add more icing sugar, if too thick add more juice.
3 . Drizzle over the cake.
3. Garnish with candied orange peel if desired.