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Poppy Seed Rolls make for the perfect breakfast, snack or dessert. This recipe is amazing because it requires NO rising time.
Poppy Seed Rolls in a flash? That’s right. Without having to wait for the rising time, you can have bakery fresh pastries on the table in under an hour!
Poppy Seed Rolls are stuffed with a sweet and crunchy filling that is seriously to-die-for. While poppy seeds are no stranger to American baking, they are IMMENSELY popular in Polish and Ukrainian baking.
Some of the best memories I have as a child include gobbling up these delicious rolls. Now that I am an adult, I like to pair them with a nice cup of coffee or mug of tea. I’m looking forward to hearing your thoughts and feedback in the comments below!
How to Make Poppy Seed Rolls
- Use fresh yeast. A common mistake I see bakers make is using yeast that has been sitting around for too long. It’s important to keep tabs on the expiration dates on your yeast to prevent your rolls from turning out dense and flat.
- Make sure your milk is at perfect temperature. To make sure all the sugar dissolves and you set the stage for a nice, custardy texture, get your milk to the right temp before dissolving in your sugar.
- Add your flour slowly. Add your flour in small portions for easier mixing. Depending on the brand you use, you may need more or less. The dough should be sticky, yet elastic and easy to to work with!
- Get your “knead” on. Knead the dough long enough to achieve the desired texture. When using a standing mixer, like a KitchenAid, this takes about 10 minutes.
- Give the rolls space! When placing your rolls on the baking sheet, make sure to leave some space in between. They will double in size and you don’t want them sticking together.
- Make it golden. Brush the tops of your rolls with egg to give them a nice and shiny, bakery-worthy top!
Poppy Seed Filling
A great poppy seed filling really makes or breaks this recipe. In my opinion, the more filling the better! You will find, however, that some bakers like a thin layer. Whatever suits your taste buds is the route you should follow!
If you have never tried poppy seed filling before, you are probably wondering what the heck it is! Simply put, it’s a custard like filling made with, you guessed it, poppy seeds! It also contains sugar, eggs, butter and a pinch of salt. The end result is delectably sweet and earthy filling. Be prepared to get some poppy seeds stuck in your teeth! But, trust me, it’s worth it…
Depending on the energy and time you want to spend, you have TWO options for making your way to a great filling. Try your hand at making my poppy seed filling recipe or head to the nearest Eastern European grocery store. You can also purchase some filling online.
Storing Poppy Seed Rolls
Room Temperature
After you bake your poppy seed rolls, let them cool down completely. Store them in an airtight container or Ziploc bag to keep them fresh for longer. Leave ‘em right on the counter and they will stay fresh for up to five days.
Hot Tip: If your rolls become stale faster, reheat them in the microwave or oven to soften them up again!
Freezing Piroshki
After forming your poppy seed rolls, freeze them raw on a baking sheet. Once they are completely hard and frozen, remove them from the baking sheet and store them in a Ziploc bag or airtight container. When you are ready to bake, allow the rolls to completely thaw in the fridge overnight. Then, bake according to directions!
Other Russian Piroshki to Try:
- Fruit Piroshki Recipe – a childhood classic filled with jam or any other fruit filling!
- Savory Piroshy – These fried Piroshki are amazing, filled with ground meat and onions.
- Vatrushka Buns– They are to die for, filled with farmers cheese and raisins.
Recipe
Quick Poppy Seed Rolls
Print Pin
Servings
35 rolls
Prep Time 25 minutes mins
Cook Time 30 minutes mins
Total Time 55 minutes mins
Recipe contributed by: Natalya Drozhzhin
Poppy Seed Rolls make for the perfect breakfast, snack or dessert. This recipe is amazing because it requires NO rising time.
Ingredients
US Units – Metric
Instructions
Combine lukewarm milk with yeast and sugar. Let yeast dissolve for 5 minutes. Add salt, melted margarine and oil. Using a dough hook, mix in flour in small portion.
Knead the dough for about 15 minutes, until it’s elastic and not sticky.
Dust your counter with flour and roll out the dough with a rolling pin to very thin rectangle. Brush it with whisked egg, this makes poppy seed stick to the dough. Spread even thin layer of poppy seeds.
Roll up the shorter side, making it into a long string. Flour knife and cut them into 2 inch pieces.
Place them on baking sheet covered with parchment paper, leaving about an inch of space in between each one. Repeat until you run out of dough.
Preheat the oven to 300 °F. Brush tops of piroshky with wisked eggs. Bake for 30-45 minutes, until golden brown.
Nutrition Facts
Quick Poppy Seed Rolls
Amount Per Serving
Calories 228 Calories from Fat 90
% Daily Value*
Fat 10g15%
Saturated Fat 2g10%
Cholesterol 6mg2%
Sodium 77mg3%
Potassium 149mg4%
Carbohydrates 29g10%
Fiber 3g12%
Sugar 6g7%
Protein 6g12%
Vitamin A 151IU3%
Vitamin C 1mg1%
Calcium 212mg21%
Iron 3mg17%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
Posted March 27, 2020
About Author
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DebbieMar 8, 2024 Hi Natalya, I'm so anxious to make this recipe this weekend! I loved your video, too! My question is.....I do not have a Kitchenmaid mixer, mine isnt working and need to buy a new one. I do have a hand held electric mixer.....is this doable? Any tips using this for my dough?
And with the extra dough, I though a out making nut rolls! Your thoughts?
Natalya DrozhzhinMar 8, 2024 Hey Debbie, This recipe requires a good amount of kneading, about 10-15 minutes. I personally always use my KitchenAid. By hand it may take longer to knead, and a regular mixer might not have the power or right attachment for kneading properly. Do you have a bread machine? The dough could be made in there. Btw, I love the idea of nut rolls though! Yum!
SusanMar 4, 2024 made the rolls yesterday and the family loved them! Could not roll the dough into a thin layer - was too "stretchy" and did not roll nicely into a roll but my family is OK with "artistic". I made my own poppyseed mix (mistake - next time will buy) and added crushed walnuts and raisins. I had some dough left over so filled it with Peanut Butter (nice). Baked them all for 40 minutes (should do a bit less next time). Came out fantastic. Only thing: will make half the amount of dough because the rolls will dry out in a few days in spite of my kids earnest try to finish them...
I will try this again because this is soooo much better than store bought (and so much fun to make!)Natalya DrozhzhinMar 4, 2024 Thanks so much for sharing your experience with us Susan! Glad you had so much fun with the family making this.
Cindy O’BrienFeb 24, 2024 OK so I am so confused I went by the directions and I just made one big long roll. I only got 10 rolls it says you should get 35 so was there some point in there where I was supposed to divide this dough into four separate rolls
Natalya DrozhzhinFeb 27, 2024 Hi Cindy, in step 4 we mention to cut them into two inch pieces. I am not sure if you saw that? I also think that video would be useful in this recipe. Hope this helps.
joniFeb 21, 2024 Do I use rapid rise yeast or regular yeast
Natalya DrozhzhinFeb 21, 2024 Hey Joni, I use active dry yeast. Under the ingredients list, any ingredients listed in blue means you can click on it and it will take you directly to a link showing which one item I used.
KristinFeb 7, 2024 I made these today. Froze most of the rolls unbaked for use at a later time. But made a dozen just now. First, this was the easiest dough I have ever worked with. I am terrible at rolling out anything but had no problems with this dough. They were perfectly done at 32 minutes for me. I used canned solo filling. I thought they weren’t as sweet as I would like. I think I will put some kind of pastry glaze on the next ones I bake. But they were very easy and make a lot!
Natalya DrozhzhinFeb 7, 2024 Hey Kristin, I'm so glad you enjoyed working with this dough! I find canned solo filling sweet, but if you prefer sweeter pastries, a glaze would be great!
EmmaJan 23, 2024 Thank you for this recipe, i was looking for a sourdough which is a bit simpler as sometimes it takes 4 hours of my life.. One problem though, don't know what happened to the metric measurements, but that was far far far too little milk, my dough wouldn't even connect, it was powder... had to put about 180% of the milk amount provided .. and only then the rolls came out picture perfect, very soft and almost tripled in size in the oven ..
Natalya DrozhzhinJan 23, 2024 Hey Emma, I'm happy to hear you were able to adjust the measurements and it came out perfect!
ElizabethDec 18, 2023 After reading other comments (my aplogies for not seeing them before I asked about butter instead of margarine) But I notice that your response is always that you've had better luch with margarine. Can you explain why? Does the butter effect the texture, rise, fluffiness of the dough? Thanks
Natalya DrozhzhinDec 19, 2023 No worries - I'm happy to answer any questions. I prefer margarine in this recipe because it provides a softer texture in my opinion. But like you asked earlier, butter works as a substitute.
ElizabethDec 18, 2023 Loved your video. I have made larger poppyseed rolls but I like the idea of the individual poppyseed rolls. Your recipe calls for margarine. I am assuming that butter would work as well? Thanks!
Natalya DrozhzhinDec 19, 2023 Hey Elizabeth, I appreciate the love and support! 🙂 Yes, you can use butter. Enjoy!
LizDec 13, 2023 Can the dough recipe be made with gluten free flour.
Natalya DrozhzhinDec 13, 2023 Hi liz, I have personally not tried this recipe with gluten free flour, however if you end up trying it please let us know how it works for you.
MicheleDec 11, 2023 What is meant by 1g oil?
Natalya DrozhzhinDec 12, 2023 Hey Michele, I'm not sure where you are getting 1g oil from. Can you help me understand?
JenOct 20, 2023 I absolutely love your recipe! I keep using this! I make a big batch of dough, roll it up and cut the slices, then freeze. Then I only have a take out a few servings at a time and my family loves it!
Natalya DrozhzhinOct 23, 2023 Jen, this is genius! I this can also be a life saver for when you have unexpected guest. I am definitely doing this for the holiday season.
IrinaOct 9, 2023 Can I freeze them?
Natalya DrozhzhinOct 10, 2023 Hi Irina, I recommend freezing them raw. Then thaw overnight in the fridge and bake according to instructions. Enjoy!
LucyJul 11, 2023 Hi, love your recipes. I’m making this today but was wondering how much dough to pinch off for each roll? Do you get 4,5,6, or 7 loaves before you cut them in individual rolls? In other words, how many long rolls does one full recipe make? I’m just going to make loaves, not cut them and want to be sure I’m not using too little or too much dough for each roll. Hope that makes sense. Thank you!
Natalya DrozhzhinJul 11, 2023 Hey Lucy, so my guess is that it would be about 4 rolls but I haven't tested this. I recommend rolling one out and seeing how it does, make sure that it rises well. If it doesn't do well, my tip is to stick with the smaller rolls for best results. I wouldn't want the dough on big loaves to crack or the final results to be too dense. Hope this helps!
BeejayOct 6, 2023 I make 6 rolls. I tried 4 but they were clumsy to handle.
Natalya DrozhzhinOct 6, 2023 Thanks for the feedback Beejay!
LucyJul 10, 2023 Hello, love your recipes! I’d like to make loaves rather than individual ones. How many loaves do I divide the dough for them? I think I’ll like this dough better than my normal dough due to a lesser rise. My recipe uses less flour (4.5 cups) and it makes 4. Sometimes my poppyseed rolls come out to ‘bready’. That’s why I think I’ll prefer your dough recipe. Thank you.
Natalya DrozhzhinJul 11, 2023 Hey Lucy, I haven't made this recipe in bigger loaves but I think you could get about 4 "loaves" from this recipe. Divide the dough into 4 pieces, roll out one piece and make the "loaf" and go from there. You can adjust based on that if you want smaller or bigger loaves. I'm not sure how the bigger loaves will rise and if the texture will be the same since I haven't tested this, but you are welcome to give it a shot and let us know how it goes. Enjoy!
Jeff DettlingJun 21, 2023 Can you make these in loaves
Natalya DrozhzhinJun 22, 2023 Hey Jeff, That would totally work!
Sofia KashperFeb 26, 2023 Can I substitute margarine for butter?
TanjaSep 25, 2023 Hi. I'm from Voivodina, where this is something we just can't do without. So, to answer your question - yes, you certainly can use unsalted butter, and you can even use the clean, white pork lard (just use about 10-20 percent smaller amount than butter/margarine). This dough is traditionally made with lard - namely, butter was always more "dear" than lard, which was something every household had and regularly used. If using lard, you can - but don't have to - add some grated lemon zest or vanilla aroma to the dough.
Natalya DrozhzhinFeb 27, 2023 Hi Sofia, I find that the result is the best with margarine, but you can definitely use unsalted butter instead if that is what you prefer. Thank you for reaching out.
Sofia KashperMar 7, 2023 Thank you Natalya, I also wanted to know if I can make 1/2 of the batch? I made them yesterday and they are wonderful!!!! Thank you for the recipe, but it too much for me. Thanks for this wonderful recipe 👍👍👍
Natalya DrozhzhinMar 7, 2023 Hi Sofia, you can absolutely make half the batch. I am so glad to hear that you love this recipe! Thank you for sharing your feedback!
Colleen JanesFeb 13, 2023 Tried the Poppy Seed Rolls, and they are amazing! I have never tried making them before, because the recipes always looked so complicated. Your recipe, instructions, and video made it very easy. Thank you so much!
Natalya DrozhzhinFeb 14, 2023 Hi Colleen, I am so honored that you tried my recipe. Thank you for giving it a chance. I am thrilled it was a success!! Enjoy!
LeonJan 15, 2023 Delicious! Hypothetically, could I do two rises on this dough (one after mixing, second after shaping and filling) to just make the flavor of the dough more complex?
Thank you!
Natalya DrozhzhinJan 16, 2023 Leon, You can and I do think they will be more fluffy but its a very forgiving recipe, you can go either way. Hope you love them. I am obsessed with everything poppyseeds and this one is so good. Enjoy
JudyJan 14, 2023 Just made these today. The dough is delicious and very easy to work with. The filling did spill out when I baked them, so next time I’ll leave it as a whole rolled loaf. I didn’t have enough poppyseed filling so I made one roll with orange fig spread. And it’s fabulous! Definitely a keeper!
Natalya DrozhzhinJan 14, 2023 Hi Judy, I am so delighted to hear that the recipe was a success! Thank you so much for sharing! I also love the added orange fig spread idea! Enjoy!
JesseDec 17, 2022 The dough doesn’t have to sit out for the yeast to work?
Natalya DrozhzhinDec 17, 2022 Hey, Jesse! Not with this recipe. I hope you get a chance to make it!
AlessandraDec 7, 2022 Can I use butter instead of margarine? Salted or unsalted?
Natalya DrozhzhinDec 7, 2022 I find the best results with margarine, but yes, you can use unsalted butter. Thank you for reaching out. Good luck and happy holidays!
AnnaNov 20, 2022 This poppy seed recipe is garbage. Im an avid baker and even after 3 eggs nothing came together. Clearly the ratios are way off
TanjaSep 25, 2023 You can make the filling without eggs: just poppy seed and sugar, scalded with milk (added little by little, until you have a thick but spreadable mass. Start with less sugar, because you can add it if needed. Also, you can partly substitute sugar with a spoonful (or two) of plum/apricot jam, you can add a handful of raisins and/or orange zest... How you like it, you do it 🙂
Peabody GillianFeb 19, 2023 I had to crank up the heat to high while vigorously whisking (after adding all the egg) and it worked out! It probably would have taken an hour to thicken without doing so
Natalya DrozhzhinNov 21, 2022 Hi Anna I am sorry to hear this recipe didnt work out for you. I have been using this recipe for years. Where did you find you had trouble?
Christina RodriguezNov 13, 2022 Hi Natalya, I'm going to make this recipe for the first time for Thanksgiving. When you say oil, are your referring to simple vegetable oil? Thank you!
Natalya DrozhzhinNov 14, 2022 Hi Christina, I like to use avocado oil, But you are welcome to use the oil of your choosing. Good luck and enjoy!
VusalaOct 6, 2022 Great recipe, including the fillling. I tempered the eggs, which helped to avoid the curdling. The filling came out amazing.
The dough is so easy to work with. The only thing is my rolls puffed up a lot and fell on their sides. So I placed them rolled side up and they came out great. Thank you - this recipe is a keeper!!Natalya DrozhzhinOct 6, 2022 Hi Vusala- Thank you for the feedback, I'm thrilled you enjoyed them!
Donna KJul 30, 2022 Easy recipe. Loved the taste. Poppyseed spilled out. Next time I will bake the whole roll and slice after it cools own. I used two cans of poppyseed and still had dough left over.
Natalya DrozhzhinJul 30, 2022 Hi Donna- I'm glad you found this recipe and enjoyed it. You totally can bake it as an entire roll instead next time. Enjoy!
MiluseJul 26, 2022 Unsalted or salted margarine
Natalya DrozhzhinJul 27, 2022 Hi there- it's unsalted. Enjoy!
Babs EncardoneJul 26, 2022 I loved reading this. My favorite dessert of all! My Mom taught me to sprinkle softened raisins over the filling before rolling up the Poppy Seed Rolls.
Natalya DrozhzhinJul 26, 2022 Hi Babs- raisins are a wonderful addition! Thank you for sharing. 🙂
MicheleMay 31, 2022 What kind of yeast active or non
Natalya DrozhzhinMay 31, 2022 Hi Michele- you can use either Active Dry Yeast or Instant Yeast. Hope this helps! Enjoy!
NikiApr 21, 2022 For making savory piroshki can I sub flour for sugar in the dough recipe?
When pressed for time I've bought the frozen dough, but this dough is so easy to handle I'd like to try it!
I've made, and love, the poppyseed roll! Just like my grandmother's recipe, but simpler!
Thanks!Natalya DrozhzhinApr 21, 2022 Hi Niki - I'm glad you love the poppyseed roll recipe and it reminds you of your grandma's! That's really cool. For savory piroshky, I would actually use this recipe instead: https://momsdish.com/recipe/4….
Hope this helps! Let us know if you have any questions.
TanyaMar 31, 2022 This was my first time baking anything with yeast and the rolls came out so delicious. Thank you Nataliya for an easy and delicious recipe. 😋
Natalya DrozhzhinMar 31, 2022 Hi Tanya- so glad you enjoyed this recipe, thank you for commenting!
