Quick poppy seed filling is the forgotten jam that’ll make all your baked goods better
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This quick poppy seed filling is a 10 minute recipe filled with crunchy poppy seeds, and layers of flavors from fruit jam, lemon zest, vanilla and candied orange peel.
My Czech Great-Grandma Marie would be so happy to know that I’m sharing this. Poppy seed kolache were her favorite thing in the world. I have a different memory of a poppy seed kolac that my baby cousin smeared on the side of the fridge when I was about 5. The memory of that bold black stuck to the fridge scared me off of poppy seed filling for far too long. Now that I’m older and wiser, I’m with my grandma. Poppy seeds have almost unseated apples for my favorite strudel filling. My daughter has also been known to sneak spoonfuls of this filling.
Whether you use this filling for pastries like kolache, poppy seed rolls, strudel or cookies like hamantaschen, if you see these crunchy little blue black seeds on top of something, you should know it’s going to be good.
Grab a coffee grinder, and let’s make this.
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bakingwithtradition.com is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a way for websites to earn advertising revenues by advertising and linking to recommended products. Some of the links below are affiliate links. This means that, at zero cost to you, I will earn an affiliate commission if you click through the link and finalize a purchase.
Quick poppy seed filling
Why would you ever want to eat poppy seeds?
Poppy seeds come from the poppy flower. Once the flowers die back, they produce large seed pods. If the pods aren’t harvested, the pods will eventually break open and scatter to the wind. While it’s nice to think of fields of poppies planting themselves, smart people over centuries have figured out that poppy seeds are delicious.
In fact, poppy seed confections are very common in countries like the Czech Republic, Poland, Germany, Ukraine, and Jewish dishes. They even show up in Indian food. I almost never skip topping my burger buns with poppy seeds either by themselves or in everything bagel seasoning.
They have a natural crunch and a faint flavor that’s difficult to describe. It’s slightly nutty, slightly floral, but it has more texture than flavor. They are good sources of manganese, calcium, copper, phosphorus, and magnesium, fiber, and Omega 3 fatty acids.
Poppy seeds unfortunately have a history with opium which is derived from the milky sap of the seed pod.
Should I be careful about eating this?
While it’s true that opium has been refined from the milky sap of the poppy plant, it’s highly unlikely that you’ll become an opium eater if you have a poppy seed muffin. Poppy seeds are washed well when you buy them, removing almost all traces of any opioid chemicals.
That being said, if you have a drug test you need to take, maybe skip the poppy seed bun, as it could give you a false positive on your test.
Eaten in moderation, poppy seeds will not make you high or knock you out with their mild sedative properties. You’d realistically have to eat a lot of this, which is frankly difficult given the amount of fiber in poppy seeds!
Where do you buy poppy seeds?
Look for poppy seeds at health food stores, European markets. When my stash gets low, my local Polish market always has some in stock. I’ve bought these Frontier Coop poppy seeds as well.
I’ve seen canned poppy seed filling. Is homemade poppy seed filling better?
Canned poppy seed filling has junky things like corn syrup in it and completely unnecessary things like corn starch.
Making your own filling takes about 10 minutes from start to finish. Plus, you can control exactly what you put in your filling. Obviously homemade is better and worth your time.
What does poppy seed filling taste like?
Poppy seed filling has a whole range of flavors that hit you in layers. You taste the nutty faint floral crunch of the poppy seed as well as the complex sweetness of the jam and bittersweetness of the candied orange peel and brightness of the lemon zest and the comforting smoothness of vanilla paste. There are few things that are more interesting than this filling without any spices added.
That said, it can be a polarizing taste. You either looooooooove it or you’re a bit indifferent. I’m in the love category. When I teach my baking students how to make strudel, I always use poppy seed as my teaching batch since making the filling is much easier to demonstrate in our class time frame than my apple strudel. Some of my students are like, “This is the best thing I’ve ever eaten,” and others much prefer the apple (not a wrong choice).
This filling has a distinct smell to it that is unlike anything else. I won’t say it’s bad, it’s just different. All I can encourage you to do is give the poppy seeds a chance!
Poppy seed filling ingredients
- Poppy seeds: ground into a coarse powder because these little guys are hard and tough!
- Milk: softens the poppy seeds into a usable filling and lends some flavor in the way of fat.
- Lemon zest: poppy seeds naturally pair with lemon.
- Sugar: just a bit to sweeten the mix. I prefer to use less sugar and add more complex flavors to balance the taste.
- Jam: use what you have. Homemade strawberry jam or Easy Plum Jam are perfect choices and very traditional. You could also use date paste.
- Candied orange peel: adds some bittersweet flavor and boosts the citrus flavors from the lemon. You could omit it, but you’ll be sad you did.
- Vanilla paste: rounds out all the flavors. You could also use vanilla extract.
Process for making poppy seed filling
- Grind the poppy seeds with a coffee grinder.
- Mix the poppy seeds with milk, sugar, and lemon zest.
- Cook the poppy seeds until the mixture looks like wet sand. I rather think it looks like an Oreo crumb crust after you pour the butter over the crumbs!
- Add in the jam, candied orange, and vanilla.
- Use it immediately for poppy seed buns, kolache, strudel, cookies etc., or chill in a jar for up to 1 week in the fridge.
What can you use poppy seed filling for?
- Poppy seed kolache
- Poppy seed rolls
- Strudel filling
- Mohnstriezel. Red Currant Bakery‘s is lovely.
- Hamantaschen filling
- Make an easy toaster strudel with puff pastry.
- Seriously one of the coolest breads I’ve ever seen.
Quick Poppy Seed Filling
- Total Time: 11 minutes
- Yield: 2 cups
Description
This poppy seed filling is packed with so many layers of flavors and the magical crunch of poppy seed. Use this to fill pastries, breads, cakes and more.
Ingredients
- 1 cup poppy seeds (140 g)
- 3/4 cup whole milk (177 mL)
- 1/3 cup sugar (66 g)
- grated zest of 1 lemon
- 1/3 cup fruit jam (96 g)
- 1/4 cup chopped candied orange peel
- 1 tsp vanilla paste
Instructions
- Grind poppy seeds in a coffee grinder until fine. Pulse for about 10 seconds. They should look like fine fluffy sand when you get done. Be sure not to grind further than this or they will get oily.
- Combine the poppy seeds with the milk, sugar, and lemon zest in a small skillet.
- Stir the mixture with a wooden spoon to dissolve the sugar. The mixture will looks like watery melted cookies n cream ice cream.
- Place the skillet over medium heat and cook until the poppy seeds have absorbed the milk, stirring frequently. It will look like wet sand with no traces of liquid in the bottom of the skillet.
. This will take about 5-6 minutes. - Stir in the jam, candied orange peel, and vanilla paste.
- Transfer the poppy seed filling to a glass jar to cool.
- You can use the filling immediately, or store it in the fridge for up to 1 week.
Notes
- Do I need to use milk?: Milk adds more flavor, and more importantly a little fat to the mixture. You will not get the same mouthfeel if you use water. Feel free to substitute coconut milk for a dairy-free option.
- What kind of jam?: Any kind of fruit jam will do here. It helps smooth out the filling and adds another layer of flavor. You can try homemade strawberry jam or easy plum jam. A lemon marmalade would be nice too given poppy seeds’ affinity for lemon.
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Additional Time: 0 hours
- Cook Time: 6 minutes
- Category: Baking building blocks
- Cuisine: Czech
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1
- Calories: 53
- Sugar: 6
- Sodium: 5
- Fat: 2
- Saturated Fat: 0
- Unsaturated Fat: 2
- Trans Fat: 0
- Carbohydrates: 8
- Fiber: 1
- Protein: 1
- Cholesterol: 1
I’ve waxed poetic about my poppy seeds here. Have you tried poppy seed filling? What did you think? How will you use your poppy seed filling?
