Name: Sweet Poppy Seed Rolls
Prep time: 9 h 40 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 10 h
Cuisine: German
Ingredients: 1 cup whole milk (177 mL); 4 Tablespoons butter (57 g); 2 large eggs, cold; 2 tsp instant yeast; 1/4 cup granulated sugar (50 g); 3/4 tsp salt; 1 tsp vanilla paste; 3 cups all-purpose flour (390 g); 1 and 1/4 cups poppy seed filling; 1 large egg white; 1 tsp water; 3/4 cup powdered sugar (90 g); 2 Tablespoons lemon juice (from 1 lemon); 1 tsp rum (optional)

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These sweet poppy seed rolls or mohnschnecken starts with my pillowy soft overnight roll dough; after that, they are filled with gorgeous poppy seed filling, then coiled up into wide free standing rolls that glisten with a simple lemon glaze to gild the lily.

Of all the ways that I use my poppy seed filling in my baking, I’m pretty sure these rolls are my favorite way to enjoy it. These rolls are so puffy and soft, and the crunchy complexity of the filling is absolutely mesmerizing. Freshly dipped in glaze, there are few things that taste brighter and more joyful. If you could pack the whole season of Spring into one bun, this might be it.

The best part is that, just like with my overnight cinnamon rolls, the time saving dough that rises overnight in the fridge can be made up into the rolls when you wake up. You can enjoy these any time of the year, though I love having them for guests as you can almost make them on demand, they’re so quick to put together.

And they look so pretty on a plate. I promise they’re actually easier than cinnamon rolls!

Let’s make some poppy seed snails.

Sweet poppy seed rolls (mohnschnecken)

These rolls in German are called mohnschnecken: mohn meaning poppy seed and Schnecken meaning snails.

It makes sense given the shape. The tight spiral of these rolls definitely resembles a snail’s shell. I love it when traditional dishes have colorful ways of telling you what they’re about.

What you’ll love about these poppy seed buns

The size!: Instead of rolling these on the long edge, I choose to roll these from the short end. This means more spirals on a wider, thinner bun. You get this really impressive looking roll that sits pretty on a plate. If you put these on a cake plate with a cloche, they would be the belle of the ball.
They’re EASY: This dough is a little sturdier than that of my cinnamon roll dough so that it holds the shape. As such, it’s very easy to work with. You can just about roll and go.
Poppy seeds!: I’ve gushed about how much I loved the poppy seed filling before, but in these buns…holy cow. You’d never imagine how much in your face flavor is jammed into these.
Soft pillowy softness: the dough is so light and fluffy, these are a real joy to eat. Make some proper coffee or strong tea (I love this East Frisian) because these rolls deserve it!
Wonderful for entertaining: I love being able to make pastries like this for house guests, though don’t wait for that. Invite a neighbor over for coffee. The German custom of kaffee und kuchen is definitely worth practicing with these rolls.

cut poppy seed rolls and poppy seed rolls on plate

Components for Sweet poppy seed rolls

Overnight roll dough: this dough is a favorite of mine. I use variations of it for many things like the overnight cinnamon rolls, lemon monkey bread muffins, strawberry crumb cake and more.
- Yeast: to help the rolls rise.
- Sugar: to make the yeast happy and give the dough flavor.
- Milk: to dissolve the yeast, give fat and tenderness to the dough.
- Butter: to give fat and flavor to the dough.
- Salt: for flavor.
- Eggs: to add structure to the dough.
- Vanilla paste: for flavor.
- Flour: all-purpose for a soft roll.
Poppy seed filling
Lemon glaze: powdered sugar, butter, lemon juice, and optionally a little rum to round out the flavors.

Process for making sweet poppy seed rolls

Making mohnschnecken is a snap. Here’s how to do it:

Make the dough: let it rise overnight covered in the fridge.
Make the poppyseed filling: you can make it right before as it just takes 10 minutes or pop it in the fridge to chill overnight as well.
Roll: Roll the dough out on a lightly floured surface into a rectangle.
Spread: place dollops of the filling all over the surface of the dough. Then smooth the filling all over the dough with a spatula.
Roll up: roll up the dough over itself on the SHORT end. Brush off any extra flour.
Cut: Mark off the dough with a knife at 1″ intervals. Wiggle dental floss under the log and cut at each mark.
Flatten: Place each roll on a parchment lined baking sheet and slightly flatten them.
Rise: Cover the rolls and let rise.
Bake: Bake until golden brown and set.
Dip: Make up the lemon glaze in a small bowl and dip each roll face down in the glaze.
Eat: You can wait for the glaze to dry, but I certainly don’t!

Tips for making the best poppy seed rolls

Dollop, not dump: while the poppy seed filling spreads easily, the poppy seeds are a bit gritty. As such, if you just plop the filling the middle of the dough, you can risk tearing it when you’re spreading it. Take a couple extra seconds to spoon dollops of the filling all over the dough. From there, it will spread out easily into a nice even layer.
Measure?: I eyeball my rolls a lot, but I also like using a ruler for nice precision cuts. I love my Omnigrid that I steal from my sewing room. Use a regular tape measure or whatever ruler you have on hand. If you eyeball, section off thirds, then into 5 pieces from there.
Brush it off like a paleontologist: Once you’ve rolled up your dough into a log, use a pastry brush to dust off any extra flour. Friends don’t let friends make dusty rolls.
Egg white glaze: You should always glaze your rolls for the prettiest looking baked goods. Since this is a sweet roll, a whole egg wash can get too dark in the oven. In this case, the egg white alone gives you a nice shiny crust without it getting too dark. This is the same principle I follow with my kolache.
Glaze it while it’s hot: As soon as you can handle the rolls, dip them in the glaze. The hot roll will suck up the glaze, making for a nice moist but still shiny roll.

Sweet Poppy Seed Rolls

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Author: Elizabeth Farr
Total Time: 10 hours
Yield: 15 rolls

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Description

You’ll love these lemon-glazed flavor packed buns with the striking black spiral of poppy seeds.

Ingredients

Scale

Sturdy Overnight Roll Dough

1 cup whole milk (177 mL)
4 Tablespoons butter (57 g)
2 large eggs, cold
2 tsp instant yeast
1/4 cup granulated sugar (50 g)
3/4 tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla paste
3 cups all-purpose flour (390 g)

For assembling the rolls

1 and 1/4 cups poppy seed filling
1 large egg white
1 tsp water

Lemon glaze

3/4 cup powdered sugar (90 g)
2 Tablespoons lemon juice (from 1 lemon)
1 tsp rum (optional)

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Instructions

Make the dough:

Measure the milk, then pour about 1/4 cup of it into a pan. Heat until just warm, about 90-100 degrees F.
Sprinkle the yeast on the warm milk in a small bowl with a pinch of the sugar. Set aside for about 5 minutes until the yeast is foamy.
Warm the rest of the milk in a small pan on the stove until you see bubbles around the edges. Cut up the butter and add it to the pan to melt.
Crack your eggs and use a fork to whip them into the butter and milk mixture, then add in the sugar, salt, and vanilla, then stir to combine. Check the temperature with your finger (the milk/egg mixture should be just warm to the touch.).
Put the flour into a large bowl or your stand mixer bowl. Make a well in the center with your hands, then pour in the milk mixture then the yeast mixture. Stir with a wooden spoon to make a rough dough.
After that, with a dough hook on your stand mixer, beat the dough for about 10 minutes on low speed (2 on a Kitchen Aid) until you get an elastic sticky dough that forms into a ball around the dough hook.
Cover the dough with plastic wrap and set in the fridge to rise overnight or 4 hours minimum.

Make the rolls:

Line 2 sheet pans with parchment paper.
Sprinkle some flour on a work surface, then scrape out the cold dough on top of the flour. Sprinkle flour over the top of the dough.
Quickly roll the dough into a rectangle about 12″X 15″..
Spoon dollops of the poppy seed filling over the surface of the dough.
Use a spatula to spread the filling into a thin even layer over the surface.
Roll up the dough onto itself on the short 12″ end. This will make wider, thinner rolls than if you roll it on the long end, giving each roll more spirals.
Press the dough onto itself to seal up the bottom well.
Brush off any loose flour from the dough log.
Eyeball or use a ruler to section off 15 rolls, marking each with a knife.
Wiggle a piece of dental floss under the log. Cross the ends of the floss over each other at one of the marks and pull your hands in opposite directions to cut a roll.
Cut all the rolls in the same way.
Place the rolls 8 to a pan on the prepared sheet trays, making sure that they are not touching each other.
Use your hand to slightly flatten each roll.
Cover the rolls and let them rise for about 45 minutes until they’re puffy.
Towards the end of the rising time, preheat the oven to 350F (180 C).
Just before you pop them in the oven, beat the egg white and teaspoon of water together to make an egg white wash. Brush each roll with the wash.
Bake the rolls for 20 minutes until golden brown and set.

Glaze the rolls

Towards the end of baking, mix up the ingredients for the glaze in a small bowl.
When the rolls are cool enough to handle but still warm, dip each roll into the glaze face down.
Place the rolls back on the same sheet they baked on for the glaze to dry.