Thanks to homemade poppy seed mass, we can bake the best thing ever, provided we brew the seeds properly. According to the traditional method, we use plain water, but I personally choose a different liquid that guarantees no bitterness.
It is worth knowing that the taste of poppy seeds is naturally bitter, but it can be easily neutralized. Brewing in water does not bring the expected results, and what’s more, it sometimes deepens the bitterness.
That’s why it’s best to brew poppy seeds in… milk. Thanks to it, it will become milder, creamier and will gain a delicate taste with a noticeable, sweet note. In addition, it will make the homemade poppy seed mass more velvety due to the combination of fat and seeds.
Milk will wonderfully highlight the flavor of poppy seed additives, such as honey, vanilla, orange peel. In turn, the poppy seed mass will change its color slightly to a lighter one, and in my opinion – more appetizing.
READ ALSO:
Ingredients for 1 kg of homemade poppy seed mass:
- 250 g of blue poppy seeds;
- 300-350 ml of milk.
Preparation:
First, I pour poppy seeds into a strainer and I pour boiling water over itto remove dust and other impurities from it. Only then do I pour hot, but not boiling, milk over the grains – they must be completely immersed in it. Then I cover the pot and set the dish aside for 30-40 minutes.
When the poppy seeds swell, that’s it I grind it twice using a grinder with a fine sieve. I get a velvety, homemade poppy seed mass. Finally, you can enrich it with additional ingredients, such as honey, orange peel, sugar, dried fruits, nuts or egg white – depending on the recipe.
As you know, homemade poppy seed mass is usually prepared before Christmas. We fill it with a rolled poppy seed cake or one with a sponge cake basewhich goes great with custard or vanilla cream.
My Christmas Eve table must have cheese cake, which combines two cakes – as the name suggests, cheese cake and poppy seed cake.
For Christmas, I also prepare kutia, which many people forget. Then I enrich the poppy seeds with wheat, honey and dried fruit.
Homemade poppy seed mass can be used every day, e.g. for pancakes, croissants or yeast rolls. I also recommend using it in various tarts.
