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Twelve poppy seed citrus rolls in a white baking dish, covered in orange glaze with fresh orange slices alongside

Poppy Seed Citrus Rolls with Orange and Lemon Glaze

Enriched yeast rolls filled with a cooked poppy seed paste, rolled and sliced like cinnamon rolls, finished with a thin orange and lemon glaze.
Prep Time 45 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 2 hours 45 minutes
Servings: 12 rolls
Calories: 320

Ingredients
  

Enriched Dough
  • 450 g bread flour plus extra for dusting
  • 7 g instant yeast 1 sachet
  • 50 g caster sugar
  • 1 tsp fine salt
  • 200 ml whole milk warmed to 38 C / 100 F
  • 60 g unsalted butter softened, cut into cubes
  • 2 large eggs room temperature
Poppy Seed Citrus Filling
  • 250 g blue-grey poppy seeds ground in a spice grinder
  • 150 ml whole milk
  • 80 g caster sugar
  • 40 g unsalted butter
  • 2 tsp orange zest from 1 large unwaxed orange
  • 1 tsp lemon zest from 1 unwaxed lemon
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1 tbsp honey
Orange and Lemon Glaze
  • 60 ml fresh orange juice from the zested orange
  • 1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
  • 120 g powdered sugar sifted
  • 1 tsp orange zest optional, for a stronger flavor

Method
 

Make the Dough
  1. Combine the flour, instant yeast, sugar, and salt in the bowl of a stand mixer. Stir briefly to distribute the yeast.
  2. Add the warm milk and eggs to the dry ingredients. Mix on low with the dough hook until a shaggy dough forms, about 2 minutes.
  3. Increase speed to medium and add the softened butter one or two cubes at a time, waiting for each piece to fully incorporate before adding the next. This takes about 8 minutes.
  4. Continue kneading on medium-high until the dough is smooth, slightly tacky, and pulls cleanly from the sides of the bowl, about 5 more minutes.
  5. Shape the dough into a ball, place in a lightly oiled bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and let rise at room temperature until doubled, about 60 to 75 minutes.
Make the Poppy Seed Filling
  1. Grind the poppy seeds in a spice grinder in batches until they resemble a coarse grey powder. Don't over-grind to a paste.
  2. Combine the ground poppy seeds, milk, sugar, butter, orange zest, lemon zest, honey, and vanilla in a small saucepan over medium heat.
  3. Stir constantly and cook until the mixture thickens and pulls away from the sides of the pan, about 5 to 7 minutes. It should hold a slow-moving trail when you drag a spoon through it.
  4. Transfer to a bowl and let cool completely to room temperature before using. Don't rush this step.
Shape the Rolls
  1. Punch down the risen dough and turn it onto a lightly floured surface. Roll into a rectangle roughly 45 cm x 35 cm and about 5 mm thick.
  2. Spread the cooled poppy seed filling evenly across the dough, leaving a 2 cm border along one long edge.
  3. Starting from the filled long edge, roll the dough tightly into a log. Pinch the seam closed along the border edge.
  4. Transfer the log to a board, cover loosely, and refrigerate for 15 minutes to firm up.
  5. Slice the log into 12 equal rolls using a sharp serrated knife. Each roll should be about 3.5 cm thick.
  6. Arrange the rolls cut-side up in a greased 9x13-inch baking dish, leaving small gaps between each roll. Cover and let proof until puffed and touching each other, about 45 to 60 minutes.
Bake and Glaze
  1. Heat the oven to 180 C / 355 F with the rack in the center.
  2. Bake the rolls for 25 to 30 minutes until the tops are golden brown and the dough sounds hollow when tapped. An instant-read thermometer inserted into the dough should read 90 C / 194 F.
  3. While the rolls bake, whisk together the sifted powdered sugar, orange juice, lemon juice, and optional zest until smooth and pourable. The glaze should run off the spoon in a thin stream.
  4. Remove the rolls from the oven and pour the glaze over them immediately. Let it soak in for 5 minutes before serving.

Notes

The filled log slices much more cleanly after a 15-minute chill in the fridge. Skip this step and the poppy seed paste tends to squeeze forward and distort the spiral.