This German poppy seed strudel is made with a sweet and fluffy yeast dough swirled around a nutty poppy seed filling made from scratch. Raisins add little bursts of fruity flavor in the filling, while sliced almonds on top add extra crunch. This easy, nutty strudel is great for breakfast, an afternoon snack, or dessert!
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Out of all the German pastries out there, strudel is quite possibly my favorite. And German poppy seed strudel (called Mohnstrudel) is one of the most unique.
It’s made with a soft, sweet yeast dough rather than phyllo dough, puff pastry, or Strudelteig.
The dough is wrapped around the poppy seed filling, similar to how you make cinnamon rolls or Schnecken, so poppy seed strudel is often also called poppy seed roll.
This was inspired by other strudel recipes, since I clearly cannot get enough strudel! If you're hungry to try more variations of this classic pastry, check out my authentic German apple strudel, tangy cheese strudel, mini strawberry strudel, blueberry strudel, puff pastry braided cherry strudel, and mini apple strudel with phyllo dough.
Growing up in Germany, I'd see packets of poppy seed mixture in grocery stores to bake nutty classics like poppy seed strudel and German poppy seed cake. However, since those are difficult to find here in the U.S., I usually make the filling from scratch.
Tips on Getting the Best Flavor with Poppy Seeds
Grind Them
Poppy seeds need to be ground in order to release their flavor. Grind them in a food processor or coffee grinder just before you make your poppy seed strudel. This will provide maximum nutty, delicious flavor!
Sniff Test
Give your poppy seeds a little sniff test to make sure they’re fresh. If they smell weird or sour like play-doh, they might be rancid, which won’t taste good at all! They should smell subtly nutty when they're fresh.
How to Make this Recipe
Below is the process to make this recipe. For the full step-by-step directions and ingredient quantities, scroll down to the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
1. Soak the raisins submerged in orange juice and hot water for at least 30 minutes to hydrate them.
2. Combine the warm milk, active dry yeast and granulated sugar. Set aside until it becomes frothy.
3. In a large mixing bowl, whisk to combine the yeast mixture, eggs, orange zest, and softened butter.
5. Knead the dough by hand for about 5 to 8 minutes, until the dough is smooth, soft, and elastic.
7. Let it rest and rise in a warm place for about 2 hours, until it doubles in size.
9. Grind the poppy seeds in a food processor or coffee grinder.
11. Remove from the heat and add the butter. Stir occasionally until the butter is melted.
13. Drain the soaked raisins and stir them into the poppy seed filling. Set aside to cool and thicken.
15. Spread half of the poppy seed filling over the rolled-out dough, leaving a 1-inch border around all four edges.
17. Transfer the roll to a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, with the seams facing down. Repeat with the remaining dough.
19. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes at 350°F, until they are golden brown.
4. Add the flour and salt, and mix with a spoon until it forms a sticky dough, and there’s no dry flour visible.
6. Shape the dough into a ball. Place the dough ball in the mixing bowl, and cover with a towel.
8. In a saucepan on medium heat, bring the milk, sugar, and vanilla to a simmer.
10. Add the poppy seeds. Boil for one minute, stirring constantly.
12. Set aside to cool for 5 to 10 minutes. Then crack in the egg and whisk to combine.
14. Divide the dough in half. On a floured surface, roll out one half of the dough until it’s about 1.5 cm thick.
16. Roll up the dough from a long edge into a spiral log. Pinch the two short ends closed and tuck them underneath.
18. Cover the baking dish with a kitchen towel, and allow the dough to proof for 30 minutes. Brush with the egg wash and almonds.
20. Allow the strudels to cool for a few minutes, then slice & enjoy!
Carissa's Kitchen Tip
While other types of German strudel need the dough to be rolled out as thinly as possible, that's not the case with poppy seed strudel.
Roll the dough about 1.5 cm thick. If it's too thin, it will tear and the filling can ooze out as it bakes.
Variations
- You can also make mini poppy seed rolls by slicing the rolled dough before baking it, like German chocolate cinnamon rolls.
- Add a quarter cup of finely chopped nuts like almonds, walnuts, or hazelnuts in the filling similar to German nut rolls.
- Instead of sliced almonds, top your strudel with sweet & crunchy streusel.
Related Recipes
Looking for more easy pastry recipes like this? Try these:
German Poppy Seed Strudel - Mohnstrudel
Ingredients
Dough
- 1¼ cups milk
- 2¼ teaspoon active dry yeast (one packet)
- ⅓ cup granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs (at room temperature)
- zest from one orange
- 6 Tablespoons unsalted butter (softened to room temperature)
- 4½ cups all purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon salt (use table salt or fine sea salt)
Poppy Seed Filling
- ½ cup raisins
- juice from one orange
- ¾ cup milk
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 cups poppy seeds
- 2 Tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 large egg
Topping
- 1 egg
- ½ cup sliced almonds (optional)
Instructions
Soak the Raisins for the Filling
- In a small bowl, combine the raisins and orange juice. Add enough hot water to fully cover the raisins. Set aside so the raisins can soak up the liquid for at least 30 minutes, or up to overnight.
Prepare the Dough
- Warm the milk in the microwave for about 1 minute, until it's the temperature of a warm bath, between 98°F and 105°F. To the milk, mix in the active dry yeast and granulated sugar. Set aside for 5 to 10 minutes, until it becomes frothy on top.
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk to combine the yeast mixture, eggs, orange zest, and softened butter.
- Add the flour and salt, and mix with a large spoon until it forms a sticky dough, and there’s no dry flour visible. (The dough will be soft and sticky at this point.)
- Lightly dust a clean work surface with flour, and knead the dough by hand for about 5 to 8 minutes, until the dough is smooth, soft, and springs back to its original shape when you indent it with your finger. Continue sprinkling a little flour on your counter as you knead the dough as needed, to prevent it from sticking to your counter.
- Shape the dough into a ball. Place the dough ball back in the mixing bowl, and cover with a kitchen towel. Let it rest and rise in a warm place for about 2 hours, until it doubles in size.
Prepare the Poppy Seed Filling
- In a medium saucepan on medium-high heat, bring the milk, sugar, and vanilla extract to a simmer, stirring frequently.
- Grind the poppy seeds in a food processor or coffee grinder. Since the seeds are already so small, they might not change in appearance that much, but they should smell much more nutty.
- Add the ground poppy seeds. Boil for one minute, stirring constantly.
- Remove from the heat and add the butter. Stir occasionally until the butter is melted.
- Set aside to cool for 5 to 10 minutes. Then crack in the egg and whisk to combine.
- Drain the soaked raisins and stir them into the poppy seed filling. Set aside to cool and thicken.
Assemble the Strudel
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Divide the dough in half. On a lightly floured surface, roll out one half of the dough until it’s about 1.5 cm thick. (Don't roll out the dough too thin, otherwise it'll be more likely to tear.)
- Spread half of the cooled poppy seed filling over the rolled-out dough, leaving a 1-inch border around all four edges.
- Starting from one of the longer sides, roll up the dough and the filling into a spiral log. Pinch the two short ends closed and tuck them underneath, to prevent the filling from spilling out.
- Carefully transfer the roll to your prepared baking sheet, with the seams facing down. Repeat with the remaining half of dough and poppy seed filling.
- Cover the baking dish with a kitchen towel, and allow the dough to proof for 30 minutes.
Bake the Strudel
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. In a small bowl, whisk the egg with a teaspoon of water or milk to make an egg wash.
- Brush the tops of the strudels with the egg wash. Sprinkle the sliced almonds on top of the strudels.
- Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until they are golden brown.
Notes
- Let the dough rise in a warm, draft-free area. I usually let my dough rise and proof in the oven (turned off) with the oven light on, which gives off a little heat.
- Rotate the baking sheet 180 degrees halfway through baking, to ensure both strudels are evenly baked.
- Instead of sliced almonds, you can sprinkle streusel on top before you baking your strudel. Or dust your baked strudels with powdered sugar.
Lina
Great poppy lovers recipe, hehe 🙂