Polish Desserts

10 Most Popular Polish Recipes in 2018

December 31, 2018 by polishhousewife 8 Comments

The title may be a little misleading, these are the top 10 Polish recipes in 2018 based on Polish Housewife page views, a roundup of my most popular posts this year. It caught my attention that half of these are dessert recipes. No matter how much we say that we’re trying to stick to a healthy diet and may actually be doing it, desserts are simply a lot of fun.

Of the remaining five recipes, the top two are fried, leaving numbers seven to ten to give us the appearance of healthy eating! It’s no surprise that we have two soups in this category. Polish dinner starts with soup, and that doesn’t stop in the summer. Why do you think Chlodnik was invented?

Kolaczki – a rich cream cheese pastry filled with all kinds of fillings, most commonly fruit, but you might also find nut or poppy seed
Makowiec – the Polish classic, poppy seed roll always makes an appearance at Easter and Christmas
Szarlotka – the Polish apple pie, one of the most popular desserts, served in every cafe and coffee shop
Placki Ziemniaczane – Polish potato pancakes, whether you shred your potatoes or grate them, top them with sweet or savory, I’ve yet to meet anyone who doesn’t love potato pancakes
Chrusciki, Chrusty Faworki, Angel Wings – a simple pastry with many names and claimed by many countries, a classic for Easter, Christmas, weddings, any celebration really
City Chicken – a dish that’s really Polish American rather than Polish, nostalgic comfort food from the USA’s Rustbelt
Kremowka Papieska – a reader’s question led me to this popular pastry, favorited by St. John Paul II
Chlodnik – orginally from Lithuania, but making an appearance on every Polish restaurant summer menu is this chilled, creamy beet soup
Zurek – this was the first Polish food that I ate in Poland and the unique sour rye broth makes it one of the most memorable Polish dishes
Mizeria – a light, refreshing cucumber salad, a perfect side dish for so many Polish entrees

In the interest of full disclosure, I participate in the Amazon Associates program, which means that purchases via the Amazon links below generate a small commission for this website.

It’s fun to look back and see what has caught readers’ eye this year, but I also want to thank you for being here, for sharing our collective culinary journeys. Let me wish you and yours the very best in 2019.

Smacznego I szczęśliwego Nowego Roku,

Lois

Polish Raisin Walnut Babka (Babka orzechowa z rodzynkami)

December 21, 2018 by polishhousewife 3 Comments

Some of my most popular recipes come from reader questions or suggestions. That’s the case with Polish Raisin Walnut Babka (Babka orzechowa z rodzynkami). Mary asked about a sweet bread, a babka that her busha used to make. I’m afraid this recipe isn’t exactly like Busha’s; hers had a crumb topping, and mine has a cinnamon glaze. Nevertheless, the bread is amazing, and I’m adding directions to use a crumb topping rather than the glaze if you prefer, and I hope Mary’s family will enjoy it.

The dough was started in the evening and baked the following morning at work. I put a sign by it as it was cooling. “Please let me get a photo first!” to ensure that I would have more than a plate with a smear of cinnamon glaze and crumbs to post here. Everyone loved it. Two comments from colleagues stuck in my mind. Fr. Mark was the first to sample it and he stopped by my office to say, “Lois, that babka is everything.” Fr. Peter appreciated it too, after taking his first bite, he asked if it would be OK to just go ahead and cut a second slice now.

Last I looked, there was half a slice on the plate; it was that way all afternoon. No one wants to take the last little bit.

Babka – yeast bread or quick bread-like cake?

It’s both! There will be some who will say that “real” babka comes from a yeast dough, but there are also babkas, sometimes called babka poznanska that are like an American pound cake, leavened with eggs and baking powder. The name comes from the Polish word babcia which means grandmother. Babkas are often baked in bundt pans which are said to resemble a grandmother’s skirt. I don’t think Poles are as troubled as the rest of us about is it a break or is it a cake. It’s just babka! No other definition is necessary.

Overnight Proofing

As I alluded to above, this is a dough that rises in the fridge overnight. This cold proofing has benefits. Letting the dough rise at cold temps slows but does not stop the yeast. It’s a practice Ed uses when making a big batch of pizza crust dough. It’s recommended by the 00 Italian flour that we buy for our crust. It’s supposed to make for better flavor. It also gives a little more flexibility about when you finish the process.

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I have one last thought to share. This recipe which is originally from Foodandwine.com makes two 9-inch loaves. Make both, don’t cut it in half. You’ll want to have something left after the original flurry when it comes out of the oven. I know you’ll love it!

Smacznego!

Lois

Polish Raisin Walnut Babka (Babka orzechowa z rodzynkami)

★★★★★ 5 from 2 reviews

Author: polishhousewife
Prep Time: 13 hours
Cook Time: 45 min
Total Time: 13 hours 45 minutes
Yield: 2 9-inch loaves
Category: Baked good
Method: Baking
Cuisine: Polish

Description

A delicate, rich swirled pastry filled with raisins, walnuts, and cinnamon

Ingredients

for the dough:

1 cup whole milk, warmed (110 F)
1 packet dry active yeast
1/3 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar
1 large egg plus 1 large egg yolk
4 cups flour
2 teaspoons sea salt
10 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temp

for the filling:

3/4 cups walnuts
3 cups golden raisins, soaked in warm water for 10 minutes and drained
3/4 cup granulated sugar
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
1 1/2 teaspoons sea salt
1/2 cup dark raisins, soaked in warm water for 10 minutes and drained

for glaze (omit crumb topping below if using glaze):

1 stick unsalted butter
6 tablespoons whole milk
2 tablespoons ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar

for crumb topping (skip the glaze above if making the crumb topping):

1 cup powdered sugar
1 cup flour
1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened

Instructions

for dough:

Add warm milk to a mixing bowl with yeast, and 1 tablespoon of sugar, stir and let sit for 5 minutes, it should become foamy
Add remaining sugar, egg, egg yolk, flour and salt, mix until well combined using mixer dough hook for 5 minutes, add butter and mix until fully incorporated about 3 minutes, the dough will be tacky
Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let sit at room temp for an hour, divide dough in half, wrap each piece in plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight

for filling:

Preheat oven to 375, bake the walnuts for 7 minutes, cool and chop coarsely
Line 2 9-inch loaf pans with parchment, allowing 2 inches of parchment paper to hang over the long sides, spray with Pam or other oil spray
Combine the golden raisins, sugar, butter, cinnamon, and salt in a food processor, process with the steel blade until smooth, reserve 1/2 cup of the filling
Roll each piece of dough out to a 16 inch square, spread with 1/2 of the remaining filling, avoiding 1/2 inch around the edge of the dough, roll up as snuggly as possible
Cut the rolled dough in half lengthwise, brush remaining filling over the outside and cutside of the two halves, place one piece of dough over the middle of the other piece, crosswise, wrap the pieces around each other to form a twisted spiral of dough, place in prepared pans
If you’re using the crumb topping rather than the glaze, beat the egg with the cream, brush the loaves with the egg wash, mix powdered sugar, flour, and butter until well combined and crumb-like, sprinkle over loaves
Cover and let rise at room temp for 2 hours
Bake 45-50 minutes, cool 10 minutes, run a knife around the edge of the pans, especially the end without the paper overhang, use parchment paper as handles to lift the babka out of the pans

for glaze:

If you didn’t use the crumb topping, prepare the glaze by heating the butter, milk, cinnamon, salt, and powdered sugar, stirring until combined, spoon and brush the glaze over the warm loaves, cool before slicing

Notes

My babka make look more darker or more red than yours, that’s because I substituted dried cranberries for both the golden and the dark raisins; it’s a substituion that I often make, I just like the taste better

Keywords: Polish babka raisin walnut

Recipes for National Cookie Day

December 4, 2018 by polishhousewife 8 Comments

National Cookie Day

Talk about a post that writes itself! A quick glance through my recipes index gives us 18 cookie recipes, many Polish, many not. Our family’s love of cookies is apparent, and December 4th is the perfect time to share recipes for National Cookie Day! In time for you to plan your Christmas baking.

Our love of cookies goes way back. Many years ago when we were a young Air Force family, we attended a squadron Christmas party. Santa brought presents for the kids; there was a buffet table full of Christmas cookies.

I was a staying at home with our twins, taking college classes at night, I didn’t have much of a social life, so I didn’t really know most of the people there.

More concerned about what other people thought than I would be today, I was horrified to look down to see one of our three-year olds grabbing hands full of cookies and stuffing them in mouth. As I’m saying “no-no, one cookie at a time,” she quickly responded, “but mommy, I’m the Cookie Monster; me love cookies, num num num!”

Several decades later, when I asked the Cookie Monster’s twin sister what she would like for breakfast Christmas morning, her answer was, “homemade cookies!”

You should know that the Hazelnut Chocolate Chip cookies below also have bits of toffee, and they were the ones requested by our youngest daughter in a care package when she went to collage in Florida.

In the cookie of life, friends are the chocolate chips!

Cookie Tables at Weddings

Have you ever been to a wedding in Pittsburgh or Youngstown, Ohio? I’ll bet there was a cookie table. It’s a great western PA tradition that dates back to Catholic weddings during the Great Depression. Today every wedding is expected to offer guests a grand assortment of cookies. If you aren’t familiar with the yummy concept, you can read more about it on this post from Tastecooking.com.

Our daughters have grown up in Arizona, but having enjoyed the cookie tables when their cousins married, I know that if there are weddings in our future, cookie tables will be expected.

Cookie Varieties

I love the variety of cookies; there are so many options: drop cookies like chocolate chips, bar cookies or tray bakes as they’re called in other parts of the world, rolled cookies like pierniczki the famous Polish gingerbread cookie.

Pierniczki is so well-known and popular that there are shops selling nothing but pierniczki, plain pierniczki, jam filled pierniczki, chocolate covered pierniczki, and my favorite marzipan filled and chocolate covered pierniczki, all presented with a variety of packing and gift box ideas.

The great thing about cookies is that they’re small, so you can sample more than one kind. Whatever you choose, I hope you and yours will enjoy these recipes for National Cookie Day.

Smacznego!

Lois

Polish cookie recipes

1. Polish Almond Crescent Cookies

2. Polish Gingerbread Cookies

3. Polish Kolaczki

4. Polish Jaffa Style Cakes

5. Polish Angel Wings

All my other cookie recipes

1.Peanut Butter Blossom Cookies

2. Speculoos Cookies

3. Vegan Sesame Seed Cookies

4. Armenian Almond Cookies

5. Pretzel Potato Chip Cookies

6. Hazelnut Chocolate Chip Cookies

7. The Perfect Chocolate Chip Cookie

Delicje a Jaffa style cake from Poland

November 15, 2018 by polishhousewife 4 Comments

While not a traditionally Polish dish, we did discover a very popular cookie in Poland. It had become one of Ed’s favorites before I made the permanent move to PL.

The treats are wonderfully delicate, little rounds bits of sponge cake with a generous blob of jelly (a wide variety of flavors), all topped with chocolate. They come in a small package that is resealable as if that would be necessary.

The blue package says Delicje in a lovely script. A little detective work tells me that delicje translates to dainty, and dainty they are.

I’ve also read that Delicje has become so well known, so popular, that the brand name has become synonymous with these little cookies and vise versa, much like Coca-Cola and cola flavored soda.

My investigation also tells me that the proper name for these lovely bites is Jaffa Cake and they come from the UK, although I’ve heard Brits say that the Delicje cookies are better than the British Jaffa Cakes.

Come to find out, you can buy them on Amazon! The description says “Jaffa cake style european biscuits from Poland.”

In case you’re like me, and you think homemade is generally better, and it’s just fun to experiment with new things, I have a recipe for you. Yes, you can DIY your own Delicje.

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Homemade Delicje a Jaffe style cake from Poland

For the cake base, I made ladyfingers, piping them into circles rather than lines. I’ve made ladyfingers before when baking some of Rose Levy Beranbaum’s recipes, but this time, I used a simple recipe from Serious Eats that just uses one bowl, no separating the eggs. It batter and finished product turned out beautifully.

If you have a good source for lady fingers (I hear Trader Joe’s are nice), there is no reason why you couldn’t use them and just make long Delicje rather than round.

Once the little sponge cakes are baked, they’re topped with jam and dipped in chocolate. I took a shortcut with the chocolate.

To be truly professional, I should have tempered the chocolate, Tempering is a process that insures that the chocolate molecules align properly to set up nicely, giving you a crisp shiny finished product.

If you have a sous vide machine, with the precise temperature control, it’s the easiest way I’ve found to temper chocolate.

I just used a melted chocolate bark coating for dipping. If you go with purchased ladyfingers and chocolate coating, these become really fast and easy, but then again, for faster and easier, there is always Amazon.

I took some of these to work. My colleagues thought the fruity jam was a nice surprise and appreciated how surprising light and soft the cake was. How about you, have you tried Delicje a Jaffa style cake from Poland? I think you’ll love these.

Smacznego!

Lois