For the dough:
1/2 c. milk
1/4 c. butter
1/4 c. sugar
1/2 tsp. salt
Heat in saucepan until butter melts.
1 pkg. active dry yeast
1/4 c. warm water (110 degrees)
Sprinkle yeast over warm water stirring to dissolve.
Add the milk mixture.
2 eggs
3 c. flour (maybe a little more)
Stir in eggs and 2-1/2 c. of flour. Turn out onto floured board and knead in the rest of the flour. Gather up and place in greased bowl, turning to coat. Cover and let rise until doubled, 45-60 min. ***
Punch down and divide dough in half. Roll each half into a 12x10 inch rectangle on a floured surface. Spread filling to 1 inch of edge. Roll up lengthwise and pinch edges to seal. (You can also fold bottom edge up over filling to form a pocket so the poppy seed filling won't seep out and continue by rolling the rest of dough over it. - Cl) Place seam side down on greased cookie sheet. Cover and let rise about 1 hour.
Preheat over to 375 degrees. Brush dough with 1 egg beaten with 1 tbsp. water, and bake for 25-30 minutes. Remove from cookie sheet to cool on wire rack.
***I have successfully made the dough in my breadmaker (dough setting) using the same amounts as above, but in the order that my machine instructs.
FILLINGS;
I found canned SOLO Poppy Seed Filling at the store in the Jewish section of town, next to the almond paste.
I have also made my own with homegrown poppy seed. At first I couldn't figure out how to "grind" it like the old cookbooks said to do. But I tried my coffee grinder and it did a real good job. Ground poppy seed absorbs the milk and sugar much better than the whole poppy seed. Here's the recipe:
3/4 c. ground poppy seed
1/2 c. milk
4 Tbsp. sugar
2 Tbsp. butter
1/2 tsp. vanilla Cook until liquid absorbed and thick.
Walnut Filling:
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