Recipe: Polish Lemon-Poppy Seed Coffee Cake

POLISH LEMON-POPPY SEED COFFEE CAKE
Source: Prairie Home Breads: 150 Splendid Recipes from America's Breadbasket by Judith M. Fertig, Harvard Common Press

The windows of Polish bakeries along Chicago's Milwaukee Avenue seem to blossom with pastries at Easter, Babkas of every sort, mazurek (Polish cake decorated with dried fruit icing), and coffee cakes like this one displayed elegantly in the windows will be the stars at Easter celebrations in neighborhood homes, along with homemade breads, butter molded into the shape of a lamb, and eggs ham, and cheese, In small mom-and-pop grocery stores in this area, you can buy a butter lamb as well as bags of ground poppy seeds, saving a step in making this coffee cake. I can't buy ground poppy seeds locally, so I grind them in a clean electric coffee grinder.

FOR THE FILLNG:
1 cup ground poppy seeds (about 1/2 cup whole poppy seeds)
1/4 cup milk
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons grated lemon zest
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 large egg, beaten

FOR THE DOUGH:
1/2 cup milk
2 tablespoons unsalted butter; softened
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 (1/4 ounce) package (2 1/4 teaspoons) active dry yeast
1 tablespoon warm water
2 large egg yolks
1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom
2 cups all-purpose flour

FOR THE ICING:
1 cup confectioners' sugar
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

Make the filling:
In a medium saucepan, combine the ground poppy seeds, milk, granulated sugars and lemon zest and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the poppy seeds soften and the filling thickens. Remove from the heat, stir in the vanilla and egg, and set aside.

Make the dough:
In a small saucepan, scald the milk (heat it until small bubbles form around the edges). Remove from the heat and whisk in the butter, granulated sugar, and salt until the butter melts; set aside to cool to lukewarm (90 degrees). In the bowl of an electric mixer or another large bowl, sprinkle the yeast over the warm water and set aside to proof until foamy, about 5 minutes.

With the paddle attachment or wooden spoon beat the egg yolks into the yeast mixture, then beat in the milk mixture. Beat in the cardamom and then the flour, 1 cup at a time, until you have a soft dough.

Switch to the dough hook and knead the dough for 5 minutes, or until smooth and :
elastic. Or turn the dough out onto a floured surface and knead by hand. Place the dough in a large oiled bowl and turn to coat. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place until
doubled in bulk, 1/2 to 2 hours.

Punch the dough down, cover, and let rise again until doubled in hulk, about 1 hour.

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Turn the dough out onto a floured surface and roll or pat into a 1 0-by-8-inch rectangle. Spread the filling over the dough leaving a 1-inch margin all around. Starting at a long end, roll up the dough jelly-roll fashion, and place seam side down on the prepared baking sheet. Cover bulk, about 1 hour. with a tea towel and let rise until doubled in

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Bake the coffee cake for 45 minutes, or until risen and browned.

Meanwhile, make the icing:
Whisk all the ingredients together in a small bowl until smooth. Transfer the coffee cake to a wire rack set over a baking sheet. Drizzle the icing over the warm coffee cake. Serve warm or at room temperature.