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Blog, Christmas, Pierogi

Pierogi Z Makiem – Polish Poppy Seed Pierogi Recipe

Name: Poppy Seed Pierogi (Pierogi Z Makiem) Recipe
Prep time: 1 h 30 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 1 h 50 min
Cuisine: Polish
Ingredients: 5 cups (600g) of all-purpose flour; 1 egg; 1 cup of warm water; 2 pinches of salt; 4-5 tbsps of oil; 2 cups of poppy seeds; 2 cups of milk (or water); 2.5oz (70g) of dried apricots; 2.5oz (70g) of dried cranberries; 2.5oz (70g) of raisins; 2.5oz (70g) of candied orange peel dices; 2.5oz (70g) of ground walnuts; 4 tbsps of honey; 4 tbsps of butter

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Polish poppy seed pierogi [pierogi z makiem] are typically served for Wigilia [Christmas Eve Supper]. These sweet and delicious dumplings are hard to resist!

What Are Polish Poppy Seed Pierogi?

Pierogi are probably the most famous Polish food. There are many types of Polish dumplings including pierogi with meat, pierogi with strawberries, pierogi ruskie, vegan pierogi, and more. See all my pierogi recipes by clicking here.

The dough is pretty much the same for all kinds of pierogi but the filling is different. Although Polish dumplings are eaten in Poland all year round, only a few kinds of pierogi are served for Wigilia (Christmas Eve Supper).

The most popular Polish Christmas pierogi are:

In this post, I am giving you my family’s recipe for Polish poppy seed pierogi.

Why Do Poles Eat Poppy Seed During Christmas?

The poppy seed is a symbol of fertility, prosperity, and wealth. Served on the evening before Christmas, it is supposed to bring happiness and abundance to the household members for the upcoming New Year.

The tradition of eating poppy seed dishes for Wiglia in Poland is a few hundred years old. Some of the other Polish poppy seed food include:

makowiec (poppy seed roll)
kluski z makiem (noodles with poppy seed)
kutia (sweet grain dish)
poppy seed cheesecake (seromakowiec)
Easter poppy seed mazurek

How To Make Poppy Seed Pierogi?

Read also–> what to serve pierogi with?

Making poppy seed pierogi is an easy but time-consuming process.

I suggest starting with the filling, as it needs time to cool off. After rinsing the poppy seeds, you need to cover them with water or milk and cook for about 30 minutes.

Poppy seeds soaking in milk. — Poppy seeds soaking in milk

In the meantime, you should dice dried fruits. You can use any dried fruits you want, however, I suggest adding orange peel, cranberries, apricots, and walnuts,

Ground walnuts, apricots and cranberries in a white bowl. — Ground walnuts, apricots and cranberries

When the poppy seed is cooked (meaning, it absorbed water or milk), you need to grind it a few times to get the smooth consistency. Next, mix it with ground walnuts, butter, honey, and diced dried fruits. That’s it!

Now, it’s time to make a dough. Knead it using your hands or food processor. I use Thermomix, a multifunctional kitchen appliance. It takes less than a minute for my dough to be ready.

I cover the pastry board with flour, then divide the dough into 2 or 3 pieces. Next, I roll out each part and use a glass or cookie-cutter to cut the circles.

The final step is to put a little bit of poppy seed filling in the center of each circle, then mold pierogi. It’s very important to do it carefully, making sure the filling doesn’t get between the dough, otherwise pierogi may fall apart during cooking.

Then I repeat the process until the entire filling and dough is used.

Finally, I pour the water into the big pot and bring it to boil with a bit of oil. I gently throw pierogi onto the boiling hot water. When they start floating, I wait for about 1-2 minutes and take them out with a slotted spoon.

I serve my poppy seed pierogi with candied orange peel and butter.

Tips To Make Poppy Seed Pierogi

Use any kind of dried fruits and ground nuts for the poppy seed filling.
To make the sealing easier, get a pierogi maker.
Be sure to pinch tightly when forming pierogi.
Adding a bit of oil to water prevents pierogi from sticking together.
After cooking, don’t place pierogi too close together, otherwise, they may stick to each other.
Instead of making your own poppy seed filling, you may use a ready-to-use Polish poppy seed filling.

FAQs About Making This Polish Poppy Seed Pierogi Recipe

How Do You Store Poppy Seed Pierogi?

After cooking or cooling off, pour the melted butter or oil onto your pierogi. You can keep them like that in the fridge for up to 5 days.

You can also freeze pierogi. It’s ok to freeze them before or after cooking.

If you decide on the first option (freezing raw pierogi), be sure to place pierogi on the flat tray. They can’t touch each other.

You don’t need to defrost them first, it’s ok to throw frozen pierogi into the boiling hot water. They will need more time to cook though (probably about 5-7 minutes).

How Do You Pronounce Pierogi Z Makiem?

Pierogi z makiem is pronounced Pee-eh-roh-gee ss mah-kheem.

Pierogi Z Makiem – Polish Poppy Seed Pierogi Recipe

Poppy Seed Pierogi (Pierogi Z Makiem) Recipe

Prep Time 1 hour 30 minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes

Total Time 1 hour 50 minutes

Ingredients

Dough for poppy seed pierogi

5 cups (600g) of all-purpose flour
1 egg
1 cup of warm water
2 pinches of salt
4-5 tbsps of oil

Filling for poppy seed pierogi

2 cups of poppy seeds
2 cups of milk (or water)
2.5oz (70g) of dried apricots
2.5oz (70g) of dried cranberries
2.5oz (70g) of raisins
2.5oz (70g) of candied orange peel dices
2.5oz (70g) of ground walnuts
4 tbsps of honey
4 tbsps of butter

Instructions

How To Make Dough For Pierogi With Poppy Seed?

Put flour, egg, oil, and salt into the bowl. Whisk it together with a hand or dough hook attachment.
Start adding the water slowly, letting it incorporate before adding more.
Whisk until all the ingredients are incorporated and there are no lumps.

How To Make The Poppy Seed Filling For Pierogi?

Rinse and drain the poppy seeds.
Cover the poppy seeds with milk or water and cook for 30 minutes.
In the meantime, dice dried apricots.
Drain the poppy seeds then grind them once or twice.
Add honey, butter, ground walnuts, and dried fruits. Mix. Cool off.

How To Mold Pierogi With Poppy Seed?

Divide the dough into 2 or 3 pieces.
Thinly roll each piece out onto a floured surface to just under 1/16 - 1/8” thickness.
Use a round cookie cutter to cut the circles from the dough.
Put the poppy seed filling in the center of each circle. The more filling, the better, however, you need to be sure they stay inside pierogi. When the poppy seed filling will get between the dough when sealing, pierogi may fall apart during the cooking.
Pull the edges of each circle together to form pierogi. Make sure the seal is continuous and intact. You can't leave any free space, as pierogi will fall apart during the cooking. Pinch tightly.
Collect the remaining dough scraps and put them to the other 2 dough pieces. Repeat the process until the entire dough and all the filling are used.

How To Cook Poppy Seed Pierogi?

Pour the water into the big pot. Add 2 pinches of salt. Boil.
Gently throw pierogi, one by one into the boiling water.
When they start floating, wait for a minute and take them out with the slotted spoon.
Pour the melted butter on top. Serve warm.