• In the post you will find a lot of step-by-step photos which you can consult if something is unclear to you.

Make the dough:

• Cut the cold butter into small cubes and place it on a plate. This way the butter should become soft by the time we need to incorporate it into the dough.
  5 tablespoons (70g) soft butter
• Warm up the milk until it reaches a temperature of 100–110°F (38–43°C) or feels pleasantly warm to the touch. Stir in the yeast.
  ½ cup (120ml) milk, 1 package (7g or 2 ¼ teaspoons) instant yeast
• To a large mixing bowl, add flour, salt, sugar, vanilla, lightly beaten egg, and egg yolks. Pour in the milk–yeast mixture.
  2 ½ cups (310g) flour, ¼ teaspoon salt, ¼ cup (50g) sugar, 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract, 1 large egg, 2 large egg yolks
• Knead the ingredients for a couple of minutes until well combined, then gradually add the soft butter, one small piece after the other, and mix until incorporated.
• Knead the dough by hand for 10–15 minutes or with a hand mixer fitted with a dough hook for about 5–10 minutes, until a smooth dough forms. If using a mixer, when the dough is nearly ready, transfer it to the counter and finish kneading by hand.
• Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place until doubled in size, about 1 hour. I usually place it in a turned-off oven with the light on.

Make the filling:

• I am using store-bought ground poppy seeds in this recipe for convenience. If you have whole poppy seeds, see notes.
• Add milk and honey to a medium saucepan and bring to a boil. Add ground poppy seeds and stir until combined, cook for a minute, then take off the heat. Make sure the poppy seeds are thick and there is no liquid visible.
  2 ¼ cups (200g) ground poppy seeds, 1/3 cup (80g) milk, 2 tablespoons honey
• Add the poppy seeds to a large bowl and add all the other ingredients for the filling except the egg whites. Stir until everything is well combined and there are no streaks of butter. Make an indentation in the middle of the filling and spread it up the sides of the bowl so that all of the filling chills uniformly. Place the bowl in the fridge while you are whipping the egg whites.
  1/3 cup (50g) chopped candied orange peel, ½ cup chopped nuts, ¼ cup raisins, ¼ cup dried cranberries, ½ cup +2 tablespoons (125g) brown sugar, 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract, ¼ teaspoon cinnamon, 1/8 teaspoon almond extract, 1 tablespoon fine breadcrumbs, 3 tablespoons soft butter
• Whip the egg whites with a pinch of salt until stiff (if you turn the mixing bowl upside down, the egg white foam should not move), but be careful not to overbeat them.
  2 large egg whites
• Take the filling out of the fridge and carefully fold in the egg whites in three increments. Do not stir vigorously so you don’t lose the puffiness of the whipped egg whites too much.
• Set aside.

Assemble:

• By the time you are done with the filling, the dough should have risen. Punch the dough down to release gases and place it on a piece of parchment paper. Sprinkle 1 Tbsp of flour on all sides of the dough and stretch it into a small rectangle and cut it in half. Cover with another piece of parchment paper and put in the fridge for 10 minutes (this will help to roll out the dough to an even thickness and also firm it up so it is easier to handle while rolling it up into a roulade).
• After 10 minutes, take one piece of dough from the fridge and roll it out into a rectangle, about 8x12 inches (20x30 cm).
• Spread half of the filling in an even layer over the dough, leaving a ½–¾ inch (1.5–2 cm) border.
• Roll up from the short side into a roll. Help yourself with the parchment paper which should be under the dough – lift the paper and the dough should roll onto itself. Don’t try to roll the dough too tightly – it will stretch and may get too thin (the dough is quite delicate, that’s why we chilled it a bit).
• Tuck the edges under the dough and place (or slide the roll) on a baking sheet lined with buttered parchment paper, seam-side down.
• Repeat with the second part of the dough and filling.
• Place the rolls on the baking sheet so that one roll is close to the edge of the baking sheet and the second roll is close to it (with some distance between them), and they are divided with a piece of buttered parchment paper. I place a small baking dish on the other side of the roll. By doing this, the rolls rise taller instead of baking flat (this step is optional).
• Cover the rolls with a piece of plastic wrap or a clean kitchen towel.

Second rise:

• Let rise for about 45 minutes (this takes longer than usual because the dough was a little bit cold). Make a poke test – touch the dough with a lightly floured finger; if the indentation springs back slowly and does not disappear completely, the rolls are ready to bake (if the dough springs back instantly, it needs more time to rise; if the indentation stays and doesn’t spring back at all, the dough is overproofed, bake it immediately). The rolls should puff noticeably.
• When the rolls are ready, place the baking sheet in the oven.

Bake and finish:

• Bake the rolls for about 45 minutes or until the temperature inside the roll has reached about 200°F (92°C). I insert a probe thermometer into the center (not just the top) to be sure (every oven bakes differently and I had problems before with my rolls being underbaked in the middle). If your roll is underbaked, you can always bake it a little longer, even if it has already cooled. The inside of the roll should not be wet and the dough in the middle should look set, soft, and fluffy, not dense or gummy. The rolls may get too dark towards the end of the baking time; I usually cover them with a piece of aluminum foil after 30 minutes of baking.
• Take the baking sheet out of the oven and gently slide the rolls onto a cooling rack. Don’t try to move them too much while they are hot and soft.
• Let cool completely and decorate (I would really recommend waiting at least an hour to get a middle that is completely risen and set, then you can cut into it nicely and the spiral will be nicely noticeable and not ‘smeared’ with the hot filling).
• If your roll has cracked at the side, this is just a visual problem that will get covered with a glaze! This type of roll cracks often because there is a lot of filling that is rich and moist while the dough is thin and soft. But this is the only way a good poppy seed roll should taste – soft and delicate dough + lots of filling!
• Place a piece of parchment paper under the cooling rack (for an easier clean up). Whisk the ingredients for the glaze and pour it over the roll. Decorate with candied orange peel.
  1 1/2 cups (180g) powdered sugar, 1 ½ tablespoons water, 1 ½ tablespoons lemon juice
• Cut into slices and serve.
• Enjoy!