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Polish Recipes

• Apples with Red Wine
• Babka
• Christmas Bread Cake
• Christmas Pudding
• Cookies (Polish Bows)
• Doughnuts
• Honey Cake
• Honey Cookies

• Kolaches with Cheese Filling
• Marcepan Filling
• Nut (Filbert) Filling
• Polish Cheese Paska
• Poppy Seed Strudel
• Wedding Cake
• 12-Fruit Compote with Spirits
• more: Main Page

Place apples in a buttered casserole or baking dish. Fill each with jam. Blend sugar and mace and stir in wine and vanilla. Pour over apples and cover. Bake at 350 degrees F. for 1 hour. Refrigerate for 2 to 4 hours before serving.

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10 servings

3 pk (1/4 oz) active dry yeast (3 tbsp)
3/4 c warm water (110F)
1 cup sugar
7 3/4 cups all purpose flour
1 1/2 c Milk
1 1/4 c Unsalted butter or margarine
6 Eggs
2 Egg yolks
1 1/2 ts Salt
2 Egg whites

This desert, a cross between cake and sweet bread, is often baked for Easter. Grease side and bottom of 2 (10 inch) tube pans. In a shallow, medium bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water. Add 1 Tbsp sugar and 1/2 cup flour; stir to combine. Cover; let stand in a warm place 5 to 10 minutes until foamy. Heat milk and butter or margarine in a small saucepan until melted. Let stand until mixture cools to warm. In a large bowl, beat eggs, egg yolks and remaining 1 cup sugar until pale and frothy. Add cooled milk mixture, salt and yeast mixture. Beat until smooth. Gradually beat in 4 1/2 cups flour. Stir in enough remaining flour to make a soft dough. Turn out dough on a lightly floured surface. Knead dough into a soft, smooth dough. Divide dough in 1/2. Arrange 1 part dough in each greased pan. Cover with a damp cloth; let rise in a warm place, free from drafts, until doubled in bulk, about 2 hours. Preheat oven to 350 F. Lightly beat 2 egg whites in a small bowl until foamy. Brush beaten egg whites on top of dough. Evenly sprinkle Topping over dough. Bake 50 to 55 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool cakes in pans 3 to 4 minutes on racks. Turn out of pans; cool completely on racks. Frost with Powdered Sugar Icing if desired. Makes two (10 inch) cakes.

Toppings: In a small bowl, combine sugar, flour, and cinnamon. Using a pastry blender or 2 knives, cut in butter or margarine until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Powdered Sugar Icing: 2 egg whites 1 1/2 cups sifted powdered sugar 1/2 tsp lemon juice In a medium bowl, beat egg whites until frothy. Gradually add powdered sugar, beating constantly. Beat 10 minutes or until glossy. Add lemon juice; beat 2 minutes or until icing stands up in soft peaks. Makes about 1 1/4 cup icing.

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Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Beat eggs with sugar using an electric mixer for 5 minutes at high speed. Mix chopped nuts, raisins and orange peel with 2 tablespoons of flour. Mix remaining flour with baking powder and salt. Cream together the butter, lemon peel and vanilla extract until fluffy. Beat in vodka, then add egg mixture gradually, beating constantly. Add the flour mixture and beat for 5 minutes. Fold fruit-nut mixture into the batter. Turn into a greased and floured 9x5x3-inch pan or a 1 1/2 quart ring mold.

Bake at 350F for 1 hour. Cool cake in pan on wire rack for ten minutes, then turn cake out onto rack and cool completely. Wrap in plastic wrap and set aside to mellow for a couple of days.

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Wash the wheat grain, leave to soak in cold water for 6 hours. Drain, then pour 2 l of boiling water over the wheat, cover and cook over a low heat for 3 hours. The grains should be soft but not mushy. Strain the cooked wheat and leave to cool. Wash the poppy-seeds thoroughly in cold water, scald with boiling water and drain. Pour boiling water over them, bring to a boil, remove from the heat and leave to stand in a warm place for 3 hours. Drain and mince.

Soak the currants in rum or cognac. Cut the figs and dates into thin strips. Crush vanilla pod in a mortar. Pour the poppy-seeds into a mixing bowl, add cream, honey, vanilla and lemon peel. Grind for 15 minutes, then add the wheat, crushed walnuts and almonds, currants, figs and dates. Mix well and transfer to a glass bowl. Decorate with whole almonds and chill.

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Beat the egg yolks with the sugar until well combined. Add sour cream, rum and vanilla and mix until smooth. Sift the flour, baking powder and salt and add it to egg yolk mixture, a little at a time. On a heavily floured surface knead the dough vigorously, punching and squeezing as much flour into it as it will take until the dough is no longer sticky (1/2 hour). Separate dough into several portions and roll very thin. Turn the dough and loosen often when rolling. The dough should look like parchment paper that you can see through. Cut dough into strips approx. 1 1/2 inches wide, 4 inches long. Make slit closer to one end and bring the longer end through the slit. Heat oil to 375 degrees and fry quickly (only a few seconds) until golden not brown. Turn only once. Drain on paper towels. Dust with confectioners sugar. Makes 8 dozen.

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10 servings

1 c Sweet cream
2 Yeast cakes
10 Egg yolk
1 ts Salt
5 tb Butter
4 c Unbleached flour (all-purpose)
2 oz Rum
6 tb Sugar

Heat cream to luke warm. add salt and egg yolks and beat till thick. cream butter and sugar. put these into large bowl, add yeast dissolved w/ 1 tablespoon sugar and mix thoroughly. Add rum then flour and cream alternately and beat hard till dough blisters. set in warm place to rise. punch down and let rise again. place dough on floured surface and stretch and fill w/ pitted prunes. Fold over and cut into desired size balls. place on floured surface and let rise. fry in deep hot oil turning once. Paczki should be very dark in color before turning to ensure that they are thoroughly baked. drain on soft absorbent paper. Sprinkle w/ powdered sugar.

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10 servings

4 oz Butter
4 lg Eggs
14 oz Honey
14 oz Unbleached flour (all-purpose)
1/2 ts Ground Ginger
1/2 ts Ground Nutmeg
1/2 ts Ground Cloves
1 t Cinnamon
2 ts Baking Powder

Cream the butter and separate the eggs. Add the room temperature yolks, one at a time, to the butter and beat well. Mix in the honey. Sift the flour, baking powder, and spices twice and add to the butter mixture. Whip the egg whites until stiff. Fold a little of the egg whites into the batter, then add the rest of them, folding them gently into the batter. Pour the batter into a guttered and floured loaf pan. Bake in a preheated 350 Degrees F. oven until firm on top and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out
clean, about 1 hour. Cool, in the pan, for 10 minutes, then remove and finish cooling on a wire rack.

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12 servings

4 c Unbleached flour (all-purpose)
1 t Ground Cinnamon
1/2 ts Ground Cloves
1/2 ts Ground Ginger
1/2 ts Ground Nutmeg
1 c Powdered Sugar
2 ts Baking Powder
2 Extra Large Eggs
1 c Honey
2 tb Chopped Orange Peel
1 lg Egg - beaten with a little water for glazing
20 Blanched Almonds
Coarse sugar crystals (optional)

Sift the flour, spices, sugar, and baking powder together, blending well. Add the eggs, honey, and orange peel to make a soft dough. On a floured work surface, roll out the dough to about 1/2-inch thick. Cut into shapes with cookie cutters, and place on a lightly greased or non-stick cookie sheet, brushing each one with the egg wash glaze. Place 1/2 of an almond in the top center of each cookie and sprinkle with the sugar crystals. Bake in a preheated 350 Degree F. oven until done, about 15 minutes. Cool on wire racks and store in airtight tins.

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Combine ground almonds, sugar and flavoring in a saucepan. Cook until mixture leaves side of pan. Roll almond mixture on a flat surface to about 1/2-inch thickness. Cut into shapes, mold, paint with food coloring, decorate, etc. Place on wax paper to dry for 2 hours.

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10 servings

6 oz Filberts or Walnuts
1/2 c Sugar
1 t Vanilla Extract
3 ts Sour Cream
Seedless Berry or Grape Jam

Roast the nuts in a heavy skillet, rub lightly to remove some of the skin, and grate fine in a processor or a nut grinder. Mix in the sugar, vanilla, and enough sour cream (you might need up to 4 ts) to bind. Split the cake into two layers and spread one cut surface with jam then the nut filling. Cover the filling with the other layer and press lightly. Wrap in foil and refrigerate overnight. Glaze with chocolate icing or cover lightly with the same type of jam used inside and sprinkle with chocolate shavings.

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6 servings

2 lb Pressed dry farmers cheese
20 Eggs
1 c Lukewarm water
2 lg Yeast cakes
2 c Sugar
12-17 cups flour
1 qt Scalded milk
2 tb Salt
2 c Raisins
1 c Butter, melted

Cream the cheese with hands until smooth. Add 10 eggs and mix well. Dissolve 1 yeast cake in 1/2 cup lukewarm water and add to the mixture. Add 1 cup flour and blend well. Cover and let stand overnight. Next day: beat remaining eggs in large bowl and add to cheese mixture. Add sugar, salt and other yeast cake that has been dissolved in 1/2 cup warm water and blend thoroughly with hands. Add 12 cups flour and work until smooth. Add flour as necessary to use the 17 cups. Knead for about 30 min. or until smooth. Spread cooled melted butter over dough and knead for about 10 min. Add raisins and knead until blended, cover and let rise about 2 hours. Punch down and let rise again until doubled. Divide dough in 8 portions. Shape loaves using a little flour for handling. Place in greased round 1-1/2 quart casserole. Let rise until double. Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour, after 30 min. cover with foil to prevent burning.

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MAKE THE ICING: Mix powdered sugar and lemon juice until smooth. Spread this mixture evenly over the rolls.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Bake about 45 minutes, then remove from oven and cool.

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This very old recipe is famous for the artistic, decorative sculpture arranged on top. The picture in the cookbook has the upper outer edge circled with a braid of dough and cutouts of ducks arranged flat on the top.

Prepare Cheese Filling; set aside. In a small bowl, dissolve yeast and 1 Tbsp sugar in 1/4 cup warm water. Let stand 5 to 10 minutes until foamy. Place 1 cup sugar, butter or margarine and eggs in large bowl. Beat until pale and fluffy. Add yeast mixture, 1 pint milk, 2 cups flour and salt. Beat until well blended. Stir in enough remaining flour to make a soft dough. Turn out dough on a lightly floured surface. Clean and grease bowl. Knead dough until smooth and elastic. Place dough in greased bowl, turning to coat all sides.

Cover with a clean damp cloth and let rise in a warm place, free from drafts, until doubled in bulk. Preheat oven to 350 F. Grease side and bottom of a 10 inch spring form pan. Divide dough into thirds. Using your hands, gently press 1/3 of dough evenly over bottom and side of pan. Evenly spread Cheese Filling over dough lined pan. On a lightly floured surface, roll out another 1/3 of dough to a 10 inch circle. Place over Cheese Filling. Gently pat with your hands. Using a pastry brush, lightly brush milk over top of dough. Cut remaining 1/3 dough in 4 even pieces. Shape 3 pieces into long ropes. Braid ropes; apply to outer edge of cake. Using remaining dough, cut
desired figures with various cutters of form shapes with your hands. Arrange figures on top of dough as desired. Lightly brush with milk. Bake 50 to 60 minutes or until golden brown. Cool cake in pan 5 minutes on a rack. Remove pan side; cool completely on rack. Makes 1 (10 inch) cake.

Cheese Filling: With a grinder or food processor, process cheese. Do not puree or over process. Place egg yolks, sugar and Vanilla Sugar in a large bowl. Beat until pale and creamy, at least 10 minutes. Add ground cheese, a little at a time, while beating. Beat until smooth.

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Combine water, mixed dry fruits, prunes, and raisins in a pot large enough to hold all the ingredients. Bring to a boil, cover and then simmer for about 20 minutes (or until the fruit is plump and tender). Add cherries, apples, and cranberries. Stir in sugar, lemon, and spices. Cover and simmer for about 5 minutes. Grate orange peel and set aside. Peel and section the orange (removing the skin and white membrane). Add to fruits in kettle. Stir in grapes and brandy. Bring just to boiling and then remove from heat. Stir in the orange peel, cover and let stand 15 minutes.

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