Poppyseed Beigli

by Leah Halmagyi

Ingredients

  • 1 quantity Basic Rich Babka Dough
  • 200g poppyseeds
  • 200g caster sugar
  • 120g honey
  • 120g raisins, chopped
  • 1 cup brandy
  • 1 tsp ground cinnamon
  • ¼ tsp ground cloves
  • finely grated zest of 2 lemons
  • 1 egg, beaten

Instructions

Preparation time: 20 minutes + rising time
Cooking time: 45 minutes
Makes: 1 loaf

1 Preheat oven to 200°C. Roll out the dough to make a rectangle 35cm x 30cm. Combine the poppyseeds, sugar, honey, raisins, brandy, spices and zest in a medium saucepan and simmer briefly until thickened. Spread on a tray to cool, then spread over the dough, leaving a 5cm margin at the far long edge.
2 Roll up the dough starting at the near long edge, then transfer the log to a lined oven tray. Cover loosely with cling film and allow to rise for 1 hour. Brush with beaten egg, then bake for 10 minutes, misting with a little water. Reduce the heat to 180°C and bake for a further 35 minutes. Cool on a wire rack.