This Poppy Seed Honey Babka is my variation on a traditional makivnyk (маківник) a poppy seed roll baked throughout Ukraine but has special significance during August harvest celebrations.
This year’s Russian invasion interrupted the annual agricultural cycle in many parts of Ukraine. In the east, where hostilities were concentrated, farmers and gardeners planted when they could, yet only some harvests were salvageable. But war or no war, obzhynky (обжинки), the Ukrainian word for harvest celebrations, are taking place in Ukraine wherever it is peaceful, and the fields, gardens and orchards are not destroyed.
In quiet areas of the country, Ukrainians express gratitude for the country’s astonishing agricultural abundance during the last two weeks of August with three ancient feast days called spas (спас), which translates as savior in honor of Christ. According to folk etymology, the word “savior” also refers to saving oneself, surviving by eating the special bounty celebrated on each feast day. Centuries ago, these were pagan harvest festivals honoring nature’s deities. Over centuries, folk customs merged with Christian religious events. Today each feast day also is known by other names and celebrates different produce harvested around each date.
Medovyi or Honey Spas (Медовий спас) on August 14 is the start of the two-week Dormition fast* which also honors the 9th-century Byzantine tradition of carrying a reliquary with a fragment of the cross of Christ’s crucifixion through Constantinople streets to cleanse the city of infectious diseases and evil spirits and the Old Testament Maccabee martyrs and their mother Solomia killed for leading a rebellion for faith in one God in 166 BCE. Honey, poppies, water, other life-sustaining ingredients and bouquets of wildflowers and herbs are blessed on this day.
Apple Spas (Яблучний спас) on August 19 coincides with the Orthodox Church’s Feast of Transfiguration. ** It is the most important of the three Spas feast days and is associated with the harvesting of ripening fruit. Apples, pears, plums, all other fruit, peas in the pod and honeycombs are consecrated on this day.
And finally, Nut or Bread Spas, (Горіховий або Хлібний спас) on August 29 commemorates the apocrypha of the imprinting of Jesus’s face on a linen cloth *** and celebrates the harvest of hazelnuts, walnuts, grains and a special bread – a korovai, baked from flour milled from newly harvested grain and nuts. This final feast day is a farewell to summer and preparation for autumn and cold weather.
Of these three feast days, my favorite is Honey Spas because of its ancient folk rituals and culinary traditions. It is not merely a religious holiday and is named for honey because beehive honeycombs are full by mid-August when beekeepers start collecting honey. Honey is sold everywhere and, on this day, Ukrainians begin clearing the fields for winter; swallows fly south, and winter wheat is planted.
Honey seller on road near Cherkassy
Some Ukrainians also call this feast day Mokryi Spas (мокрий спас), literally “Wet Spas,” in honor of Grand Prince of Kyiv Volodymyr who converted to Christianity on August 14, 988 CE and proceeded to baptize Kievan Rus. Folk belief holds that water blessed on this feast day will ward off disease; on this day, farmers traditionally dig wells and bathe cattle and horses.
This feast day is also called Makoveya (Маковея) from the word mak (мак) for poppy heads which ripen around mid-August. Traditionally, women assemble bouquets of late summer and fall flowers and plants that have special folk meaning: viburnum symbolizes beauty and womanhood; sunflower symbolizes hope and faith; marigold symbolizes good health; mint symbolizes peace of mind and conciliation; wormwood symbolizes peacemaking; poppy heads symbolize fertility, and fresh greenery symbolizes gladness and faith in immortality for consecration on this feast day. These bouquets called makoviychyky (маковійчики) are brought home from church and kept next to icons until spring for peace, prosperity and well-being in the family.
Makoviychyk — a traditional bouquet of late summer and fall flowers, herbs and poppy heads
Whether the August 14 feast day is called Honey Spas, Water Spas or Makoveya, food occupies an important role in the celebrations. Since the three spas holidays fall during the Dormition fast, a vegetarian Lenten diet is followed, but honey and poppy seeds are featured in many ways. Eating honey is customary with porridge, bread and various dishes. In preparation for this holiday, home cooks bake honey cakes (medivnyky —медівники), pancakes with poppy seeds and honey (mlyntsi z мakom ta medom – млинці з маком та медом), gingerbread (pryanyky –пряники) and buns and cakes with poppy seeds and honey makivnyky (маківники). Honey also is made into kvass (квас), a beer-like fermented drink, and distilled into mead (medovukha- медовуха).
On the August 14 feast day, many Ukrainians still assemble a basket of honey, salt, horseradish, water, bread, poppy seed pastries and a makoviychyk that is taken to church for blessing.
Blessing baskets
Although Ukrainians bake poppy seed and honey pastry throughout the year, pastries baked for Honey Spas are sweeter, richer and more flavorful than at other times of the year and attest to the national sweet tooth. I attribute this delectable taste to the availability of fresh honey and poppy seeds in August.
While preparing this recipe, I realized that store-bought poppy seed filling would not produce as rich a taste as homemade filling since most brands use fructose or corn syrup, not pure honey as a sweetener. Clear, runny honey and fresh poppy seeds are essential to replicate the taste of a Honey Spas pastry. I buy poppy seeds in bulk online from nut, spice and grain providers, **** then soak and grind them with other enriching ingredients to a smooth paste.
What distinguishes this Poppy Seed Honey Babka from the traditional poppy seed roll I bake for Ukrainian Christmas Eve (Sviat Vechir) is not just its shape but the richness and smoothness of the filling. When enjoying Honey Spas pastries in Ukraine, I marveled at the copious amounts of poppy seeds and honey used. Honey Spas is an important holiday, and no baker wants to skimp on ingredients. To accommodate the thick enriched-with-butter filling, I opted for twisting this rich, sweet pastry into a loaf rather than forming it into the roll shape. A powdered sugar and milk glaze, while almost transparent, keeps this Poppy Seed Honey Babka moist for several days to be enjoyed for breakfast, or with a mid-morning or afternoon coffee or tea or for dessert after dinner.
Poppy Seed Honey Babka
For dough:
1 cup (237 ml) whole milk
1 package (2 ½ teaspoon or 7 g or) active or rapid rise dry yeast
⅓ cup (67 g) granulated sugar
⅓ cup (73 g) unsalted butter, melted and cooled
2 large eggs, room temperature
1 large egg yolk, room temperature
1¼ teaspoon (6 g) kosher salt
4 cups (494 g) all-purpose flour + extra for rolling out
For filling:
10 ounces (300 g) poppy seeds
⅓ cup (67 g) sugar
3 teaspoons (43 g) unsalted butter
3 egg whites
5 tablespoons honey
1 cup golden raisins
For egg wash:
1 egg
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
For glaze:
2 cups (240 g) confectioners’ sugar
¼ cup (59 ml) milk
Preparing poppy seeds: Place poppy seeds in a large bowl and pour boiling water to cover poppy seeds by one inch. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and leave on the kitchen counter overnight.
Dry poppy seeds
Preparing dough: Warm milk to about 110-115˚F (43-46˚C). Add yeast and set aside to proof until bubbly.
In a large stand mixer bowl fitted with a paddle attachment, stir together cooled butter, sugar and salt on low speed. Mix in eggs and yolk, one at a time, mixing until incorporated before adding the next. Mix in the yeast-milk mixture. Mix in flour until fully blended.
Switch to a dough hook attachment increasing mixer speed to medium and knead for 5 minutes, stopping halfway to scrape the sides and bottom of bowl.
Lightly spray the dough with oil and cover bowl with damp towel or plastic wrap. Let proof at room temperature until double in size. (About 30-45 minutes if using rapid rise yeast and 1-2 hours for active yeast.)
Preparing filling: While dough rises, strain water from poppy seeds in a kitchen towel lined colander. Once dripping stops, twist the towel together to extract remaining water. (Some dampness will remain.)
Grind poppy seeds in a clean electric spice or coffee grinder until paste forms. (The seeds are too fine to grind in a food processor.) You will have to process in batches. Remove paste to the bowl of food processor.
Ground poppy seeds
Once grinding is completed and all poppy seeds are in the food processor bowl, add sugar, butter egg whites, raisins and almond extract and process until the filling is uniformly smooth.
Assembling the babka: Butter two 9 inch x 5 inch x 2 ½ inch (23 cm x 13 cm x 6.3 cm) loaf pans and line with buttered parchment, leaving a 1½ inch (4 cm) overhang.
Deflate the dough by pressing down in the center. Flip dough onto a lightly floured surface and divide into two equal parts.
Roll each piece of dough into a 14-inch x 10-inch (36 cm x 25 cm) rectangle with the short side facing you. With an offset spatula, spread half of the filling on each rectangle, leaving a small border around the edges.
Filling the babka
Beginning on the short side facing you, roll the dough around the filling, forming a tight spiral log. Transfer both logs to baking sheet and place in freezer for 15 minutes, until firm enough to slice.
Return logs to the work surface and cut each through lengthwise into two pieces and open like a book, exposing layers of dough and filling. Carefully cross one cut piece over the other forming an X, and starting at center, twist one piece over the other keeping the cut side facing up. Repeat with other side of X and then with the other piece of dough.
Dough roll cut in half
Forming twist into a loaf
Gently pick up each twisted loaf and place in prepared pan, tucking the ends underneath. Place in a warm spot to rise until dough is one inch (2.5 cm) above the rim of the pan, about 1½ hours.
Babka ready to bake
As loaves are rising, preheat oven to 325˚F (170˚C). When loaves have risen, brush with egg beaten with oil, and bake for 1 hour or until internal temperature reaches 185˚F (85˚C), tenting with foil if loaves darken too fast.
Baked Poppy Seed Honey Babka
Remove to wire rack. Cool loaves completely in loaf pans. Lift babka from pan using overhanging parchment.
Prepare glaze and drizzle atop both loaves and set aside to dry.
Cut into ½ inch (1.25 cm) slices to serve. Wrap leftovers tightly in plastic wrap and store in the refrigerator.
Yields 2 loaves –16-18 slices per loaf.
*Dormition Feast commemorates the repose or “falling-asleep” of the Mother of Christ.
**Feast of Transfiguration commemorates the transfiguration or metamorphosis of Christ on Mount Tabor, when Christ appeared in His divine glory before the Apostles Peter, James, and John.
*** According to Christian legend, the Image of Edessa, known to Orthodox Christians as the Holy Mandylion, was a holy relic – a piece of cloth allegedly containing the miraculous image of the face of Christ imprinted upon it, also called the first icon.
**** Online providers of bulk poppy seeds: https://nuts.com/cookingbaking/seeds/poppy/blue/1lb.html; https://www.penzeys.com/online-catalog/poppy-seed-whole-blue/c-24/p-1443/pd-s; and, https://www.amazon.com/Reseable-Pastry-Natural-Organic-Premium/dp/B09P5DWDK7/ref=sr_1_4?crid=3C6NCXA7PJ0TT&keywords=poppy+seeds+bulk&qid=1660679418&sprefix=poppy+seeds%2Caps%2C156&sr=8-4
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