Flower cake with poppy seeds and rahat

I made the flower bread with poppy seeds and Turkish delight simply because I felt like having something leavened, and this recipe works well any time of the year. Even if it's not a holiday, it rarely lasts more than a day or two. I started with a large quantity because we don't waste anything here, but if you don't have many hungry people at home, you can easily halve the recipe.

Quick Info

Total time: 3 hours 30 minutes (including rising and baking)
Servings: 4 large breads (or 1 flower and 3 classic breads)
Difficulty: medium

Ingredients

For the dough:
2 kg flour, sifted
60 g fresh yeast
500 g sugar
10 egg yolks (from small eggs)
600 ml milk (room temperature)
200 ml heavy cream
100 g butter (minimum 65% fat)
300 ml oil
grated zest of 1 lemon
a pinch of salt

Walnut filling:
10 egg whites
300 g ground walnuts
100 g cocoa powder
150 g sugar
150 g Turkish delight, cut into small cubes

Poppy seed filling (for the flower):
50 g poppy seeds
50 g sugar
30 ml milk
2 tablespoons of the beaten egg whites from above

For finishing:
1 egg
granulated sugar
poppy seeds, for decoration

Preparation Method

1. Prepare the ingredients. Everything works better at room temperature. Sift the flour into a large bowl.

2. The starter: Crumble the yeast into a small bowl, add 1 teaspoon of sugar, 1 tablespoon of flour, and 2 tablespoons of warm milk. Let it activate for 10-15 minutes.

3. The base of the dough: In a separate bowl, mix the egg yolks with the sugar, then add the rest of the warm milk and lemon zest. Stir until the sugar dissolves.

4. Combine the starter and the egg yolk mixture over the flour. Start kneading. Add the cream, then the softened butter, mixing until incorporated.

5. When the dough becomes more cohesive, gradually pour in the oil while kneading continuously. Finally, add the salt. Don’t rush with the oil, give the dough time to absorb it. Knead for at least 20 minutes – in the end, the dough should be elastic and not stick to your hands.

6. Let it rise in a covered bowl for about 1.5 hours in a draft-free place.

7. The fillings. For the walnut filling: beat the egg whites into a foam with the sugar, add the walnuts and cocoa, and mix well. Finally, incorporate the Turkish delight cubes.

For the poppy seed filling: grind the poppy seeds with the sugar (ideally in a grinder). Boil them with milk until they bind. Let it cool, then add the 2 tablespoons of beaten egg whites.

8. Shaping: Divide the dough into 4 equal parts. For the flower bread, divide one part into two and roll out two round sheets, about the size of a 23 cm round baking tray. Place the first sheet on baking paper, spread the poppy seed filling evenly, and sprinkle small cubes of Turkish delight. Cover with the second sheet. Cut with a sharp knife rays from the center to the edge without cutting all the way through, gently twist the edges to reveal the filling stripes.

9. For the classic breads: Divide each remaining piece of dough into 2. Roll out rectangular sheets, add the walnut filling with Turkish delight, roll each sheet tightly, and then braid them in pairs. Place in trays lined with paper.

10. Let the breads and flower rise in the trays for 30-40 minutes. Brush with beaten egg, sprinkle with sugar and poppy seeds.

11. Bake in a preheated oven at 170°C (or medium heat) for about 1 hour and 20 minutes. For the flower, check after 1 hour. If it browns too quickly, cover lightly with baking paper.

Why I make this recipe often

This bread turns out fluffy, slices well, and doesn’t dry out quickly. It can be filled with whatever you have on hand, and if there are leftovers, it's still good the next day or even the third. It stays soft and can be easily adapted to your preferences.

Tips and Variations

Tips

Respect the rising time; otherwise, it will be dense.
Don’t skip the kneading. The dough becomes more elastic with each minute.
If you have a food processor with a kneading hook, you can shorten the manual working time.
Try not to put filling too close to the edges, so it doesn't leak while baking.
Roll out the dough on a surface greased with a little oil, not flour, to avoid drying it out.

Substitutions

The heavy cream can be replaced with full-fat yogurt if you don’t have it.
Walnuts can be swapped with ground hazelnuts or almonds.
If you don’t have Turkish delight, it can be omitted or replaced with candied fruits.
Poppy seeds can also be used plain, without egg whites in the mixture, if you prefer a denser texture.

Variations

You can make only classic breads, without the flower, from the same dough.
It also works with filling of raisins or chocolate, to taste.
Instead of individual breads, the dough can be baked in a large tray for a fluffy cake-like version with layers of filling.

Serving Ideas

It’s good plain, with a glass of milk or coffee. Thin slices are also great for breakfast, possibly lightly toasted.

Frequently Asked Questions

1. Can I halve the recipe?
Yes, the recipe works well with half the quantities for 2 large breads.

2. Can I use dry yeast?
Yes, use 20 g of dry yeast instead of fresh, activate it with a little warm milk and sugar.

3. What can I substitute for butter?
You can use margarine or just oil, but the taste and texture will change noticeably.

4. Does the bread dry out quickly?
No, if kept covered, it remains soft for 2-3 days.

5. Can it be frozen?
Yes, the baked and completely cooled bread can be frozen. Thaw at room temperature.

Nutritional Values (per 100 g, estimated)

Calories: 380 kcal
Proteins: 8 g
Fats: 15 g
Carbohydrates: 54 g
Fiber: 2 g
The caloric value is high, especially from sugar and fats. The walnut filling adds some protein.

Storage and Reheating

The bread keeps well for 2-3 days if covered with a clean towel or in a paper bag. For longer, it can be frozen. If cooled, a slice can be warmed gently in the oven or toaster, but not in the microwave to avoid getting too soft.

First, sift the flour into a large bowl to have enough space for kneading. In a small bowl, crumble the yeast, add a teaspoon of sugar, a tablespoon of flour, and 2 tablespoons of warm milk, and let it rise for 15 minutes. Once the yeast has risen, place it in the center of the bowl with flour. Separately, mix the egg yolks with sugar and warm milk, grate the peel of a lemon, and mix everything well to dissolve the sugar. Pour all of this over the yeast and start kneading, then add the sour cream, butter, and mix until homogeneous. When you have a smooth dough, add the raisins and oil, and knead for about 20 minutes. After kneading well and the dough no longer sticks to your hands, cover the bowl with a towel and let it rise for about 1 and 1/2 hours. Once it has risen, divide the dough into 4 equal parts to form the loaves. For the flower loaf, I used a round baking pan with a diameter of 23 cm. Filling for the flower loaf: I ground the poppy seeds with the sugar in a coffee grinder, then added milk and boiled it until thickened. I let it cool, and when it was cold, I added two tablespoons of beaten egg whites with sugar. Filling for the regular loaves: Beaten egg whites with sugar. Ground walnuts mixed with cocoa, to which I added the beaten egg whites, reserving 2 tablespoons for the poppy filling. We mix everything and add the diced Turkish delight. Assembly: For the flower loaf, I rolled out two round sheets, placed the first one on parchment paper, spread the poppy filling and a few pieces of Turkish delight, then placed the second sheet on top and cut it into rays, as seen in the photos, forming the flower. I brushed it with egg and sprinkled sugar on top. For the regular loaves, I divided each part into 2 pieces, rolled them out with a rolling pin, filled them with walnut filling, twisted them into 2 rolls, and braided them. I placed the loaves in a loaf pan, brushed them, and sprinkled with sugar and poppy seeds. They bake in a preheated oven at moderate heat for about 1 and 1/2 hours. All ingredients must be at room temperature.

 Ingredients: 10 egg yolks (smaller eggs) 2 kg flour (I used flour milled from this year's wheat) 500 g sugar 60 g fresh yeast 200 ml sour cream 100 g butter (65% fat) 300 ml oil 600 ml milk zest of one lemon a pinch of salt Filling 10 egg whites 300 g ground walnuts 100 g cocoa 150 g sugar 150 g Turkish delight filling for flower 30 ml milk 50 g poppy seeds 50 g sugar 2 tablespoons of egg whites from the first filling 1 egg for brushing and granulated sugar for sprinkling

 Tags:  sweet bread poppy seed cake sweet bread with turkish delight