This traditional Croatian recipe for walnut and poppy seed rolls, known locally as orehnjača (walnut roll) and makovnjača (poppy seed roll), is a beloved dessert often served during holidays, family gatherings, and festive occasions.
These sweet, yeasted dough rolls are filled with rich, aromatic mixtures of ground walnuts or poppy seeds, lightly sweetened and spiced for a comforting and nostalgic flavour.
Passed down through generations, these rolls reflect the heart of Croatian home baking—simple, rustic, and full of love. Whether enjoyed with a cup of coffee or as part of a holiday spread, they bring a taste of tradition to every bite.
Ingredients:
500g plain flour
30g fresh yeast
50g sugar
1⁄4L milk (warmed)
40g melted butter
2 eggs
1⁄2 teaspoon salt
grated rind of 1 lemon
Walnut Filling
500g ground walnuts rum (optional)
300ml boiled milk
175g sugar
1. Mix sugar with boiled milk until it dissolves,
add rum (if using) and walnuts and mix thoroughly.
2. Allow mixture to cool.
Poppy Seed Filling
500g ground poppy seed
rum (optional)
300ml boiled milk 175g sugar
1. Boil together ground poppy seed, milk, sugar and rum.
2. Leave mixture to cool.
1. Place yeast into a small bowl and add a little warm milk, sugar and flour and leave it to rise.
2. Mix together flour and salt. Add sugar, eggs, butter and lemon rind. Add the rest of the milk.
3. Finally, add the risen yeast and beat well with a wooden spoon. This mixture can be worked vigorously by hand for about 10 minutes or you can use an electric mixer for 5 minutes.
4. When the dough has been mixed thoroughly, leave it to rise about 30 minutes.
5. Divide the dough in half. Turn one half onto a floured surface and roll it out into a rectangle to suit the size of your oven tray. Repeat with other half.
6. Brush the dough with melted butter, spread it with the cooled filling (walnut or poppy seed) and roll it up.
7. Place onto a greased oven tray and leave the rolls to rise.
8. The risen walnut or poppy seed roll can be brushed with melted butter before baking.
9. Bake in a pre-heated oven at 200°C for 50-60 minutes. 10. Allow the roll to cool completely before slicing.
Recipe from the bilingual cookbook ‘My Mother’s Kitchen‘ by the Croatian Cultural Association (CCA) of Geelong published with the author’s permission.https://croatianculturalassociation.org