Christmas poppy seed roll that always turns out!

Take the eggs out of the fridge in advance. Warm the milk, and when it is lukewarm, stir in 1 teaspoon of sugar, the yeast, and 1 tablespoon of flour. Cover with a cloth and set the sponge aside to rise. When the sponge starts to work, combine it with the flour, egg yolks, the remaining sugar, vanilla sugar, and a pinch of salt. Melt the butter and let it cool, then add it to the dough, kneading gradually. Cover with a cloth and leave to rise for about 2 hours. After this time, roll the dough out into a rectangle about 29 cm long. The dough should be about 3 mm thick.

Beat the egg whites until stiff. Transfer the ready-made poppy seed filling with dried fruit and nuts to a bowl. Note! If the filling is too wet, you can sauté it in a little butter to evaporate the excess water (but remember to cool it well before adding the egg whites!). Combine the filling with the egg whites. Spread the filling over the rolled-out rectangle of dough, leaving about 2 cm of dough free from the edge. Roll it up into a log — seal the ends and tuck them underneath. Transfer the prepared poppy seed roll to a baking sheet or into a pan lined with baking paper. Grease the paper with oil beforehand. Bake at 190°C for about 40 minutes, until the top turns golden brown. You can also bake it in a Roman pot.

After baking, let the poppy seed roll cool. You can drizzle the cooled roll with icing. To do this, mix the powdered sugar with hot water. Pour over the cake — optionally sprinkle the top of the poppy seed roll with dry poppy seeds, grated orange zest or candied fruit.

If you want to prepare several poppy seed rolls — for freezing — do not glaze them before putting them in the freezer!