Makovnjača is prepared with yeast dough, but it can also be made from shortcrust pastry, and both versions will be equally delicious.
Ingredients needed for the dough: 1.2 kilograms of flour, five eggs, finely grated lemon zest, four tablespoons of sour cream, 10 tablespoons of sugar, 50 grams of fresh yeast, 10 tablespoons of oil, 500 milliliters of warm milk, one egg
Ingredients needed for the filling: 800 grams of ground poppy seeds, 300 milliliters of hot milk, one and a half cups of sugar, vanilla extract
In a large bowl, mix the flour with the sugar. Dissolve the fresh yeast in a little warm milk and add it to the flour mixture. Add the eggs and the rest of the milk, sour cream, lemon zest, and oil, and mix everything together. Knead the mixture until smooth, then cover and let it rest for about an hour at room temperature.
Mix the ground walnuts with sugar and vanilla and set aside. In a separate bowl, pour hot milk over the poppy seeds, stir, and let cool. When sufficiently cooled, add sugar and vanilla and mix. Preheat the oven to 150 degrees Celsius. Knead the dough and divide it into six equal parts. Roll each piece of dough into a rectangle about 30 centimeters long. You can use oil if the dough is sticky.
After that, cover the dough with 1/3 of the poppy seed or walnut mixture, leaving an inch uncovered on each side. Then roll it up and place it on a greased baking sheet. Beat the eggs and brush each roll with them. Bake for 40 to 45 minutes until golden brown.