Layers of flakey lemony dough wrapped around a rich poppy seed filling, cut into wedges and baked until golden. They are kind of like a babka scone topped with a sweet tart lemon glaze. 

This recipe was inspired from an old cookbook that LaurenBakedCake got from her grandma. When I read the recipe it spoke to me because my Bubbie (Grandmother) used to make a soft, sweet yeast bread filled with “mohn” – a creamy poppy seed filling. 

This poppy seed filling is often used in middle European filled rolled pastries and sweet rolls. The slight bitterness of the poppy seeds mellows when ground and cooked with milk, sugar, honey and butter. The result is a rich, thick filling that won’t run out of baked goods as they cook.

I am a huge fan of poppy seeds and have used them in many different cakes, filled sweet treats as well as one of my favourite vinaigrettes. 

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Lemon Poppy Seed Scones

A poppy seed filled scone topped with a sweet tart lemon glaze

Course Breakfast, Dessert

Ingredients

For the Poppy Seed Filling

• 1 cup whole milk
• ½ cups poppy seeds, *see note below
• ½ cup organic sugar
• ¼ cup honey
• ¼ tsp nutmeg
• 2 tbsp butter
• 2 tbsp lemon zest
• 1 tsp vanilla extract

For the Scone Dough

• 2¾ cups all purpose flour
• 1 tbsp + 1 tsp baking powder
• ½ tsp salt
• ⅓ cup organic sugar
• 8 tbsp butter cut into small cubes and frozen
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• ½ cup heavy cream
• 1 large egg + 1 yolk
• 1 egg white with a splash of water whisked, for the egg wash

For the Glaze

• 3 tbsp butter, room temperature
• 1½ cups powdered sugar
• 2 tbsp lemon juice, freshly squeezed

Instructions

For the Poppy Seed Filling

• In a pot over low heat, bring milk to a simmer and add poppy seeds, sugar, honey and nutmeg.
• Simmer for 15-20 minutes, stirring frequently until the poppy seeds absorb the milk and have formed a thick paste.
• Remove from heat and stir in butter, lemon zest and vanilla. Allow to cool at room temperature.
• Place the mixture in a high-speed blender and blend until smooth, adding a few splashes of water if needed. If using pre-ground poppy seeds, then you can skip this step.
• *NOTE: I ground the poppy seeds in a spice/coffee grinder before adding them to the milk.

For the Scone Dough

• Combine flour, sugar, baking powder and salt in a food processor and pulse to combine.
• Add frozen butter and pulse a few times until butter is the size of peas.
• Transfer flour/butter mixture to a bowl and stir in lemon zest.
• Whisk cream, egg and yolk in a bowl and add to dry ingredients and mix until combined into a cohesive ball of dough.
• Roll out into a 9×13″ rectangle on a sheet of parchment.
• Spread a thick layer of poppy seed filling on top.
• Roll up the longer side using the parchment paper to help the rolling process ending with the seam on the bottom.
• Place on a baking sheet and freeze for 2-3 hours until firm and partially frozen.
• Cut dough in 3″ wedges and freeze until frozen solid.
• Once fully frozen you can keep them in a ziplock bag in the freezer until you are ready to bake.

To Bake Scones

• Heat oven to 400°F.
• Place scones 2″ apart on a parchment lined baking sheet. Brush with beaten egg white.
• Bake 20-22 minutes until golden on top.
• Let cool before adding the glaze.

For the Glaze

• Combine all ingredients in a bowl and mix well, adding more powdered sugar by the tablespoon full if needed.
• Spread on cooled scones and enjoy!

Notes

Recipe from LaurenBakedCake with a few little changes from me.  click here  to see Lauren’s Instagram post.