Poppy seed wreaths made from yeast dough

Ingredients for 7 servings:

• 500 g flour, smooth
• 1 point yeast (dry yeast)
• 250 ml milk, lukewarm
• 60 g sugar, fine
• 110 g butter
• 2 egg yolks
• 1 pinch of salt
• some poppy seeds, for sprinkling
• 200 g poppy seeds, ground
• 100 g butter, melted
• 80 g sugar
• 1 tbsp vanilla sugar
• 125 ml milk, hot
• 1 tbsp rum
• some cinnamon
• some lemon(s) – zest, grated
• 1 egg yolk mixed with 1 tbsp milk

Instructions

Working time approx. 45 minutes; Total time approx. 45 minutes

Austrian specialty from the Waldviertel region, also used for poppy seed nests at Easter

Mix the flour, sugar, dried yeast, and salt. Melt the butter in the lukewarm milk and add it to the flour, sugar, and yeast mixture along with the egg yolks and all the remaining ingredients. Knead into a smooth dough. Cover the dough with a cloth and let it rest in a warm place for half an hour. For the filling, combine all the ingredients. Preheat the oven to 200 degrees Celsius (fan). Shape the yeast dough into a log and divide into approximately 14 pieces. Roll out rectangles (approx. 15 cm long and 4-5 cm wide), spread 2 cm of poppy seed filling on each, fold together, and press the dough firmly around the edges to form a log. Then twist two finger-thick logs around each other in a spiral and then shape into a wreath. Let it rest briefly, brush with egg yolk, sprinkle with poppy seeds, and bake until golden brown. Reduce the oven to 180 degrees Celsius (350 degrees Fahrenheit) and bake for approximately 20 minutes. If you want to make Easter nests, then after baking, press a boiled, dyed Easter egg into the still warm poppy seed wreath!