Poland’s Favourite Yeast Cakes!

genowefa_sztukowska_z_korowajem_ciastem_drozdzowym_weselnym_fot_andrzej_sidor_forum-0429610510-s.jpg, default, Genowefa Sztukowska with a 'korowaj' – a wedding yeast cake, photo: Andrzej Sidor / Forum

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Proust may have been nostalgic for madeleines, but the smell that will arouse most Polish people’s happiest childhood memories is that of yeast-based baking. Fruit-laden cakes, jam-filled doughnuts and swirly pastries can be found in shops as well as houses in every part of the country.

While most people will be familiar with small packets of mesmerizing yeast granules, in Poland it is actually much more common to use fresh yeast. This is because they are much more suitable for sweet, heavier baking. Fresh yeast can be found in the fridges of Polish shops of all sizes, in small paper-clad packets that promise delightful results, if only one knows how to use them (and many Poles do! The trick to working with fresh yeast is to first make a 'rozczyn', leaven. One should mix the fresh yeast with sugar – they will become liquid after only a few minutes and can be then added to the flour and other ingredients). Here is a list of some of the most common yeast-based bakes.

Placek drożdżowy, or yeast-cake with fruit & a crumble

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A yeast cake, photo: Krzysztof Kuczyk / Forum

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Polish people love their drożdżowiec, as this cake is often called for short. It is made with wheat flour, lots of eggs, rich white butter, sugar, milk and… fresh yeast. The beauty of the recipe lays in the fact that it can be baked with so many different toppings. The basic recipe will combine perfectly with strawberries or rhubarb in late spring and will be just as good with blueberries, cherries, apricots or raspberries in the summer. Autumn will transform it into a plum treat, and in winter it can just as well be eaten plain. One thing is certain: there can never too much crumble on top!

Drożdżówki, or yeast rolls

While the big cake is more often baked at home, little versions of it, just big enough to fit in one’s hand, can be picked up all over Poland: in small bakeries, big supermarkets (though these are rarely truly good), to cafes and stalls set up near metro stations. The most common varieties will be made with poppy seed (usually tied in a golden-black swirl), farmer’s cheese (sweet!) and a vanilla budyń (a custard made with milk and potato starch), but fruit toppings are also common. They can have pretty, fanciful forms and are a perfect treat on the go.

Jagodzianki, or bilberry rolls

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Jagodzianki (bilberry rolls), photo: iStock / Getty Images

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Jagodzianka is actually a type of drożdżówka, but since the best ones are made with fresh bilberries, it is a seasonal and much awaited tread. When cut in half it should ooze blue-black jam, and the more fruit one can fit inside the bun, the better. Bilberries – wild, small blueberries – can be found in most Polish forests, but they are also commercially grown. They are rich in vitamins and help to lower cholesterol levels, improve eyesight and cure diarrhoea. This, however, is not the main reason why Poles eat so many bilberry pastries in the summer: the health benefits are just a side effect and the satisfying taste of summer is enough to make anyone fall in love with them.

Babka drożdżowa, or yeast Bundt cake

This magnificent yeast cake, baked with lots of raisins and sometimes also orange peel, is one of the main dishes at most Polish Easter Sunday breakfasts. The history of this treat dates back to the 17th century. Then, saffron was used to give it a beautiful, golden colour that reminded people of the sun and made it a symbolic dish at this spring-festival. An 18th century Polish king, Stanislaw Leszczyński, found the cake a bit dry and boring, but his chef came up with the idea of soaking it with rum. The new recipe was such a success that this Polish delicacy travelled with the king’s guests to many corners of Europe and is still enjoyed in, for example, Italy and France (though few people know of its Polish origins). While these days it is rarely soaked in alcohol, a rum-aroma is a common ingredient in many recipes. Modern Easter versions are less complicated that those of the past (where the cake took hours of laborious mixing by hand), but still, making one’s babka rise and bake to perfect golden colour is seen as one of the ways to prove one’s abilities as a chef.

Chałka, or challah bread

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Chałka (Yeast challah), photo: Beata Zawrzel / East News

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In most countries the only way to get a perfect, plaited challah bread is to go to the Jewish quarter. Not so in Poland, where this treat can be found in almost all bakeries. Challah bread has a special meaning in the Jewish culture as it is baked for Shabbat and other major occasions. The fact that before World War II Poland had one of the biggest Jewish communities in the world caused the culinary traditions to mix. Challah is proof of that. These days not all who buy it are even aware of its origins. The difference between the traditional, Jewish challah and Polish chałka is that the latter is usually made by dissolving yeast in milk (not water), it is a little bit sweeter and usually decorated with crumble. It’s fanciful form and delicate taste make it a perfect finish for a Polish sandwich-based breakfast.

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