Name: Poppy Seed and Pecan Strudel
Cook time: 1 hour
Total time: 2 hours
Yield: 8–10 servings
Ingredients: 3 cups pecans (about 10 oz.); 1 cup whole milk; 3/4 cup poppy seeds; 10 Tbsp. unsalted butter, divided; 3/4 cup (packed) light brown sugar; 1 1/2 tsp. kosher salt; 1 tsp. vanilla extract; 6 (17x12") sheets fresh phyllo pastry or frozen, thawed; 1 large egg, beaten to blend; Powdered sugar (for serving)

Active Time
1 hour
Total Time
2 hours

Every Easter when I was growing up, I would wake up to the smell of makoviy rulet, a poppy seed and nut roll that's a traditional baked delicacy popular all over Ukraine. Making the dough can be quite time-consuming, but here I’ve made the process quicker and easier by using store-bought phyllo pastry instead of the usual yeast dough. A slice of this strudel with some black tea with lemon (how we drink it in Ukraine) or coffee is heavenly.

Ingredients

8–10 servings

3 cups pecans (about 10 oz.)

1 cup whole milk

3/4 cup poppy seeds

10 Tbsp. unsalted butter, divided

3/4 cup (packed) light brown sugar

1 1/2 tsp. kosher salt

1 tsp. vanilla extract

6 (17x12") sheets fresh phyllo pastry or frozen, thawed

1 large egg, beaten to blend

Powdered sugar (for serving)

Preparation

Step 1
Preheat oven to 325°F. Spread out pecans on a large rimmed baking sheet and toast until slightly darkened in color and fragrant, 13–15 minutes. Let cool.
Step 2
Bring milk and poppy seeds to a boil in a medium saucepan; reduce heat to medium-low and simmer, stirring occasionally, until milk is almost completely evaporated, 13–15 minutes. Let mixture cool.
Step 3
Scrape into a food processor. Cut 6 Tbsp. butter into pieces and add to food processor along with pecans, brown sugar, salt, and vanilla. Process until a paste forms.
Step 4
Melt remaining 4 Tbsp. butter in a small saucepan over medium heat (or in a microwave). Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment, then brush with some of the melted butter.
Step 5
Place a stack of 6 phyllo sheets on a work surface. Cover with plastic wrap, then a damp kitchen towel.
Step 6
Arrange prepared baking sheet so a long side is facing you and stack 2 phyllo sheets on top; brush lightly with butter. Top with another sheet of phyllo and brush lightly with butter. Repeat with 2 more sheets, then top with final sheet; do not brush with butter.
Step 7
Using an offset or rubber spatula, spread poppy seed mixture over pastry in an even layer, leaving a 1" border on all sides. Starting with the long side closest to you, gently roll up pastry and turn seam side down; tuck exposed ends underneath. Using a sharp knife, cut horizontal slits about halfway through roll, spacing every 1" along length. Brush with egg.
Step 8
Bake strudel until golden and crisp, 40–45 minutes. Transfer baking sheet to a wire rack and let strudel cool.
Step 9
Just before serving, dust with powdered sugar and slice.
Step 10
Do Ahead: Strudel can be baked 1 day ahead. Let cool completely, then cover with plastic wrap and store at room temperature.

Leave a Review

Reviews (3)

The recipe sounds delicious, but I seriously doubt that Ukrainians would typically use pecans in their pastry. They are not readily available and much more expensive than hazelnuts or walnuts.
- Karin Anderson
- Portland/ME
- 3/7/2023
This sounds like a nice shortcut version of something my Polish mother (and Slovak in-laws) make. Going to try it soon and perhaps mail one to the aunts-in-law (who are 103 and 100!) To GILF_TRONIC, is there a chance you used regular table salt instead of kosher salt? Because the grains are larger, kosher salt is half as salty as regular salt.
- Char Joy
- Newberg, OR
- 3/6/2023
The filling is amazing! Easy to put together and everyone loved it, I will definitely make this again.
- Anonymous
- Denver, CO
- 4/17/2022
This was so good and also pretty easy to make. I didn;t have poppy seeds or whole milk so I used sesame seeds and added a bit of sour cream to 2% milk.
- Anonymous
- toronto
- 4/25/2018
I’ve never worked with phyllo before, so that was neat. I’d recommend accounting for the thaw time required for the pastry as it is purchased frozen. Alton Brown says it’s ok to microwave on high for 60 seconds (with the pastry wrapped in plastic), which worked for me. To that end, I skipped the part about plastic and the damp cloth - I didn’t understand its role (roll). I was reluctant to put the 1.5 tsp salt and in the end I found it too salty so I’d recommend reducing that, maybe 3/4 tsp. All in all this was very good. The reason I decided to do it is versions of this I've had from my Slovak family. Alas, this was quite different and thus not what I had hoped for. One last thought, I think the orientation could be more clearly explained; perhaps something like rolling it so it’s 17” long rather than 11”, or something like that. Thanks very much for the recipe and great website.
- Gilf_tronic
- Nova Scotia
- 3/18/2018