This poppy seed roll with cream cheese is a soft bread roll that’s sweetened with cream cheese and rich poppy seed filling. This dessert recipe is so simple, and the result is the most comforting sweet bread.
Poppy seeds make a great dessert even better. We love them in a poppy seed roulade, and especially in our lemon poppy seed muffins.
These poppy seed rolls are a classic european dessert, and our rolls have a touch of cream cheese, making these rolls extra rich and creamy.
Pro tip: Level up your poppy seed roll with lemon zest and lemon juice to make lemon poppy seed rolls!
Why You’ll Love this Recipe
- Easy dessert. Baking with dough can seem intimidating, but this recipe makes it so simple.
- Kid-friendly. This dessert is adored by children and adults alike.
- Beginner yeast recipe. This is a perfect recipe for beginners just getting comfortable with baking with yeast.
Ingredients for Making Poppy Seed Rolls
- All-purpose flour – measured and sifted to avoid clumps.
- Large eggs – at room temperature.
- Butter – unsalted, at room temperature, cubed.
- Sugar – sweetens the dough and feeds the yeast.
- Whole milk – at room temperature.
- Active dry yeast – instant yeast will work too. Substitute a 1:1 ratio.
- Cream cheese – room temperature.
- Poppy seed filling – store-bought poppy seed filling.
How to Make Poppy Seed Rolls
Make the dough –
- To a large bowl of a stand mixer, add the flour. Create a well in the center and add the whisked eggs into the center.
- In a small saucepan, melt butter, sugar, and milk. Heat until it reaches 100°F but not over. Add the warm milk mixture on top of the eggs. Sprinkle yeast over the mixture and top with 1 Tbsp of sugar. Whisk together and allow the yeast to activate.
- Begin mixing in the flour and knead until it’s not sticking to the bowl anymore. This should take 6-8 minutes. This can be done by hand or using a stand mixer.
- Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and a towel and allow to rise in a warm place for 1 ½ hours.
Assemble the rolls –
- Meanwhile, beat cream cheese and sugar and set aside.
- Dust a surface with flour and divide the dough into four pieces.
- Take one piece and roll it out to a rectangle using a rolling pin. To the middle of the dough, spread an even layer of poppyseed filling and a layer of cream cheese filling on both sides. Fold the right side to the center and then the left side, pinching everything closed. Repeat with all the rolls.
Bake the rolls –
- Brush the rolls with egg wash, allow to rise for 30 minutes, and bake at 365°F for 25-30 minutes.
- Once baked, transfer to a wire cooling rack and serve once at room temperature.
Optional: Top your baked rolls with a cream cheese frosting!
Recipe FAQs
You can use active dry yeast or instant yeast. Instant yeast will take a little less time to rise.
Make your own poppy seed filling by grinding poppy seeds with sweetened condensed milk.
You can use a jam filling and even add nuts!
Store & Reheat
- Storage. Store the leftovers wrapped tightly in plastic wrap or an airtight container and keep at room temperature.
- Freeze. You can freeze the rolls by wrapping tightly in plastic wrap and freezing for up to 3 months. Thaw in the fridge overnight and thaw to room temperature before serving.
More Dessert Recipes
If you enjoyed this poppy seed roll recipe, be sure to try our other popular dessert recipes:
If you tried this poppy seed rolls cream cheese recipe or any other recipe on my website, please leave a star rating and let me know how it went in the comments below – we appreciate it!
Poppy Seed Roll with Cream Cheese
Ingredients
Poppy Seed Roll Dough-
- 4 1/3 cups all-purpose flour, measured then sifted
- 2 large eggs
- 4 Tbsp unsalted butter, cubed
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1 Tbsp granulated sugar
- 1 1/4 cup whole milk
- 1 Tbsp active dry yeast
filling-
- 8 oz cream cheese, room temp
- 1/3 cup granulated sugar
- 12.5 oz poppy seed filling
egg wash-
- 1 large egg
- 1 tsp water
topping-
- poppy seed, optional
- powdered sugar, optional
Instructions
- Cover two rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper, lightly spray with baking spray. Set aside.
- Prepare the dough: Place flour in a large bowl. In the middle of the bowl, create a well. Whisk the 2 eggs and pour into the center of the flour.
- In a small saucepan, add butter, 1/2 cup sugar and milk, heat until very warm but not hot (no warmer than 100 degrees). Pour milk mixture into the beaten egg. Sprinkle yeast over milk mixture, sprinkle 1 tablespoon sugar over yeast, whisk together and allow to activate.
- Slowly, mix in the flour into the milk mixture. Continue mixing until flour it is fully incorporated and isn’t sticking to sides of the bowl. (Dough can be mixed by hand or with a dough hook in a mixer.)
- Cover bowl with plastic wrap then a towel and allow to rise at room temp for 1 1/2 hours.
- Meanwhile, beat cream cheese and 1/3 cup sugar; set aside.
- Lightly dust surface with flour. Transfer dough onto surface and divide into four parts.
- Gently roll out the dough into a rectangle about 8/9” x 12/13” in size. In the middle of the dough add poppy seed filling and on either side spread cream cheese. Fold over one side of the roll, then fold the other side atop the first. Pinch edges together to close seams so nothing oozes out.Repeat with remaining rolls.
- Whisk egg and water for egg wash and brush tops of rolls. Sprinkle poppy seed atop rolls. Set aside to rise 30 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 365°F and bake for 25-30 minutes until the rolls are golden in color.
- Once baked, transfer to cooling rack. Once cooled, dust with powdered sugar. Enjoy!
Notes
- Storage. Store the leftovers wrapped tightly in plastic wrap or an airtight container and keep them at room temperature.
- Freeze. You can freeze the rolls by wrapping tightly in plastic wrap and freezing for up to 3 months. Thaw in the fridge overnight and thaw to room temperature before serving.