Poppy seed-twist with oranges

When travelling in Scandinavia, you’ll quite soon figure out that most Scandinavian people have a weakness for sweet things.

And if you meet some Swedes, they might even introduce you to a new Swedish word – fika. It means to take a break, drink coffee and eat cake – an activity we love so much in Sweden, that we almost can call it a social institution.

If you choose to have something sweet with your coffee, most Swedes would suggest you to eat a cinnamon bun or a piece of a cinnamon twist. I love the Swedish cinnamon twist – but I also love it with other fillings. My favourite filling is with poppy seeds and oranges, which is the recipe I’ll share with you.

Recipe: Poppy seed-twist with oranges (2 cakes)

Dough:
250 ml almond milk (or cow milk)
25 g yeast
1 egg
500 g flour
40 g sugar
40 g cane sugar
1 tsp salt
1 tbsp cardamom
75 g soft butter

Filling:
80 g butter
80 g sugar
4 organic oranges
6 tbsps. poppy seeds

Topping:
1 egg + some sugar and poppy seeds

Crumble the yeast in a bowl (if you have a baking machine, use it). Add the milk and stir until the yeast has dissolved. Add egg, flour, sugar, cane sugar, salt and cardamom. Mix to a dough and knead the dough for a few minutes.
Cut the butter in smaller pieces and add to the dough. Knead the butter into the dough. Cover the dough and let it rise for two hours.
Divide the dough in two pieces and make two poppy seeds-twists. Take the dough and roll and stretch it to a rectangle. It should be three times as long as it is wide.
Place the dough with one of the shortest sides closest to you. Spread the butter in the middle of the dough. Start closest to you and spread it all the way up to the top – but only in the middle of the dough. Divide sugar and poppy seeds on top of the butter. Rinse the skin of the organic oranges and add on top of the butter.
On each long side, cut strips. Start in the top of the cake and work towards yourself. Take the top left strip and put it over the middle of the cake. Then take the top right strip and put it over the middle of the cake. Continue with left-right-left-right until all the strips are used – almost like a braid.
Place the cake on baking paper at a baking plate. Cover the cake with a kitchen towel and leave to rise for one hour. Brush the cake with a beaten egg and sprinkle some sugar and poppy seeds on top.
Bake for 12-15 minutes in a preheated oven at 200°C.