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FOR THE DOUGH: Sprinkle yeast into lukewarm water, add 2 tablespoons sugar and 1/4 cup flour, stir and set aside in a draft-free corner for 5 to 10 minutes or until mixture foams.
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Make sure your yeast is fresh or it won't foam.
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Scald milk and to it add butter, remaining sugar and salt.
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Stir until butter melts.
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Cool until lukewarm and add lemon rind and flavoring of your choice, beat in the eggs, yolks and milk.
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Combine 2 cups flour, yeast, and beat thoroughly.
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Gradually add enough remaining flour to make a smooth but pliable dough.
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Turn out on a floured board and knead for about 10 minutes, adding flour if needed, until dough is smooth and elastic and blisters form on the surface.
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Gather dough into a ball, place in a floured bowl, dust top with flour and cover lightly with a towel.
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Set to rise in a draft-free corner until doubled in bulk--about 1 to 1 1/2 hours.
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Punch dough down, knead for 2 or 3 minutes.
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Prepare dough, and when it has risen, punch down and roll out to a rectangle a little less than 1/4 inch thick.
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Spread filling over dough and roll up jelly-roll fashion.
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Bend roll gently into a horseshoe shape and slide onto a buttered baking sheet.
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OR cut in half and place each half in a buttered 9-inch loaf pan or on a baking sheet.
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Let rise until almost doubled in bulk.
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If you want to ice the roll, brush it with lukewarm water before baking.
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Otherwise, brush it with egg glaze.
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Bake in preheated 350 degrees F. oven for about 45 minutes, or until golden brown.
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Cool thoroughly before icing.
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FOR THE POPPY SEED FILLING: The night before, cover poppy seeds with boiling water and let them soak until the following morning, or wash and parboil for 30 minutes just before grinding.
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Drain thoroughly and grind in a poppy-seed grinder, or put them through the finest blade of your meat chopper 3 or 4 times.
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I use a coffee grinder for this.
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(or buy ground poppy seeds if there is a store near you that prepares them, but be sure they are not rancid.)
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Cream butter with honey.
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When well blended, combine with cream, poppy seeds and remaining filling ingredients.
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(Some people prefer to omit the butter and to cook the ground poppy seeds with 2 cups milk and the honey until the mixture is thick.
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The other ingredients are then stirred in.)
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EGG GLAZE: 1 egg beaten with 1 tablespoon water.
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WHITE SUGAR GLAZE: For cookies and cakes, and especially for Lebkuchen.
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1/3 cup confectioners' sugar 1 1/2 tablespoons cornstarch 1/2 teaspoon vanilla or almond extract 1 teaspoon rum or brandy (optional) 1/2 to 1 1/4 tablespoons hot water, or as needed Combine sugar, cornstarch, flavorings and rum or brandy.
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Gradually stir in hot water, a tablespoonful at a time, until you have a smooth thick paste.
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Spread on warm cookies, or cooled poppy seed cake.
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If mixture cools and thickens as you work, thin with additional hot water.
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Sugar sprinkles can be scattered on the glaze before it hardens if you wish.
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Visions of SugarPlums
