The Everlasting Opekance Tradition

This is the first Christmas that Joe and I will share together!  In the past, we would split ways to travel home to our families, only to phone each other during rare downtime between football and Christmas roast. I always loved discussing the similarities and differences between the traditions our two families honor for this special holiday.  For instance, my family opens gifts on Christmas day, where as his family opens gifts on Christmas Eve; my family decorates and displays an evergreen tree weeks before Christmas, whereas his family enjoys their tree for the first time on Christmas Eve; my family enjoys typical American comfort foods, while his family enjoys wonderful Slovakian dishes and sweets.  As one can imagine, this year marks the first year of a new family tradition.  A Christmas celebration that joins two sets of traditions!  Our plans are this:

Christmas Eve: Have a quiet celebration, just the two of us, in Denver. This includes attending Christmas Mass at 6:00 PM, followed by a simple seafood chowder (my family's tradition) and gift unwrapping (his family's tradition). 

Christmas Day: Navigate the holiday crowds at the airport to fly into Minneapolis to meet my family around 10:00 AM, where more gift exchanging and feasting will occur.  Our time in the Upper Midwest will conclude after we drive to Necedah, Wisconsin to have second celebration with Joe's family!

I left out one very special tradition, however.  This tradition has been passed down from Joe's father's family for generations:  Opekance, otherwise known as Slovakian Poppy Seed Dumplings.  Joe's mother, Zela, adopted this tradition as a means of joining her new husband's Christmas traditions with her own.  Now I am doing the same! These special dumplings are prepared to accompany Christmas Eve dinner, which is typically fried fish and potato salad.  Joe has always spoken of these dumplings with great enthusiasm. Now, I am so grateful to be able to keep such a special tradition alive for years to come. 

Serve with a glass of milk or plum brandy!

Opekance (Slovakian Poppy Seed Dumplings)
Compliments of Zela Lazar (Joe's mother)
Serves 8


Leaven:

50 ml water, warm

2 Tbsp. yeast

1 teaspoon powdered sugar

Dough:

4 cups (500 g) flour

2 Tbsp. granulated sugar

Pinch of salt

2 eggs, slightly beaten

150 ml milk

2 Tbsp. butter, melted

Sweet Syrup:
2 cups water
3 Tbsp. honey
1 teaspoon butter
1 can (12.5 ounces) poppy seed pie/pastry filling


First prepare classic yeast bread dough by combining all of the ingredients under "leaven" to make prepare the yeast. Set aside for about 5 minutes to check to make sure that the yeast is alive (foam should form).  In a large mixing bowl, whisk together  the salt, sugar, eggs, lukewarm milk and butter. Then mix in the leaven, and finally begin adding the flour until a soft dough is formed. Knead for 3 minutes and then flip into a slightly greased bowl, cover in a warm place and allow to rise about 1 hour (or until dough has doubled in size).  Divide into 3 in balls, and roll into logs as long as your baking sheet (about 15 inches long and 1 inch wide). Place logs onto greased baking sheet and allow to rise for about 20 minutes. Cut logs with a knife into 1-inch dumplings (without cutting them completely through!) and bake 15-18 minutes at 350 degrees Fahrenheit.  Let cool, then break the logs into individual dumplings. Allow to dry out for a few days (see note below), then place into a large bowl. See pictures below for details.

Prepare the sweet syrup by bringing the water to a boil and then adding the honey and butter. Pour this hot syrup over the dumplings and let stand for 2-3 minutes. Finally, add the canned poppy seed filling and slightly mix everything together. If the dumplings are still too hard, add more water to it. Serve immediately!

Note: Prepare the bread 5-7 days before Christmas Eve. This will allow the bread to dry out a bit so that they won't be too mushy after adding the sweet syrup.  That way, when it comes time to serve, simply prepare the sweet sauce and combine!

Dry dough dumplings soaked with simple syrup and
topped off with the special ingredient...
sweet poppy seeds!