Mákos pite

Ingredients

• 11½ ozflourfor the dough
• 5¼ ozbuttercold, for the dough; lard or margarine also used
• 3⅛ ozsugarfor the dough, usually icing sugar
• 2eggseparated: yolks into the dough, whites whipped and folded into the filling
• 2 tspbaking powderfor the dough
• 1 pinchsaltfor the dough
• 2 tbspsour creamto bind the dough; milk or cold water also used
• 8¾ ozPoppy seedground, for the filling
• ¾ cupmilkfor the filling, usually brought to the boil
• 6 ozsugarfor the filling
• 1lemonunwaxed, grated zest for the filling
• 2vanilla sugarsachets, for dough and filling
• 3 tbspapricot jamstirred smooth, to spread on the base
• 4 ozflourfor the filling, mixed with a little baking powder (optional)
• 2⅛ ozmargarinefor the filling (optional)
• cinnamonground, for the filling (optional)
• icing sugarfor dusting

Method

1. Rub in the dough baseFor the dough, mix the flour with the baking powder, sugar (icing sugar works best), some of the vanilla sugar and a pinch of salt. Add the cold butter in pieces and rub it in with your fingertips until it looks like fine crumbs.
2. Knead and chill the doughSeparate the eggs and set the whites aside. Add the yolks and sour cream to the crumbs and quickly knead everything into a smooth dough. Wrap it in cling film and chill for at least 30 minutes.
3. Cook the poppy seed fillingFor the filling, bring the milk to the boil with the sugar, the rest of the vanilla sugar and the grated lemon zest. Stir in the ground poppy seeds, add a little cinnamon if you like, let it simmer briefly, then leave the mixture to cool completely.
4. Fold in the egg whitesWhisk the egg whites to stiff peaks and gently fold them into the cooled poppy seed mixture so it stays nice and airy.
5. Roll out and line the trayPreheat the oven to 175–355 °F. Halve the dough and roll out each half to the size of your baking tray. Line the tray with baking paper, lay in the first sheet of dough and prick it all over with a fork.
6. Spread jam and fillingStir the apricot jam until smooth and spread it thinly over the base. Spread the poppy seed filling evenly on top.
7. Add the top layer and bakeLay the second sheet of dough over the filling, press it down lightly and prick it with a fork as well. Bake for 40–45 minutes until golden brown.
8. Cool, dust and sliceLet the mákos pite cool completely on the tray, dust it generously with icing sugar and cut it into 16 pieces.

Tips and variations

Lard or margarine work in the dough instead of butter, and a splash of milk or cold water can stand in for the sour cream. For a more cake-like filling, mix the poppy seeds raw or scald them, then combine with flour, a little baking powder and margarine; some people add semolina too. If you like it crisper, blind-bake the base first, and instead of a solid sheet you can lay the top as a lattice of strips or leave it off altogether. Brushing the lid with egg gives it a lovely shine. Poppy seed fans can go for a lavish version with 500 g poppy seeds, honey, orange zest, cinnamon and lard, plus raisins, cloves and ginger if you fancy; for a vegan take, use oat milk, flaxseed instead of egg and vegan sour cream. It tastes best once it has had time to settle, with a thick snowfall of icing sugar on top.