Do you dream of shaking up your morning meals?
Well, dream no more!
I’ve gathered 10 brilliant Polish breakfast recipes perfect for sparking some joy in your day.
These range from delicious breads to sweet treats to hearty skillets, so you’re bound to discover a new morning favorite!
1. Polish Potato Bread
One intriguing application of potatoes in Polish cooking shows up in bread. Known as okragly chleb kartoflany, Polish potato bread uses mashed potatoes to create the dough.
At first, I wondered about the purpose of adding potatoes when making bread. But it turns out, they help keep bread more moist over a longer period. Moreover, they give bread fantastic toasting potential.
This dish requires allowing the dough to rise three times, resulting in a delightful zest and a very light and airy inside.
2. Farmer’s Cheese Toast
As the potato bread bakes in the oven, quickly whip up this simple, 10-minute spread! Farmer’s cheese toast makes for a typical Polish spring and summer breakfast. It’s basically a slice of bread covered in a truly rich and creamy spread.
Although I strongly suggest sourdough or potato bread, you can use any kind of bread for this toast. Ultimately, the spread made of farmer’s cheese, sour cream or yogurt, chopped radishes and chives, and a touch of salt, pepper, and paprika is the real star.
I’m glad to spread this on anything!
3. Semolina Porridge
Kasza manna, better known as semolina, is derived from purified middlings of durum wheat. It sees use as a thickening ingredient for pasta, couscous, pudding, and various desserts. Here, it’s enjoyed as a rich and creamy porridge.
Semolina porridge, with its ease of digestion and countless nutritional benefits, serves as a common breakfast for toddlers and babies. When jazzed up with extras, any adult would happily have this delicious dish.
Many ingredient options exist, including dried fruits, nuts, chocolate, and jam. For additional zest, try a pinch of nutmeg or cinnamon.
4. Polish Easter Bread (Bobka)
Bobka makes another popular bread in Poland. It is a sweet bread typically enjoyed during Easter. While bobka comes in many shapes and forms, its core remains that of a sweet bread.
Here, the bread gains flavor from orange juice as well as raisins and walnuts. A drizzling of orange glaze provides the perfect oomph for this dish.
5. Polish Plum Butter
If you can’t get enough of dessert for breakfast, give this plum butter a try. Known as pflaumenmus, this Polish treat isn’t easy to find in many American stores, but it’s also pretty simple to prepare!
To begin, you’ll want sugar for sweetness, cinnamon and cloves for spice, and plenty of plums! The ingredients require minimal effort because a slow cooker handles everything.
For best results, cook the ingredients on low for a minimum of 20 hours. If time is an issue, cook on high for 4 hours.
6. Polish Donuts
Let’s finish with a bang!
What about donuts for breakfast?
Known as paczki, Polish donuts are also soft and pillowy, but have richer flavor than their American relatives because the dough uses butter, milk, and eggs. While jams, chocolates, and custards make common fillings, the toppings run the gamut of glaze, icing, and powdered sugar. They might not seem the healthiest choice, but they’re guaranteed to put a smile on my face.
7. Polish Rye Bread
Bread is a core part of Polish eating habits beyond breakfast, influencing lunch and supper as well. Step one in embracing the country’s foodways is learning to make its bread.
Poland has thousands of bread varieties, each unique in its shape, size, color, and taste, and rye bread counts among the most popular. It offers a crunchy outside and a moist inside, punctuated by a pleasant zest.
This recipe guides the making of rye bread via two options. The simpler option involves yeast, while the more involved yet rewarding choice calls for a starter. Either way, you’ll have an amazing loaf of rye bread.
8. Breakfast Skillet with Kielbasa and Eggs
This skillet features kielbasa, potatoes, peppers, onions, and cheese. These flavorful pieces fuse with creamy scrambled eggs, making for a total package.
As you might expect, the skillet works as a full meal in itself. Feel free to pair it with rye bread if you’re especially hungry.
9. Polish Apple Pancakes
Pancakes already offer plenty to love, but adding sliced apples creates something truly unique. Known as racuchy z jabłkam, this time-honored Polish breakfast consists of sliced apples dipped in pancake batter, then fried until golden.
The result has a crisp outside with a fluffy inside. Every mouthful is sublime.
The dish doesn’t end there, as the pancakes gain a dusting of powdered sugar and a drizzling of sweet and sticky syrup. It’s an amazing breakfast in my book.
You can also use pears as a substitute with similar results. While the flavors may differ, the awesomeness doesn’t.
10. Polish Crepes
Crepes don’t just have fans in France; many Eastern European nations such as Poland and Croatia enjoy them as well. In Croatia, Serbia, and Hungary, they’re known as palačinke, palacinke, and palacsinta. The Polish variation goes by naleśniki.
All crepe types share the ability to pair with either sweet or savory ingredients, making them great partners for fruits, jams, and chocolate as well as mushrooms, eggs, and herbed cream cheese. However, while French crepes are often folded in half, naleśniki have a distinct rolling. Then, they get pan-fried or baked in butter, awarding them extra points!