Kūčiukai served dry and soaked in aguonpienis. AI-generated illustration created for LithuaniaLinks.
What kūčiukai are
Kūčiukai are small baked dough pieces dotted with poppy seeds. They can be eaten dry or soaked in poppy-seed milk. They are not large bread rolls or fried doughnuts.
Their place at Kūčios
Kūčios is the Christmas Eve meal. Go Vilnius describes kūčiukai, poppy-seed milk, herring and mushroom dumplings among its foods. Families choose different dishes and menus for the occasion.
Finding them before Christmas
Go Vilnius notes that kūčiukai are sold in supermarkets in the run-up to Christmas. Check the ingredients if you need a water-based version: the recipe below uses no dairy or egg.
What aguonpienis means
Aguonpienis is made by soaking and grinding poppy seeds with water. It is not cow's milk with seeds added. The second recipe is a separate preparation and has its own quantities.
Home recipe
Water-based kūčiukai
About 10 portions
Approx. 270 kcal per serving · Biscuits only
Recipe adapted from: Beatos virtuvė.
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Two rises: about 30 minutes, then about 1 to 1.5 hours. Bake about 10 minutes per tray.
Ingredients
Add only what you need, or add the whole recipe at once.
Dough
- 500 g plain flour
- 250 ml water
- 20 g fresh yeast, or 7 to 10 g dried yeast
- 100 g sugar
- 2 tbsp neutral oil
- 50 g poppy seeds
- A pinch of salt
Method
- Mix the yeast with a little lukewarm water and sugar, following the packet if needed.
- Add the remaining water, sugar, oil and salt, then just under half the flour. Cover for about 30 minutes.
- Add the rest of the flour and the poppy seeds. Knead for at least 5 minutes, then leave covered until doubled, about 1 to 1.5 hours.
- Knock back, form thin ropes and cut into small bites. Place on a greased tray.
- Bake at 190 °C for about 10 minutes, depending on size. Cool fully.
Ingredient information: Wheat in the kūčiukai; No dairy or egg in these listed versions. Check the labels of bought ingredients.
Energy estimate
Approx. 270 kcal per serving
Reference servings per batch: 10. 1/10 of the biscuits; poppy-seed milk is separate.
Calculation details
Uses the water-based recipe with 20 g fresh yeast, 28 g oil and all 50 g poppy seeds. Poppy-seed milk is not included in this figure.
Calculated from ingredient quantities and the stated reference serving, rounded to the nearest 10 kcal. Brands, portion size and retained frying fat affect the result.
Home recipe
Poppy-seed milk
About 8 portions
Approx. 280 kcal per serving · Poppy-seed milk with ground seeds
Recipe adapted from: Beatos virtuvė; Beatos virtuvė · YouTube.
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Includes soaking or boiling and cooling. The milk is a separate recipe.
Ingredients
Add only what you need, or add the whole recipe at once.
Poppy-seed milk
- 400 g food-grade poppy seeds
- 1 to 1.5 litres water, plus soaking water
- Sugar, to taste
- A small pinch of salt
Method
- Soak the poppy seeds in water overnight. The recipe author also describes boiling them for 10 to 15 minutes and cooling as a quicker option.
- Drain, then grind with fresh water in a suitable blender until the liquid looks milky. Add water within the stated range to reach the consistency you want.
- Sweeten to taste and add a little salt. Serve with the kūčiukai.
Ingredient information: Wheat in the kūčiukai; No dairy or egg in these listed versions. Check the labels of bought ingredients.
Energy estimate
Approx. 280 kcal per serving
Reference servings per batch: 8. 1/8 of the milk, including ground seeds; no biscuits.
Calculation details
Includes all 400 g ground poppy seeds, as in the unstrained method, and assumes 40 g sugar for the batch. Straining out seeds or changing the sugar changes the energy. Biscuits are excluded.
Calculated from ingredient quantities and the stated reference serving, rounded to the nearest 10 kcal. Brands, portion size and retained frying fat affect the result.
