12 Traditional Polish Breads

Whether you realize it or not, Polish breads are a huge deal.

Most cities in Poland have their own signature breads, and each insists its bread is the best. 

To this day, there’s even a popular wedding tradition in which Polish parents present the bride and groom and a bread and salt offering representing “prosperity and bitterness.”

The gifts symbolize the ups and downs that every married couple goes through in their time together, and Polish breads are an essential part of it. 

If you’d like to learn more about the different types of bread in Poland, keep reading to see my picks for 12 of the yummiest Polish bread recipes. 

Best Polish Bread Recipes To Try

1. Polish Potato Bread

If you’re looking to cut back on your daily carb intake, Polish potato bread may not be the way to go.

As the name implies, it combines two very carb-heavy things: potatoes and bread. 

However, if you’re looking for a bread that’s as filling as it is tasty, then Polish potato bread is an ideal choice for that. 

It has a perfectly golden crust and the softest, fluffiest white center you can imagine. It also tastes so good that you’ll want to eat it right out of the oven.

2. Polish Onion and Poppy Seed Rolls

If you’re in the mood for something much more complex and with a lot more flavor, try these onion and poppy seed rolls instead.

You’ll make the dough with standard baking ingredients: yeast, sugar, sea salt, bread flour, whole milk, water, eggs, and butter. 

However, the filling gets a little crazy. That’s where you’ll add your chopped onion, poppy seeds, and parmesan cheese. (Can’t you just taste it already?)

Add an egg glaze on top to give them that gorgeous golden shine, and feel free to add more of the filling ingredients to the top, as well, if you want to make them look even more elaborate.

3. Polish Sauerkraut Bread

When people think of Polish food, they usually think of Polish sausage and sauerkraut, not bread.

This bread, though, comes equipped with its own sauerkraut.

As you might imagine, it’s a little tangy, but if you don’t like sauerkraut, don’t discount it automatically.

You can’t really taste that ingredient at all until the bread is a few days old.

Mostly, it tastes like wheat bread with just enough rye to give it a flavor (and color) boost. It’s ideal for pairing with thick soups or lean proteins.

4. Polish Babka Easter Bread

This bread may look like an oversized glazed donut, but there’s so much more to it than that. 

It’s sweet and cinnamon-flavored, but there’s also some underlying tartness from the orange juice and lemon rind. 

Now and then, you’ll bite into a golden raisin or a walnut, and the cinnamon sugar topping will absolutely blow your mind. 

5. Povitica (Polish Walnut Bread)

This yeast-free bread has an amazing flavor that combines the nuttiness of walnuts with the sweetness of cinnamon, brown sugar, and vanilla. 

It’s soft, buttery, and takes just a bit over an hour to make. It makes a fantastic breakfast toast, or you can serve it as a light, after-dinner dessert. 

6. Cheese Babka

Cheese babka is half cake, half bread, and 100% wholly delicious. It has an extremely sweet and buttery crumb topping, and the bread itself is tasty, too. 

The filling gives you a sweet and tangy kick, as it combines farmer’s cheese, sugar, and egg yolk only.

It’s almost as if cheesecake meets a loaf of your favorite sweet bread. 

In other words, the flavor is complex and difficult to describe, but it’s one you won’t want to miss.

Give it a try and see if you are as impressed as I was with my first bite.

7. Polish Chalka Crumble Bread

This crumbly bread combines the light sweetness of vanilla with bright, vibrant bursts of candied orange flavoring.

Like the babka Easter bread above, people traditionally serve it on holidays.

That’s primarily because it takes so long to make (about 6 hours).

However, the process isn’t tricky and uses only easy-to-find baking ingredients and candied oranges.

Whether you’re looking for something new for breakfast, lunch, dinner, or dessert, this one is a fantastic option.

8. Obwarzanek Krakowski (Polish Bagels)

Also called the Krakow pretzel or Krakow bagel, the Obwarzanek Krakowski may not look like any pretzel or bagel that you’ve ever had. 

But when something tastes this good, does it really matter how it looks!? It’s a simple, yeasty bread with just a touch of honey for sweetness. 

You can top it with salt, poppy seeds, sesame seeds, or something else you like better. Either way, people will love them.

9. Proziaki (Polish Soda Bread)

It takes a little longer than 10 minutes to make these funky-looking bread rolls if you bake them, but compared to how long it takes to make other breads, this one is quick.

They take such a short amount of time to make because they are entirely yeast-free and use only five ingredients.

Additionally, though you can bake them for about 15 minutes, you could choose to fry them instead, which cuts the time down significantly, keeping them in the 10-minute window.

10. Polish Sourdough Rye Bread

If you absolutely love sourdough bread, you must try this recipe for sourdough rye. It looks gorgeous, like something out of a movie set in the 17th century. 

And it tastes fresh, slightly tangy, and insanely good.

It’s a thick, dense, dark bread covered with caraway seeds, and if you don’t love it, I’m not sure you’re a true bread lover. 

11. Babcia Bread

Babcia bread has a flaky, golden-brown crust, but its insides are soft, white, and airy.

It almost looks like store-bought white bread, though the loaves are usually larger. 

It doesn’t taste like typical sandwich bread, though.

There’s a vanilla and sugar sweetness to it that makes it ill-suited for cold cuts, but it’s not entirely dessert sweet, either. 

I enjoy it most for breakfast. I toast it, smear it with butter or jam, and have it with my tea or coffee. It’s a fantastic way to start the day. 

12. Polish Buttermilk Rye Bread

Polish buttermilk rye bread has all the tangy flavor of authentic rye bread, but it’s much easier (and quicker) to make thanks to the buttermilk. 

It’s a crusty, hearty bread that’s best when cut in thick slices and served with something you can use to sop it up. 

Dip it in your soups or use it to finish off the last of the gravy. Either way, it’s the ideal bread for either.