Vatrushka Sweet Buns (Ватрушки)

A Russian classic, baked sweet buns filled with sweet cheese Tvorog, Farmer's Cheese or Quark. A Russian brioche style bun (сдобное sdobnoe), a delicious and healthy treat. Vatrushka Sweet Cheese Buns (Ватрушка)

Course Baking, Cheese, Dessert

Cuisine Eastern European, Russian, Ukrainian

Keyword Vatrushka, Vatrushka Buns, Vatrushki

Author Peter Kolesnichenko

Ingredients

Bread Maker Dough Ingredients

1 cup milk lukewarm
2 medium eggs
7 tablespoons sugar
pinch of salt
1 tablespoon sour cream room temp
4 tablespoons melted butter - using 15ml measure
1 teaspoon vanilla
3⅓ cups of flour
2 teaspoons bread machine yeast

Traditional Yeast Dough Ingredients

1 ⅓ cups lukewarm warm milk
1 tablespoon yeast
7 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon salt
4 cups flour plus more for kneading
2 eggs
5 tablespoons oil or melted butter

Cheese Filling ingredients

1 lb/450g tvorog or quark
1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste
2 small eggs can use 1 large egg
4 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons sour cream
egg wash 2 egg yolks with 1 tablespoon of whipping cream

Instructions

Bread Maker Dough Instructions

Place the Sweet Yeast Dough ingredients in the order listed up until the yeast into your bread machine and select the dough program. This will take around 90 minutes.

Traditional Yeast Dough Instructions

Pour yeast, ½ of the lukewarm milk in a bowl and 1 tablespoon sugar. Whisk together and mix in ½ cup of flour. Allow to site for 15 minutes in a warm place until it starts to bubble and foam, then the yeast is activated.
In a bowl, mix together 2 eggs, 1 teaspoon salt, 5 tablespoons sugar, 5 tablespoons oil. Mix in the remaining milk. Pour into the yeast mixture and slowly add the remaining flour until it forms a dough ball. Knead on a floured surface, adding more flour if needed, for about 5 minutes until smooth and elastic.
Place back into bowl, cover with cling wrap. Place in a warm place until it rises, about 1 ½ hours. Punch down dough, gently knead and you are ready to use.

Making Vatrushka Buns

Preheat oven to 350°F/180°C.
To make the cheese filling, Mix together the tvorog, vanilla bean paste, egg, sugar and sour cream.
When the dough is ready, cut into 12 even pieces. Using your palms, roll each piece into a round ball. Place on parchment paper on a baking tray.
Using the bottom of a drinking glass, press down in the middle of the dough ball, making an indentation like a well, to hold the tvorog cheese filling. Spoon in the tvorog cheese to fill the pastry. The vatrushki will be around 5" round. Allow to rise in a warm place for about 15 minutes. Make an egg wash with one egg and 2 tablespoons milk. Brush the edges of the vatrushka with the egg yolk.
Bake in the preheated oven for about 20 minutes until golden brown.