Russian Vatrushki with Cottage Cheese and Vanilla

Name: Russian Vatrushki with Cottage Cheese and Vanilla
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 1 h
Total time: 1 h 20 min
Yield: 8 portions
Ingredients: 300 g plain flour; 150 ml milk; 50 g butter; 1 pc egg; 50 g caster sugar; 1 packet dried yeast; 1 pinch salt; 300 g quark; 1 pc egg; 50 g caster sugar; 1 packet vanilla sugar; 1 teaspoon lemon zest

Eduard LáskaDairyRussian Cuisine x se líbilo

Vatrushki are classic Russian yeast buns with an open cottage cheese center that fill any kitchen with the smell of fresh baking. The soft, buttery dough wraps around a creamy vanilla curd filling, so together they taste like something between a sweet roll and a cheesecake. They are served lukewarm with tea or coffee, ideally on the same day they are baked, while the dough is still fluffy. They belong to the traditional Russian breakfast and holiday table.

Příprava: 20min

Vaření: 1h

CELKOVÝ ČAS: 1h 20min

Step by step process

Preparing the yeast dough

1
Activate the yeast: heat the milk to lukewarm temperature (approx. 37 °C), mix with the yeast and a spoonful of sugar and let stand for 10 minutes until the mixture begins to foam. Without this step, the vatrushki would not rise properly.
2
Sift the flour into a bowl, add the remaining sugar and salt. Add the egg, melted butter and activated yeast. Knead into a smooth, non-sticky dough - by hand for approximately 8 minutes or in a stand mixer for 5 minutes.
3
Cover the dough with a cloth and let it rise in a warm place for 40-50 minutes until it doubles in volume.

Preparing the filling and baking

4
Mix the cottage cheese with the egg, sugar, vanilla sugar and lemon zest. Stir until smooth.
5
Divide the risen dough into 8 equal pieces. Shape each into a ball and place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Let rest for 15 minutes.
6
Preheat the oven to 180 °C. Make a deep indent in each ball with a spoon or fingers and fill with the cottage cheese filling. Bake for 18-22 minutes until golden.