Servings
Font
Back
5.0 from 3 votes

Vatrushka

Vatrushka (plural vatrushki) is a brioche bun stuffed with tvaroh or cottage cheese flavored with vanilla or lemon.

Prep Time
1 hr
Cook Time
mins
Rest Time
2 hrs
Total Time
1 hr 25 mins
Servings: 6 people
Course: Dessert , Bread
Cuisine: Russian

Ingredients

For the dough
  • ¼ cup water (at 97 F / 36°C)
  • 2 tablespoons caster sugar
  • 2 teaspoons active dry yeast
  • 2 cups all-purpose flour , sifted
  • 1 egg
  • ¼ cup milk (at 97 F / 36°C)
  • ⅓ teaspoon salt
For the brushing
  • 3 tablespoons soft butter , melted (at room temperature)
For the filling
  • 1 tablespoon unsalted butter , melted
  • 1 lb tvaroh (or cottage cheese or ricotta)
  • 1 egg
  • 1 tablespoon caster sugar
  • 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • 1 tablespoon vanilla sugar (or 1 tablespoon sugar with ½ teaspoon vanilla extract)
Equipment
  • Stand mixer
  • Rolling pin
  • baking sheet
  • parchment paper
  • pastry brush
  • Cooling rack

Instructions

Dough
    Cup of Yum
  1. In a bowl, pour the milk and add 1 tablespoon caster sugar, yeast and 2 tablespoons sifted flour. Mix well.
  2. Cover with a cloth and let rise in a warm place, away from drafts, for 1 hour.
  3. The mixture should foam and rise.
  4. Separate the egg.
  5. Pour the yeast mixture into the bowl of a stand mixer. Add the egg white and remaining sugar (reserve the egg yolk).
  6. Using the dough hook, start kneading, gradually adding the sifted flour.
  7. Knead for 1 minute then add the salt.
  8. Knead for 5 to 8 minutes until obtaining a soft and homogeneous dough that comes off the sides of the bowl.
  9. Cover the dough and let it rise in a warm place, away from drafts, for 1 hour or until it at least doubles in volume.
  10. Place the dough on a floured work surface and knead it.
  11. Cover it again with a cloth and let it rise again for 45 minutes in a warm place away from drafts.
Filling
  1. Mix all the ingredients needed for the filling.
  2. If using fresh cheese that contains a lot of water, such as cottage cheese, first drain using a very fine mesh strainer or cheesecloth.
Assembly
  1. On a floured work surface, roll out the dough into a sheet about ⅓ inch (8 mm) thick. Cut circles about 5 inches (12 cm) in diameter. Knead again to the remaining dough, and reuse it for other circles.
  2. Place the circles of dough, well spaced, on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Cover them with a cloth and let them rise for 20 minutes.
  3. When the dough discs have risen well, preheat the oven to 350 F (180°C).
  4. Use the bottom of a glass to form a hollow in the center of each disc, leaving at least ½ inch (1 to 1,5 cm) of border.
  5. Fill each trough with about a tablespoon of sweet cheese.
  6. Mix 2 tablespoons (25 g) of melted butter and the egg yolk. Beat the mixture.
  7. Using a pastry brush, carefully brush a thin layer of the egg yolk and butter mixture, first on the dough and then on the filling.
  8. Let the vatrushki sit for another 10 minutes and carefully pierce the top in 3 places with a fork without piercing to the bottom.
  9. Bake in the oven. Baking time varies, but it usually takes 15 to 25 minutes to get a smooth, golden crust.
  10. When baking is finished, immediately place the vatrushki on a cooling rack.
  11. Using a second, clean pastry brush, brush the vatrushki with the remaining melted butter.
  12. Let the vatrushki cool for at least 15 minutes before serving.