These lazy cottage cheese buns, known as vatrushka, are soft yeast rolls with a creamy, sweet cheese center. They bake up beautifully golden and taste wonderful warm with a cup of tea. If you enjoy cottage cheese baking, you will also love our Tall and Fluffy Cottage Cheese Casserole and Puff Pastry Squares with Cottage Cheese and Fruit.
Ingredients
For the dough
- 250 g (1 cup + 1 tbsp) warm milk
- 4 egg yolks
- 10 g (2 1/4 tsp) dry yeast
- 80-100 g (1/3-1/2 cup) sugar
- 500-600 g (4-5 cups) all-purpose flour
- 1/3 tsp salt
- 100 g (7 tbsp) soft butter
For the filling
- 300 g (10.5 oz) smooth cottage cheese
- 1 egg
- 3 tbsp sugar
- 1 tbsp sour cream
- 1 tbsp all-purpose flour
- 1 tbsp semolina
- Vanilla to taste
Instructions
- Make a sponge: stir the yeast, a tablespoon of sugar, and a tablespoon of flour into the warm milk. Rest for 20 minutes until foamy.
- Combine everything with the sponge, adding the flour in portions, and knead a soft, elastic dough. Cover and proof in a warm place until 1.5-2x in volume.
- For the filling, blend the cottage cheese, egg, sugar, sour cream, flour, semolina, and vanilla until smooth.
- Divide the risen dough into equal pieces and shape into balls; let them proof again briefly.
- Press the bottom of a narrow glass into the center of each ball to make a well, then fill each well with the cottage cheese mixture.
- Brush the sides with egg beaten with a little milk and bake in a preheated oven at 185C (365F) until deep golden.
Tips
- Make sure the milk is warm, not hot — too much heat will kill the yeast. King Arthur Baking has a helpful primer on working with yeast doughs.
- Press the well deep enough to hold a generous spoonful of filling without overflowing.
- These buns are best the day they are baked; warm leftovers in a low oven for a few minutes to refresh them.
Nutrition: per 100 g — 169 kcal, protein 14 g, fat 7 g, carbs 11 g.