Vatrushka Buns
Treat yourself, your family and your close ones to this soft, pillowy vatrushka bun recipe. These delightful Eastern European cheese pastries are perfect for breakfast, brunch or lunch!
Tip snd trick: If you love fluffy sweet buns, you will love vatrushkas.
Jow yo prepare:
Prepare the yeast mixture: Combine the yeast with milk and a bit of sugar. Rest the mixture for about 10 minutes.
Add in more ingredients: Whisk in the eggs, mayo, salt, and sugar.
Mix in the flour: Using a mixer, slowly add in the flour. Once the flour is mixed in well, add the oil. Knead for about 10 minutes or until the dough is elastic. Allow the dough to rise for an hour.
Cut the dough: Cut and shape the dough into about 30 flattened balls. Space them out on a sheet pan or two and allow them to rise, covered, for 30 minutes.
Hollow out the centers: Use a glass to hollow out the center of each bun for the filling.
Prepare the filling: Combine the cream cheese, cottage cheese (or farmers cheese), eggs, and sugar.
Add the filling & bake: Fill each bun center with the filling and bake at 350°F for 30 minutes or until golden brown.
Filling variations: Vatrushka can be filled with tons of different fillings, too (just like danishes!). Add berries or a dollop of raspberry jam on top of the cream cheese filling for a fruity taste! Or for a citrusy spin, add a splash of lemon juice, lemon zest, or lemon curd!
Tips for Great Vatrushka Buns
What is the secret to a delicious vatrushka bun? There’s actually no secret — I’ve got all the tips you’ll need right here!
Use a good quality flour: I have consistently had the best results with Bob’s Red Mill All Purpose Flour. The dough turns out perfect every time!
Mix with a stand mixer: It’s super easy to get the correct dough consistency when you knead the dough with a stand mixer. This is my favorite one.
Oil the glass: When hollowing out the centers with a glass (for the filling), oil the glass. Now it won’t stick to the dough!
Use two baking sheets: Your dough balls will need space for rising and you don’t want the pastries to overlap when baking, so divide them between two large sheet pans. This set is my favorite!
Give the buns an egg wash (optional): For an extra golden color, I often brush the pastries with an egg wash before filling and baking them.
Slightly overfill the centers: Add enough filling to the center of the pastry that it begins to slightly “dome” over. The cheese shrinks as it bakes, so you want to have a little bit extra in there.
Storing Vatrushka
Vatrushka (like many pastries) taste the absolute best right after baking. The warm center and soft dough is to-die-for! But, in case of extras, here are my suggestions on how to best store them.
Room temperature: If you have only a few left over, place them in an airtight container and store them on the counter for 2-3 days.
Refrigerator: To store for a week, keep the vatrushki in an airtight container in the fridge.
Freezer: Fully bake and cool the pastries. Then, wrap them individually in plastic wrap and store in freezer bags for up to three months. Thaw in the refrigerator overnight.
Reheating tip: Vatrushka can be enjoyed either cold or warmed up — it’s up to you! If you want yours warm, put them in the microwave for just a few seconds, or heat a whole tray in the oven until warmed through.
More Sweet Bun Recipes
Fruit Piroshki Recipe – Eastern European jam-filled hand pie
Poppy Seed Buns – Twisty buns filled with crunchy poppy seeds
Quick Cottage Cheese Buns – Yeast-free protein-rich buns
Brioche Cinnamon Buns – Sweet brioche and cinnamon buns? Yes, please!
Vatrushka Buns (Moms Recipe)
4.8 from 969 votes
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Servings
30 Units
Prep Time
30minutes mins
Cook Time
30minutes mins
Rising Time
2hours hrs
Total Time
3hours hrs
Recipe contributed by: Natalya Drozhzhin
Ready yourself for these soft, pillowy vatrushka buns. They’re delightful Eastern European cheese pastries similar to Danishes and perfect for breakfast or dessert!
Ingredients
1 1/2 tbsp active dry yeast
2 cups warm milk
1/2 cup sugar divided
3 eggs
2 tbsp mayonnaise
1 tsp salt
5 cups flour (depending on the flour brand, you may need to add more)
3 tbsp oil avocado or canola
Filling
16 oz cream cheese room temperature
16 oz farmers cheese or cottage cheese
2 eggs
1/2 cup sugar
1 cup golden raisins optional
US Units
Metric
Instructions
In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine yeast with two cups of warm milk (110°F) and one tablespoon of sugar. Let this mixture rest on the counter for 10 minutes.
Add the eggs, mayonnaise, salt, and remaining sugar to the mixture, whisking to combine.
Gradually mix in the flour with a spatula. Once the flour is all mixed in, add oil to the mixture. It’s important to add the oil last, as this helps with the dough texture. Use a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook to knead the dough until it’s elastic, this will take at least 10 minutes. The dough should not be sticky, but still soft. Then, allow the dough to rise for about an hour.
Cut the dough into 30 equal pieces (a dough or bench scraper works great here). Shape each piece into a flattened ball. Place the balls 2 inches apart on a parchment lined baking sheet, and cover with a towel. Let them rise for 30 minutes.
After rising, press each bun in the center with the bottom of a glass to hollow out the center for the filling. You’ll want to space out the balls of dough before pressing into them, so that the pastries don’t touch. Use two baking sheets to fit all of the buns.
Whisk the cream cheese, cottage cheese, eggs, and sugar together to create the filling. Optionally, you can add raisins to the filling. (Note: If adding raisins, they will need to be soaked in boiled water for 10-15 minutes and then drained, before combining with the cheese.)
Fill each center with the sweet cheese filling.
Preheat oven to 350°F. Bake one tray of vatrushka buns at a time, the other tray can rest on the counter in the meantime. Bake for 30 minutes or until golden brown. Enjoy!
