Best Vatrushka Recipes

RASPBERRY VATRUSHKA BUNS

Steps:

• Sprinkle yeast over 1/4 cup of warm milk in a small bowl. Stir in 1 teaspoon flour and 1 1/2 teaspoon caster sugar; stir to dissolve. Let stand until the yeast softens and begins to form a creamy foam, about 5 minutes.
• Combine 1 cup sifted flour and 1/4 cup warm milk in a large bowl. Pour in the yeast mixture and mix well to form a sticky dough. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap, and cover the plastic-wrapped bowl with a clean kitchen towel. Let the dough rise in a warm place for until doubled, 2 hours or more.
• Beat butter, egg yolk, and 2 tablespoons caster sugar with an electric mixer until creamy, about 3 minutes. Add the butter mixture to the dough; pour in 1 cup flour and 1/2 teaspoon salt.
• Transfer the dough to a floured surface and knead until the dough is no longer sticky and feels smooth and elastic, about 10 minutes. Place the dough into a lightly greased bowl, cover the bowl with plastic wrap, and top it with the towel. Let the dough rise again for 1 hour.
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
• Return the dough to a floured work surface. Press down lightly with your hands to deflate it, and use a knife to cut the dough into 8 pieces.
• Shape each piece into a ball and arrange them on the prepared baking sheet. Place two glasses on the baking sheet to hold up the towel, and arrange the towel over the rolls to prevent them from drying out. Let rise for 30 minutes.
• Remove the towel and glasses. Dip the bottom of a 2-inch glass or jar in flour and press down in the center of each bun to form a hollow. Fill the buns with the raspberries. Brush the beaten egg white on the edges of the buns and sprinkle each bun with about 1 1/2 teaspoon sugar.
• Bake in the preheated oven until the buns are golden brown, about 25 minutes.

VATRUSHKA

Steps:

• Dissolve yeast and 1 pinch sugar in warm milk in a bowl. Let stand until yeast softens and begins to form a creamy foam, 5 to 10 minutes.
• Sift flour into a large bowl; make a well in the centre. Add yeast mixture, butter, salt, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, egg, and 2 tablespoons sugar. Mix gently until a dough forms.
• Transfer to a floured surface and knead until dough becomes pliable and is no longer sticky, about 5 minutes. Transfer to a greased bowl. Cover bowl with a damp kitchen towel and leave in a warm place until doubled, 1 1/2 to 2 hours. Punch down dough, cover, and leave until doubled again, about 1 hour.
• Grease a baking sheet with oil.
• Divide dough into 4 equal parts. Cut each part into 3 equal pieces. Roll each piece of dough into a ball and arrange on the prepared baking sheet. Flatten each piece lightly and let rise for 20 minutes.
• Combine farmer's cheese, egg, 2 tablespoons sugar, sour cream, and 1 teaspoon vanilla extract in a bowl for the filling.
• Use a water glass to press an indention for the filling in the center of each dough piece. Spoon filling into the indention and brush with egg yolk. Repeat with remaining dough pieces and filling. Cover and let rise for 20 to 25 minutes.
• Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).
• Bake in the preheated oven until golden, 15 to 20 minutes.

VATRUSHKA (????????)

Steps:

• Prepare the dough:
• Heat the water to 110°F; add 1 Tbsp. of sugar, yeast, and ½ cup of sifted flour. Stir well, cover, and leave in a warm place for about an hour. The mix should develop a lot of bubbles and rise.
• Separate the egg white from the yolk. Save the yolk in a cup in the fridge.
• Heat milk to 110°F and add to the mix. Stir in the egg white, salt, and the remaining sugar. Gradually add sifted flour while stirring in one direction (a wooden spatula is preferred). While stirring, keep your spatula close to the center of the mixing bowl instead of rubbing the sides of the bowl with it. When the dough becomes too dense to stir with the spatula, start kneading it by hand while adding small amounts of flour at a time. The end point: A ball of dough with a smooth surface that has just enough flour to prevent it from sticking to your hands. Don't use more flour than necessary! Note that the butter has not been used at this stage.
• Cover the dough and let it rise in a warm place until it doubles in size. After that, press it down and let it rise one more time.
• Prepare the filling:
• Melt the butter without making it hot, and then mix all the ingredients. Caveat: if you are using fresh cheese that has lots of water in it such as cottage cheese, squeeze the water out using a mesh strainer or cheesecloth.
• Assemble vatrushkas:
• Dust your work surface with flour and roll out the dough into a sheet about ¼ inch thick. Cut out circles about 5 inches in diameter (you can use a tea saucer for that).
• ■Note: You can cut the sheet into squares instead of circles. Squares may be less visually appealing and less traditional but they save you a good deal of time but completely utilizing the entire sheet of dough. If you opt for the round shape, you would have to re-knead and reuse the dough left between the circles. At the very least you should try to cut as many circles as possible out of each sheet of dough to maximize your work efficiency. Brush up on your geometry!
• Place ½ - 1 Tbsp. of filling in the middle of each circle (the exact amount depends on your vatrushka size and your personal preferences). Do not overfill! Carefully roll up the edges making neat, smooth, and even walls about ⅔ inches in height. Even make them a bit higher if you are afraid you are overfilling. Carefully smoothen the surface of the filling making sure it is even and fills the entire space.
• Turn on the oven to preheat it to 425°F - 450°F.
• Lightly grease a baking sheet or pan. You can moisten it with water instead especially if it has a non-stick surface. Arrange vatrushkas on the baking sheet some distance apart so they don't stick together when they expand. Checkerboard arrangement will let you safely fit more vatrushkas on a single baking sheet (geometry again). Let your vatrushkas stand for about 15 minutes in a warm place.
• Meanwhile melt the butter without making it hot, and mix it with the saved egg yolk. Stir very well and remove any clumps.
• After vatrushkas have been rising for 15 minutes, carefully brush a thin layer of the egg yolk/butter mix on the top and most importantly, the dough portion of each pie. Don't apply force or you'll damage them!
• Let vatrushkas stand for another 10 minutes and carefully puncture the top in 2-3 places with a fork without puncturing all the way to the bottom. Place them in the oven.
• Baking time will vary but it usually takes 15-25 minutes to obtain a smooth brown crust (see the photo). You can preheat the oven to a higher temperature and then turn down the heat right after you put vatrushkas inside. Testing with a toothpick can help: the toothpick stuck into the crust should come out clean.
• After the baking is finished, immediately place vatrushkas on a wooden board or wire mesh for cooling. Brush on a small amount of melted butter for extra flavor (use a clean brush, not the same one used before baking).
• Let the vatrushkas cool for at least 15 minutes before serving. This is important for full flavor development.
• Enjoy!