Vatrushka
Vatrushka are very popular little cheese pies that are much beloved in Ukraine and are popular in some other countries in eastern Europe. Normally served in a sweet variety, there are also savory kinds you can enjoy – such as with a potato filling or a savory cheese.
Today's recipe will be a classic version – sweet, cheese-filled Vatrushky. A good point of reference is the venerable (American style) Danish. To me, Vatrushka is by far the most favorite treat from childhood – a little dose of sunshine.
Which is fitting, perhaps, because their resemblance to little suns is often noted! Some even believe that Vatrushky recipes go all the way back to pre-Christian times, when the sun god Yarylo was worshipped during Green Holidays. I don't know about that, but I do know there's plenty to worship just in this pastry!
So let's get to it, shall we?
_______________________________
How to Make Vatrushky, by Chef Klopotenko
Ingredients for the dough
- 250 ml of warm Milk
- 25 g of live Yeast
- 2 tbsp. Sugar
- 600 g of Flour + 50 g for dusting
- ¼ tsp. Salt
- 2 Eggs
- 30 g of melted Butter
- 10 g of Vanilla Sugar [Editor's note: half a teaspoon of vanilla extract could work as a substitute]
- 1 Yolk for greasing
Ingredients for the filling
- 300 g of farmer's cheese [Editor's note: cottage cheese could work if you press out ALL the water with a cheesecloth!]
- 100 g of Sugar
- 1 Egg
Recipe
- Pour 250 g of warm milk into a bowl, add 25 g of yeast and 2 tbsp. sugar. Mix until smooth and leave for 10 minutes.
- Add 600 g of flour, ¼ tsp. salt, 2 eggs, 30 g of melted butter and 10 g of vanilla sugar, mix until all the ingredients are combined.
- Place the dough on a floured surface and knead for 3-5 minutes until it stops sticking to your hands. Return the finished dough to the bowl, cover with film or a towel and leave to rise in a warm place without drafts for one and a half hours. The dough should increase by 2-3 times.
- Place the risen dough on the work surface, knead it for 1-2 minutes, roll it into a long sausage and divide it into 10-12 equal parts. Shape each into a ball and place them on a baking sheet lined with parchment at a distance of 4-5 cm from each other.
- Press the center of each ball with the bottom of a small glass to create space for the filling. Let the dough rise for 20 minutes. At this time, turn on the oven to heat up to 180 degrees C (350F).
- Making the filling: Mix 300 g of sour milk cheese with 100 g of sugar and 1 egg until completely combined.
- Put filling inside each Vatrushka, then brush it with yolk.
- Bake for 20 minutes.
- Serve the Vatrushky hot or cold – whichever you prefer. They taste equally great in any form and temperature.
_______________________________
Смачного!
Part of our series on Ukrainian recipes! You can find the other entries in the series here:
Borshch | Varenyky (Recipe) | Varenyky Cultural Background | Horilka | Banosh | Hrechanyky | Kyivskyi Cake | Makivnyk | Vyshnyak | Drunken Cherry Cake | Varenukha | Pumpkin Porridge | Lazy Varenyky | Holubtsi | Kalach | Kvas | Christmas Borshch | Uzvar | Kutya | Beetroot Salad | Kapusnyak (Traditional) | Nalysnyk | Bublyk | Deruny | Wild Mushroom Sauce | Kozak Kapusnyak | Yavorivskyi Pie | Spring Dough Birds | Kholodets | Easter Bread (Babka/Paska) | Khrin & Tsvikli | Shpundra | Teterya | Green Borshch | Kalatusha | Elderflower Kvas | Crimean Tatar Chebureky | Ryazhanka | Verhuny | Liubystok (Lovage) | Young Borshch with Hychka | Baturyn Cookies | Strawberry Varenyky | Stinging Nettle Pancakes | Kholodnyk | Syrnyky | Salo | Kotleta Po Kyivsky (Chicken Kyiv) | Savory Garlic Pampushky | Pampukh (Donuts) | Halushky | Odesa Borshch | Korovai | Hombovtsi | Traditional Medivnyk | Space Age Medivnyk | Mandryk | Pliatsky: Royal Cherry | Ohirkivka (Pickle Soup) | Benderyky | Pliatsok "Hutsulka" | Kruchenyky | Vereshchaka | Medivka | Honey Cookies | Fuchky | Khrinovukha | Knysh | Bryndzya | Kalyta | Pasulya Pidbyvana | Kapusnyak (Easy) | Kvasha | Kachana Kasha | Mazuryky | The Ponchyky of Lake Svitiaz | Rosivnytsia | Kulish | Shcherba | Dandelion Honey | Sandy Varenyky | Potaptsi | Kasha Zozulya | Tovchanka | Cherry Kompot | Crimean Tatar Coffee Culture | Stewed Cabbage with Prunes & Walnuts | Grated Pie with Fresh Strawberries | New Potatoes with Dill | Kysil | Zucchini Deruny | Manna Kasha | Varenyky with Cherries | Apple Carrot Salad
_______________________________
The 929th day of a ten-year invasion that has been going on for centuries.
One day closer to victory.
🇺🇦 HEROIAM SLAVA! 🇺🇦
by duellingislands