Sweet Cheese Buns are like Russian Cheesecake Buns! Called Vatrushka in Russian these round pastries are made from an easy homemade yeast dough similar to a Danish Pastry!
Russians and Ukrainians love hot tea! If you’re not feeling a cheese pastry today, try our Crisp Cream filled Pizzelles or Sweet Filled Cream Horns for that sweet tooth craving!
My husband is a lover for sweet yeast pastries like Poppy Seed Roulettes. So, when it comes down to bun recipes, I like it easy! Luckily those roulettes and this recipe fall into the Easy category, which means if I decide to make them last minute it’ll work out just fine! I’m all about easy recipes especially with a house full of seven souls! As of a result, no crumb toppings or complicated steps are needed just some extra rising times to ensure soft and fluffy buns!
Fillings for Sweet Buns:
Our children love these sweet filled buns with nutella so if you’re ever short on cheese, fill them with canned cherries, poppy seeds or creamy nutella! The possibilities are many, choose your craving! A Vatrushka pastry is typically made with a cheese filling like farmer’s cheese and can be braided to imagination!
How to make Easy Sweet Cheese Buns:
Sweet Cheese Buns
Ingredients
Sweet Yeast Buns:
- 1 cup warm milk
- 1 Tbsp yeast
- 1/2 Tbsp sugar
- 4 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/3 cup sugar
- 1 tsp salt
- 2 eggs
- 1/4 cup sour cream
- 1/4 cup oil
Cream Cheese Filling:
- 1 1/2 cups cottage cheese drained and rinsed
- 3/4 cup sugar
- 2 Tbsp milk (for brushing buns)
Instructions
How to make Sweet Cheese Filled Buns:
- Whisk together the milk, yeast and 1/2 T sugar. Set aside.
- Meanwhile, place all the remaining dough ingredients into the bowl of a kitchen aid mixer, in the order given. Stir in the yeast mixture and knead over med-hi speed for 7 minutes. Lightly oil and cover to rise 35 minutes.
- Cut dough in half then each half into 8 pieces and form all 16 pieces into balls. Place 2-inches apart onto a lined cookie sheet and allow to rise 25 minutes.
- Make the cheese filling by mixing all the filling ingredients until fluffly. Set aside.
- Indent each risen ball leaving a 1-inch border. Fill with 2 heaping Tablespoons of the cheese filling and give the buns a final rise of 20 minutes.
- Brush tops with 2 tablespoons of milk. Bake in a pre-heated 350°F oven for 22 minutes.
Notes
Nutrition
Q&A
What does Vatrushka Mean?
Vatrushka is a ring shaped sweet pastry (pirog), typically filled with a curd-like cheese (tvorog) filling. Other fillings and toppings make this Danish pastry versatile and a staple in many Eastern European families. can be added, like a streusel topping or powdered sugar.
Can I add a Crumb Topping?
Sweet Cheese Buns are plenty flavorful and sweet on their own, however if you wish to add additional toppings, that can be done with a sprinkle of powdered sugar over or a crumb topping.
What else can I fill Sweet Buns with?
Sweet yeast rolls can be filled so many different ways! Here is a list of ideas:
- Cherry Pie Filling
- Poppy Seed Filling
- Nutella
- Farmers Cheese
- Almond Filling
- Chocolate Filling
- Chocolate Pecan Pie Filling
- Peach Pie Filling
- Blueberry Pie Filling
- Apricot Pie Filling
Do Sweet Buns freeze well?
Yes! Yeast Breads freeze very well. I like to freeze my Bulochki Buns inside freezer bags and they defrost in the microwave quickly! After the buns have baked, cool and stack in a single layer into a freezer bag. Defrost as needed.
Tips:
- Sprinkle powdered sugar for a prettier Cheese Bun!
- Leftovers freeze well!
- Other fillings like canned cherries can be used, when out of cheese.
- Make a crumb topping for cheese filled buns.
