In winter, when we spend a lot of time at home, we often prepare “soul food”. This certainly includes the wonderfully fluffy buhteljni, a sweet pastry made from yeast dough (in my case with sourdough). The kind our grandmothers used to make is almost impossible to find in our bakeries and cafés. However, as they are best when they are still warm, home-made buhteljni are definitely the best option.
Buhteljni is a dessert that melts in your mouth. With a filling that can be made as you like, but most often with marmalade. The buns are made with much less fat than doughnuts, but otherwise have similar ingredients. In our traditional cuisine they were served as dessert for lunches where the main dish was a stew or as a Sunday dessert.
The dish itself originated in Czech cuisine, from where it spread throughout the former Austro-Hungarian monarchy in the 18th and 19th centuries. At that time, Czech chefs were highly regarded in Vienna, where they often worked. Their sourdough pastries were particularly appreciated and enriched the Viennese cuisine. The name also derives from Czech, where the word 'buchta' means 'loaf' or 'bun'. In German-speaking countries, this yeast pastry is called Buchteln or Wuchteln.
Milk sourdough starter:
- 10 g of yeast
- 100 g flour
- 80 g milk
- 30 g sugar
Dough:
- 500 g flour
- 325 g milk
- 220 g of milk sourdough starter
Liquid mixture:
- 50 g melted butter
- 2 tablespoons of rum
- 2 egg yolks
- 2 vanillin sugar
- 1 lemon sugar
- grated peel of one lemon
- 9 g salt
For dipping:
- melted butter
Filling:
- homemade marmalade (or what you want)
In the morning, start preparing the milk sourdough starter. Mix 10 g of sourdough starter with 30 g of flour, 25 g of milk and 10 g of sugar.
When it has risen slightly (about 3-4 hours), stir in another 30 g of flour, 25 g of milk and 10 g of sugar.
Then again, after 3-4 hours, add the last 40 g flour, 30 g milk and 10 g sugar.
⏳ The timeline is just to help you. All that matters is how the lees rise and increase in volume. The same applies to the dough ❗
After three hours, start to autolyse the dough. In a mixing bowl, whisk together the sifted flour and milk until smooth and leave on the autolyse for 1 hour.
Let’s start preparing the liquid mixture. Put the eggs in a bowl. Add the lemon sugar, vanilla sugar and vanilla flavouring, salt, melted butter and lemon zest.
Stir in the milk sourdough starter and knead for 2-3 minutes.
Stir in the liquid mixture of the above ingredients and knead into a smooth, pliable, soft dough.
Make 3-4 batches of folds and pulls over the next 2 hours. Let the dough rest in a covered bowl for 1-2 hours.
Grease a baking tray with butter.
Sprinkles the working area with flour and transfer the dough to it.
Divide the sourdough into about 100 g pieces, gently pat each one with your hand and stretch it slightly to make room in the middle for the filling.
Pull the edges together and squeeze them in the centre as if you were making a pouch and form a ball.
Dip it in melted butter and place it on the baking tray.
Let rise, covered, overnight in a cooler place. In the morning, brush with the cream and egg mixture.
Bake for 50 minutes, initially at 200°C for 20 minutes, then at 160°C for 30 minutes, depending on how toasted you like it. If you don't want very browned buns, then cover the baking tray with aluminium foil during baking.
Buhteljni are best when they are served slightly cooled. Offer them with a cup of milk or a cup of cocoa. You can also store them in a freezer for up to a month. I don't have this kind of troubles, we eat them quickly 😋
Bon Appetite 🍽️ 🍴 😋
Thanks for reading,
feel free to leave a comment, I will be glad to reply to.
Best regards,
