What are Vatrushka Buns? They are sweet buns that are somewhat similar to a danish, made with a sweet simple dough recipe and stuffed with cheese filling. Vatrushki makes a great on-the-go breakfast option or a great snack to coffee or tea.
How do you make Vatrushki Buns?
Dough: First, you will need to make the dough, which is made from unbleached white flour, one egg, a warm cup of milk, some sugar to sweeten it, a pinch of salt, and dry active yeast.
What do I need to make this recipe?
- 3 1/4 cup unbleached flour (I used Canadian flour)
- 1 large egg
- 1 cup warm 2% milk
- 2 Tbsp sugar
- 3 1/2 Tbsp unsalted butter
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 2 tsp dry active yeast
Making the dough in a bread machine would be the simplest way by placing all the ingredients into the bread bucket and selecting the DOUGH cycle.
If you have the dough attachment, another option would be to place the ingredients into an electric mixer .
If you don’t have a bread machine or an electric mixer, you can still make Vatrushki, no worries!
How to make these delicious vatrushki:
1. Add warm milk, sugar, and yeast into a small bowl and let it stand for 5 minutes.
2. In a separate, medium-sized bowl, sift the flour, then add the egg, sugar, salt, and melted butter. Give it a light stir.
3. Then, combine the yeast and flour mixes. Mix until the dough turns into a ball. (It should not be sticky.)
4. Cover the bowl with a clean towel or some plastic wrap. Let the dough rise for 1 + 1/2 hours. Push the dough down, then let it rise one more time.
Sweet Cheese Filling: For the filling, you will need to mix these ingredients in a large bowl:
- Egg yolks: Just two at room temperature.
- Farmer’s cheese: Ricotta cheese works (cottage cheese), but I have seen farmers cheese around the big grocery stores nowadays, too.
- Sugar: To sweeten this recipe up!
- Butter: Make sure it’s unsalted!
- Sour cream: Any kind that you prefer, I like to use the Daisy brand since it has the least amount of ingredients.
How to make the cheese filling for Vatrushki
Combine cheese, egg yolks, sour cream, melted butter, and sugar together.
How to make Vatrushki Sweet Buns
- Preheat the oven to 350F.
- Grease a large baking sheet, using either butter or baking spray.
- Cut the dough into 20 egg-size equal pieces.
- Using a glass cup, press down in the middle of each dough piece.
5. You will need to combine these two ingredients for the egg wash:
- Egg: 1 large.
- Milk: just a teaspoon.
Brush each pastry with the egg wash.
6. Fill each piece with the cheese filling.
Cheese filling: Combine cheese, 2 egg yolks, 2 Tablespoons sour cream, 3 Tablespoons melted butter, and 4 Tablespoons sugar.
7. Bake for 30 minutes, or until golden brown.
Vatrushki Filling Options
There are other filling options for these Vatrushki even though the sweet cheese filling is the best choice for this recipe. You can definitely make these pastries with different kinds of fillings such as:
- Pie cherry filling
- Cream cheese
- Sweet cheese filling with added raisins
- Jam
You may also like these pastry recipes
No-Yeast Cinnamon Rolls from scratch
Easy Cherry and Cream Cheese Danish
Soft Buns Recipe
Equipment I Used
Baking Sheet
Mixing Bowls
Stand Mixer
Bread Machine

Vatrushki Buns Recipe (Cheese Filled Pastry)
Equipment
- bowls
- sifter
- Baking sheet
- pastry brush
- hand mixer
- Spatula
Ingredients
- 3 ¼ cups unbleached flour I use Canadian flour
- 1 large egg
- 1 cup 2% milk warm
- 2 Tbsp sugar
- 3 ½ Tbsp unsalted butter melted
- ½ tsp salt
- 2 tps dry active yeast
Sweet Cheese Filling
- 2 egg yolks
- 2 cups farmers cheese or ricotta cheese
- 4 Tbsp sugar
- 3 Tbsp unsalted butter melted
- 2 Tbsp sour cream
Egg wash
- 1 large egg
- 1 tsp milk
Instructions
- Add warm milk, sugar, and yeast into a small bowl and let it stand for 5 minutes.
- In a separate, medium-sized bowl, sift the flour, then add the egg, sugar, salt, and melted butter. Give it a light stir.
- Then, combine the yeast and flour mixes. Mix until the dough turns into a ball. (It should not be sticky.)
- Cover the bowl with a clean towel or some plastic wrap. Let the dough rise for 1 + 1/2 hours. Push the dough down, then let it rise one more time.
- Preheat the oven to 350F.
- Grease a large baking sheet, using either butter or baking spray.
- Cut the dough into 20 egg-size equal pieces.
- Using a glass cup, press down in the middle of each dough piece.
- Brush each pastry with the egg wash.
- Fill each piece with the cheese filling.
- Bake for 30 minutes, or until golden brown.
Cheese filling:
- Combine cheese, egg yolks, sour cream, melted butter, and sugar together.
Notes
- Making the dough in a bread machine would be the simplest way by placing all the ingredients into the bread bucket and selecting the DOUGH cycle.
- Another option would be (if you have the dough attachment), place the ingredients into an electric mixer.