If you are a regular reader of my blog, you may know that I have already shared the recipe of lekváros bukta (a special one with plum butter and vanilla custard). Because I’m a huge fan of jam filled buns, I try every new recipe that gets in my way. This time I made the pastry according to a recipe I found in one of my old cookbooks.
These buns are not overly sweet, since the recipe only calls for 3 tablespoons of sugar (that’s why lekváros bukta is usually served with powdered sugar on top). The dough is fluffy and airy, surrounded by a nicely browned crust. I decided to fill the buns with apricot jam, but you can use any type of fruit butter or jam. These pull-apart style jam filled rolls can be served for breakfast with tea or coffee, or as a second course after a thick soup.
Ingredients:
- 600 g (~4 3/4 cups) flour
- 300 ml (~1 1/4 cups) milk
- 25 g (~3/4 oz) fresh yeast (2 1/2 tsp dry yeast)
- 3 tbsp sugar
- 1 egg
- pinch of salt
- 60 g (~1/4 cup) melted butter
- apricot jam
For the brushing:
- 40 g (~2 3/4 tbsp) melted butter
- 1 egg
Dissolve yeast and 1 tablespoon of sugar in lukewarm milk.
Sift the flour in a bowl and combine with salt and sugar. Add one egg and the activated yeast, and knead until the dough starts to hold together. Pour in melted butter and keep on kneading until smooth and elastic. Cover the dough and let it double in size in a lukewarm place (approx. 50-60 minutes).
On a floured surface roll out the dough to a thickness of 1-1,5 cm / 1/2″. Cut it into 10×10 cm / 4×4″ squares. Place some apricot jam in the middle of each square. Roll them up and tuck in the ends. Place the buns in a greased baking pan seam side down with only a small gap between them. Brush melted butter on the buns, cover and let them rise for 30-40 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 180°C / 356°F. Beat one egg and brush the top of the buns. Bake them for 20-25 minutes or until nice and golden brown. Remove the buns from the oven and let them cool. Once lukewarm, pull apart the buns and feel free to dust them with some icing sugar.
