These brioche buns filled with cottage cheese, known as “vatrushka” (or “vatrushki”- plural), are soft, fluffy, and filled with sweet creamy cottage cheese filling. It’s a filled bun that’s very popular in Eastern European Slavic countries. I added an optional streusel topping for some fun crunch! You can keep the classic cottage cheese filling or swirl in jam, curd, or berries for a fruity twist.
The best part is that the no knead dough is so easy to make and you don’t need an electric mixer. It turns out soft, moist, and fluffy - like a brioche but easier.
Jump to:
- 🍞 Why you'll LOVE this recipe
- 📝 Key ingredients
- 👩🍳 How to make Vatrushka cottage cheese buns
- ✔️ Expert no knead brioche tips
- 🥄 Make ahead - overnight vatrushka
- 🍽️ Brioche bun storage
- ❔ Why I prefer a no knead technique over kneading
- The origins of Vatrushka
- 📖 Recipe FAQs
- 🥧 More related recipes
- 📖 Recipe
- 💬 Comments
🍞 Why you'll LOVE this recipe
- Creamy cottage cheese filling: The filling is a creamy and moist sweet cottage cheese filling that is so fragrant and delicious. This recipe does NOT skimp on the filling which is arguably the best part!
- No knead dough: The dough is a soft and moist no knead recipe - you don't need an electric mixer or your hands to knead it!
- Streusel topping: The crunchy sweet streusel works so well with the soft, moist rolls.
If you love Eastern European desserts as much as I do, you're going to love my Ukrainian poppy seed roll and cottage cheese cheesecake (Zapekanka). These are all nostalgic desserts from my childhood.
📝 Key ingredients
Read through for all the tips you will need for success!
Full steps and ingredients in recipe card below.
Cottage Cheese: You're going to need a pressed style cottage cheese. Cottage cheese in a yogurt-like sauce in a tub is too liquidy for this recipe. Pressed cottage cheese can also be sold as Farmer's cheese, Ukrainian cottage cheese, Polish cottage cheese, Russian style cottage cheese, "Twarog" or "Tvorog." It can be whatever milk fat percentage you prefer. You can also use quark cheese - but you might have to add another teaspoon of potato starch because it tends to have more moisture than pressed cottage cheese. If you can't find any of these options, you can use a drained or firmer ricotta cheese.
If you're looking for an idea to use up pressed cottage cheese, you should try my traditional cottage cheese cheesecake.
All purpose flour: I used unbleached, all purpose wheat flour. It's best to weigh the flour for best results! If you don't have a scale, gently scoop the flour into a dry measuring cup and scrape the excess flour off the top without packing it in. Use the flat edge of a spoon handle or even a knife.
Lemon zest: This adds a touch of zesty flavor to the filling - without being overwhelmingly citrusy. It's so delicious paired with the vanilla flavoring - adds so much fragrance.
Lemon curd, jam, or fresh berries: You can swirl these into the filling to create a variety of flavors. I swirled some of mine with lemon curd, added fresh raspberries on top of others, and left some plain "classic".
Sour cream: Added to both the filling and dough. Sour cream makes an ultra creamy filling and adds more richness and moisture to the dough- creating a softer texture.
Active dry yeast: You can also use instant dry yeast, but I find that active dry yeast has better flavor. If you use fresh yeast, double the amount of yeast needed. Fresh yeast is more traditional, but it can be hard to find.
Salt: Salt is important in achieving a fluffy roll texture. Don't omit or reduce the salt.
👩🍳 How to make Vatrushka cottage cheese buns
Vatrushka dough step by step
Step 1: Pour the warm milk into a medium bowl. Add the yeast and sugar. Whisk together to dissolve the yeast and set aside for 10 minutes. The yeast mixture should form a foam on top. If it doesn't form, that means that the yeast isn't active. Try with a new batch or packet of yeast.
Step 2: Sift the flour into a separate large bowl. Make a well in the center. Into the center, add the salt, sugar, eggs, sour cream, butter, vanilla extract, and bloomed yeast-milk mixture. Stir together to form a cohesive dough ball.
Step 3: Cover the bowl with a clean kitchen towel and let rise in a warm place for 45-50 minutes. The dough will be puffed and doubled in size.
Step 4: Using your fingers, lift up one edge of the dough and pull it over the dough ball to the other side. Do this six times, until the dough is deflated. Form the dough into a smooth ball and place it back into the bowl. Cover with a towel again.
Let the dough rise in a warm place again, for 25- 30 minutes until puffed and doubled in size.
In the meantime: make the cheese filling, streusel, and egg wash.
Cottage cheese filling step by step
Cottage cheese filling: Combine the cottage cheese, sugar, lemon zest, potato starch, egg yolk, sour cream, and vanilla extract in a large bowl or blender. Blend the mixture together in the blender or using an immersion blender. It should be thick and mostly smooth. Scrape down the sides of the bowl or blender to get it as smooth as possible.
Note: Alternatively, you can just mix the filling together with a spoon, without blending it together. It just might be a little grainier - but will still be really delicious.
Optional Streusel Topping: Add all of the ingredients into a dinner plate. Use a fork and flatten the butter into the flour with the back of the fork. Once the mixture resembles crumbles without dry bits of flour- it's ready.
Egg wash: Crack the egg into a medium bowl. Add the milk and whisk to combine. Set it aside in the fridge until it's ready to use.
Shaping and filling step by step
Step 1: Repeat the stretch and fold process: lift up one edge of the dough and fold it over the rest of the dough to the other side. Repeat another 5 times. The dough should now be stretchy, buttery, and not stick to your fingers.
Step 2: Grease a clean work surface with some neutral oil. Dump out the dough onto the work surface. Use a knife to cut the dough ball in half. Roll out each half into a log and cut each log into 5 pieces. You should have a total of 10 pieces.
Step 3: Shape each piece of dough into a smooth ball. Do this by rolling them into balls on the work surface. Then, place your hand over the ball and drag the bottom on the work surface. This should create a tight, tense surface on the dough- helping create a beautiful and smooth ball.
Step 4: Place the dough balls, smooth side up, onto large, parchment lined baking sheets. Space them out with 4" of space in between because they need to spread. I used two large baking sheets.
Let the dough balls rise on the baking sheets for 15 minutes - preheat the oven to 355°F (180°C) in the meantime.
Step 5: Find a glass with a flat bottom that's about 2.5" in diameter. Grease the bottom of the glass with neutral oil - like light olive oil or vegetable oil. Once the dough has risen, push the bottom of the glass into the middle of each dough ball, pressing down hard to create space for the filling.
Step 6: Brush egg wash gently over the surface and edges of each bun.
Step 7: Divide the cottage cheese filling evenly amongst the dough balls, placing scoops of it into the center. It'll seem like you're overfilling the buns but the dough will make space for the filling as it rises and spreads.
Optional: You can add about a teaspoon of jam or curd into the center of the filled buns and swirl it into the cottage cheese filling with a toothpick. You can also dot the filling with fresh or frozen berries-I love adding raspberries!
Step 8: Sprinkle the streusel crumbles onto the bun edges- it should stick to the egg wash. Bake the buns in the center of the oven for 17 to 20 minutes. The buns are ready when they're golden brown on the crust, and a toothpick inserted into the crust comes out clean.
✔️ Expert no knead brioche tips
- Measure the flour properly: Use a scale to measure the flour for the best results. If you can't use a scale, use the scoop and level method. Scoop the flour into a measuring cup and use the handle of a utensil or knife to scrape excess flour off.
- Don't skip the rising times: It's important to give the dough enough time to rise, especially since it's a no knead dough. This helps ensure a fluffy, soft dough.
- Use pressed cottage cheese: This is a firm, dry curd style cottage cheese. Also known as Polish style cottage cheese, Ukrainian style cottage cheese, Russian style cottage cheese, Farmers cheese, "Twarog," or "Tvorog! Cottage cheese in the gloopy yogurt-like sauce is too moist for this recipe.
- Enjoy these fresh out of the oven: The dough will be the softest warm or room temperature the day they're made. Reheat the leftovers to soften up the butter in the dough.
🥄 Make ahead - overnight vatrushka
You can make ahead the buns by placing the dough in the fridge for the second rise. Cover the bowl with wrap to prevent it from drying out and refrigerate for up to 12 hours. Then stretch and fold, shape, and fill the buns according to the instructions.
🍽️ Brioche bun storage
Store the cooled buns in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days. They can be frozen in an airtight container or bag for up to 2 months. Make sure to reheat the buns before serving to get soft and fluffy rolls again.
❔ Why I prefer a no knead technique over kneading
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In my experience (including the many times I tested this recipe), kneading created a dryer, less moist dough. However, with this no knead method, you still get enough gluten formation from the rising, stretching, and folding - while the dough remains soft and moist when baked. It takes a little more time, but it's hands-off time. Plus you don't need to spend a lot of time hand kneading or use an electric mixer.
My taste testers and I agreed that the no knead method created a softer, moister bun that kept soft and moist for a longer length of time. The kneaded dough was airier but much drier- even with adding additional moisture.
The origins of Vatrushka
Vatrushka or vatrushki (plural) have been traced to historic slavic times in Eastern Europe. It was historically made as a giant bun in a large pan (rather than individual buns), before being cut and served. A savory version with a rye and whole grain dough, filled with cottage cheese and onions was also common. Allegedly, these giant pastries were made to celebrate the sun god during the spring equinox celebrations of the past - that’s why they resemble the sun so much. Nowadays, they’re most commonly made during Crepe week or Butter week (“Maslenitsa”), before the beginning of lent.
The name “vatrushka” originates from the old slavic word “hearth” - where the vatrushka would be cooked inside.
A lot of Eastern European countries have similar pastries. This version of Vatrushka is commonly found in Ukraine and Russia. The Czech Republic has “Kolaches,” which can be filled with either fruit fillings or cottage cheese. Hungary also has a similar pastry, more commonly made with a puff pastry or “danish” pastry instead of a brioche dough.
📖 Recipe FAQs
This is because as a no knead dough, you still want to form the gluten needed to make soft and fluffy rolls. Rising twice, then stretching and folding resulted in softer, more moist rolls than the traditional kneaded dough. It's mostly inactive time and waiting - which I find much easier than kneading.
Unfortunately regular cottage cheese commonly found in the west won't work because it's too wet. You need a European style "pressed" cottage cheese. It's firm and creamy - like a firm ricotta cheese texture but with softer grains.
Yes you can, cream cheese will work as the filling. It will be more rich and creamy - just not as authentic.
Traditionally, vatrushka is made without streusel. However, it's becoming more common to find them topped with streusel - and it adds such a delightful, sweet crunch! If you have the extra time, I highly recommend it. Plus, it's really quick to make.
🥧 More related recipes
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📖 Recipe
Cottage Cheese Brioche Buns [Vatrushka]
Equipment
- immersion blender optional, for blending cottage cheese filling
Ingredients
Dough
- ½ cup milk warm
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 3 g yeast ½ packet, about 1 teaspoon
- 3 ¼ cup all purpose flour 390g
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
- 2 large eggs room temperature
- ¼ cup sour cream
- ½ cup unsalted butter softened
- 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
Cheese Filling
- 1 lb pressed cottage cheese Can be found as farmers cheese, tvorog, twarog, Ukrainian cottage cheese, Russian cottage cheese
- ½ cup granulated sugar add ¼ cup sugar if not adding the streusel topping
- 1 tablespoon grated lemon zest from about 1 lemon
- 1 tablespoon potato starch or cornstarch in a pinch
- 1 large egg yolk
- 3 tablespoons sour cream
- 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
- ¼ teaspoon sea salt
Optional Streusel Topping
- ½ cup all purpose flour 60g
- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 2 tablespoons butter softened
- ¼ teaspoon sea salt
Instructions
Dough
- Pour the warm milk into a medium bowl. Add the yeast and 1 teaspoon sugar. Whisk together to dissolve the yeast and set aside for 10 minutes. The yeast mixture should form a foam on top. If it doesn't form, that means that the yeast isn't active. Try with a new batch or packet of yeast.½ cup milk, 1 teaspoon sugar, 3 g yeast
- Sift the flour into a separate large bowl. Make a well in the center. Into the center, add the sugar, salt, eggs, sour cream, butter, vanilla extract, and bloomed yeast-milk mixture. Stir together to form a cohesive dough ball.3 ¼ cup all purpose flour, ¼ cup granulated sugar, ½ teaspoon sea salt, 2 large eggs, ¼ cup sour cream, ½ cup unsalted butter, 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
- Cover the bowl with a clean kitchen towel and let rise in a warm place for 45-50 minutes. The dough will be puffed and doubled in size.
- Using your fingers, lift up one edge of the dough and pull it over the dough ball to the other side. Do this six times, until the dough is deflated. Form the dough into a smooth ball and place it back into the bowl. Cover with a towel again.
- Let the dough rise in a warm place again, for 25- 30 minutes until puffed and doubled in size. In the meantime: make the cheese filling, streusel, and egg wash.
Cheese Filling
- Combine the cottage cheese, sugar, lemon zest, potato starch, egg yolk, sour cream, vanilla extract, and salt in a large bowl or blender. Blend the mixture together in the blender or using an immersion blender. It should be thick and mostly smooth. Scrape down the sides of the bowl or blender to get it as smooth as possible.1 lb pressed cottage cheese, 1 tablespoon grated lemon zest, 1 tablespoon potato starch, 1 large egg yolk, 3 tablespoons sour cream, 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract, ¼ teaspoon sea salt, ½ cup granulated sugar
- Note: Alternatively, you can just mix the filling together with a spoon, without blending it together. It just might be a little grainier - but will still be really delicious.
Optional Streusel Topping
- Combine all of the ingredients in a flat dinner plate. Use a fork and flatten the butter into the flour with the back of the fork. Once the mixture resembles crumbles without dry bits of flour- it's ready.½ cup all purpose flour, 2 tablespoons granulated sugar, 2 tablespoons butter, ¼ teaspoon sea salt
Eggwash
- Crack the egg into a medium bowl. Add the milk and whisk to combine. Set it aside in the fridge until it's ready to use.1 large egg, 1 tablespoon milk
Shaping and Filling
- Repeat the stretch and fold process: lift up one edge of the dough and fold it over the rest of the dough to the other side. Repeat another 5 times. The dough should now be stretchy, buttery, and not stick to your fingers.
- Grease a clean work surface with some neutral oil. Dump out the dough onto the work surface. Use a knife to cut the dough ball in half. Roll out each half into a log and cut each log into 5 pieces. You should have a total of 10 pieces.
- Shape each piece of dough into a smooth ball. Do this by rolling them into balls on the work surface. Then, place your hand over the ball and drag the bottom on the work surface. This should create a tight, tense surface on the dough- helping create a beautiful and smooth ball.
- Place the dough balls, smooth side up, onto large, parchment lined baking sheets. Space them out with 4" of space in between because they need to spread. I used two large baking sheets.
- Let the dough balls rise on the baking sheets for 15 minutes - preheat the oven to 355°F (180°C) in the meantime.
- Find a glass with a flat bottom that's about 2.5" in diameter. Grease the bottom of the glass with neutral oil - like light olive oil or vegetable oil. Once the dough has risen, push the bottom of the glass into the middle of each dough ball, pressing down hard to create space for the filling.
- Brush egg wash gently over the surface and edges of each bun.
- Divide the cottage cheese filling evenly amongst the dough balls, placing scoops of it into the center. It'll seem like you're overfilling the buns but the dough will make space for the filling as it rises and spreads.
- Optional: You can add about a teaspoon of jam or curd into the center of the filled buns and swirl it into the cottage cheese filling with a toothpick. You can also dot the filling with fresh or frozen berries-I love adding raspberries!
- Sprinkle the streusel crumbles onto the bun edges- it should stick to the egg wash. Bake the buns in the center of the oven for 17 to 20 minutes. The buns are ready when they're golden brown on the crust, and a toothpick inserted into the crust comes out clean.
Video
Notes
- Measure the flour with a scale for the best results
- Don't skip any of the rises, they're important in developing a fluffy, stretchy, and bouncy texture in the buns.
- Use a pressed cottage cheese: can also be found under the names Farmers cheese, Polish style cottage cheese, Russian style cottage cheese, Ukrainian style cottage cheese, "twarog" or "tvorog." You can also use quark (add an extra teaspoon of potato starch into the filling) or a firm ricotta if you can't find a pressed cottage cheese.
- These are best enjoyed fresh out of the oven - reheat any leftovers to soften up the bun
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