While I was making tea this morning I suddenly had the urge to make Buchteln which is sweet bread or rolls made of yeast dough and it is often filled with jam. Buchtel has its origin in the Southern part of Germany, in the Czech Republic and in Austria.
It was my first time making this bread and it was also the first time that I ate a Buchtel which is such a shame. They are not only delicious but I think they look so beautiful in the casserole. I took so many photos because I was so in love with my result and it was a little bit of a challenge to select photos (I took 86 photos) for my blog.
In Vienna there is a traditional coffee house Café Hawelka which is famous for their Buchteln and they use a secret family recipe. After I made my very first Buchteln today, I think I will pay a visit to the Café Hawelka and have a Buchtel, so I can compare mine with the famous Viennese Hawelka Buchteln and if it is worth to steal the secret family recipe. I shall report.
Traditionally Buchteln are filled with plum jam which I did not had on hand, so I used raspberry jam.


Makes 8 Buchteln (one casserole 25 cm / 9 inches)

INGREDIENTS

  • 125 ml milk
  • 20 g fresh yeast
  • 75 g granulated sugar
  • 80 g unsalted butter, soft
  • 250 g all-purpose flour
  • 2 egg yolks
  • 50 g unsalted butter
  • Jam of your choice (about 8 teaspoons)
  • Powdered sugar

DIRECTIONS

  • In a saucepan heat the milk until it is lukewarm.
  • Crumble the yeast into a big bowl. Add a little bit of the sugar and half of the lukewarm milk to the yeast. Stir until the yeast is completely dissolved.
  • Add the rest of the sugar, milk, butter (make sure it is softened), flour and egg yolks and mix with a wooden spoon. When the dough starts to get sticky, knead the dough on a well-floured surface until it is smooth. If the dough is too sticky, add some flour.
  • Place the yeast dough back to the bowl and cover the bowl with a kitchen towel.
  • Let the dough rise in a warm and draft-free place for 45 to 60 minutes or until the dough is doubled in size. You can read my tips on yeast dough here.
  • Preheat the oven to 180°C.
  • Melt the butter and pour the melted butter into a casserole.
  • Take the dough out of the bowl and knead again until it is smooth. Divide the dough into 8 pieces and form them to balls.
  • If you decide to fill the Buchteln (which I highly recommend), then press each piece into a circle and place about one teaspoon jam in the middle. Gather the edges of the dough together and pinch slightly to close.
  • Roll the balls in the melted butter I the casserole and place them in the casserole.
  • Bake for 25 to 30 minutes until the Buchteln are slightly golden in color.
  • Sprinkle with confectionary sugar and serve warm. The Buchteln taste the best when they are still warm. 
 The recipe is adapted from the book "La Dolce Wiener" by Sarah Wiener.