Even though we haven’t been baking with yeast that much lately, we love almost everything you can do with it. These Sweet Yeast Buns with Apricot Jam are one of our absolute favorites – they’re easy to make and really delicious! This popular dessert from the Alpine region of Austria and South Tyrol is known far beyond their borders and is even very popular here in the northeast of Germany.
Buchteln are a typical dish of Bohemian cuisine. Over the centuries, however, these little yeast dumplings have also made their way into other national cuisines and become quite popular everywhere, so to speak. They are simply delicious little pastries that can be prepared in many different ways. Our little buns here, for example, are filled with apricot jam – a fairly classic version that is also very popular in Tyrol, among other places.
Some of you might be familiar with the little baking event we are doing here on the blog with my fellow blogger Andrea, aka. Zimtkeks & Apfeltarte. It’s called »Bake Together – The Baking Surprise« and takes place once a month on both of our blogs. For many years, we have been choosing a common theme each month and developing recipes to match. These are mostly baking recipes, but we have also cooked »together« a few times. Each of us in our own kitchen, of course, and only together in spirit… because we live in different areas of Germany.
Anyway. We usually choose quite specific themes for the »Bake Together«. Cakes with strawberries, something with apples, yeast pastries for Easter, etc. This month, we’ve chosen a theme that’s more open for interpretation. For February this year, we’ve picked the theme »Sweet greetings from South Tyrol«. Anyone who has ever been to the region will surely be able to agree with us that there is a lot to choose from here. The possibilities are almost endless…
It’s been a while since my last vacation in the region, but when I was living at Lake Constance, Austria, Italy, and South Tyrol were just a stone’s throw away and always a welcome option for a little break. If you like mountains and idyllic scenery, this is definitely the place for you. If you like good food, you can’t go wrong booking a vacation there either… just saying. The traditional Alpine cuisine is simply delicious and has a lot to offer – both savory and sweet.
As I am writing this, I have no idea what Andrea has in mind for her recipe this month – we always reveal our results on the day of publication, the last Sunday of the month. Theoretically, she could have also baked Buchteln – I know she likes to bake things like that. But maybe it’s something entirely different… As mentioned before, there are many delicious sweet treats from the region that could be considered here.
I already have a few recipes for Buchteln and other yeast dumplings here, but the classic version with apricot jam has not been published here yet. I guess that was a good enough reason to work that yeast dough and let it rise for some time, right?
If you are already familiar with classic Buchteln and would like to try something different, I recommend taking a look at the other recipes here on the blog. Our Buchteln aka. Yeast Dumplings with Rhubarb & Ginger Compote are an absolute treat. Since rhubarb plays an important role here, you can’t bake these buns all year round, unfortunately. Unless, of course, you froze some rhubarb when it was available. The season is quite short every year. Real bummer…
Well. Our Apple Pie Buchteln are the opposite, you could say. Apples are available all year round so you can easily make those buns 365 days in a row if you like. Apples are always great for baking and normally quite cheap. If you want to bake a strawberry cake in December, for example, you often have to bite the bullet and use expensive imported berries. With apples, this is less of an issue – they can be stored for many months after being harvested in the fall.
INGREDIENTS / ZUTATEN
(12-16 Buchteln)
For the dough:
1 cup (250ml) regular milk (or oat milk)
3.5 oz. (100g) butter
19.4 oz. (550g) spelt flour
2.1 oz. (60g) sugar
1 pinch of salt
0.74 oz. (21g) fresh baker’s yeast
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 large egg
For the filling & topping:
about 1/2 jar apricot jam (4.6-5.6 oz. /130-160g)
1.8 oz. (50g) butter
1 tbsp. regular milk (or heavy cream)
(12-16 Buchteln)
Für den Teig:
250ml Milch (oder Haferdrink)
100g Butter
550g Dinkelmehl (Type 630)
60g Zucker
1 Prise Salz
21g Hefe (1/2 Würfel)
1 TL Vanille Extrakt
1 Ei (L)
Für die Füllung & zum Bestreichen:
etwa 1/2 Glas Aprikosenkonfitüre (130-160g)
50g Butter
1 EL Milch (oder Sahne)
Tips and Tricks for baking Buchteln (Yeast Buns)
Some bakers have a bit of a love-hate relationship with yeast dough. I don’t bake with yeast all that frequently myself. This isn’t because the pastries are problematic or difficult – for me, it’s more the long rising times that typically turn me off. ;P
Yeast pastries are all pretty similar in principle. The preparation is typically the same, and there aren’t too many variations when it comes to potential problems either. However, we’ve noticed that Buchteln tend to collapse after baking. The outer Buchteln rise beautifully, but the ones in the middle sometimes collapse. If you keep a few things in mind, this can be avoided quite easily…
The baking is time too short or you open the oven too early.
If you open the oven too early or don’t bake the Buchteln long enough, the texture of the buns is often not stable enough and may collapse. For this reason, you should avoid opening the oven door during the first 15-20 minutes.
Abrupt temperature change.
Buchteln (sweet yeast buns) should not be exposed to icy drafts immediately after baking, as this can cause them to collapse. It’s best to turn off the oven, open the door slightly, and wait a few minutes before removing them completely.
Do not use too much yeast.
Using too much yeast can cause problems with any type of yeast dough – not just Buchteln. Too much yeast can cause the dough to rise too much, resulting in an unstable structure.
Incorrect dough consistency.
If the dough is too soft or hasn’t been kneaded enough it might not develop enough gluten. This can lead to issues because the dough structure can collapse.
Sufficient proofing time.
A yeast dough must rise sufficiently before baking so that the yeast has enough time to leaven the dough. If this doesn’t happen, the dough will often be dense after baking. However, yeast dough should also not rise for too long. Then the yeast works too much and can destroy the dough structure.
DIRECTIONS / ZUBEREITUNG
1. Add regular milk (or oat milk) and butter to a small saucepan and heat up on the stove until the butter has melted completely. Allow the mixture to cool down until it’s lukewarm only (34-38°C/93-100°F). If you don’t want to use your fingers to test the temperature, you might want to use a kitchen thermometer* instead.
2. Meanwhile, combine the spelt flour, sugar, and salt in the bowl of a stand mixer. Make a well in the center of the flour mixture and crumble in the yeast. Add the lukewarm milk mixture, vanilla extract, and egg, and knead everything with the dough hook for about 5-6 minutes until a smooth, elastic dough forms. The dough should easily pull away from the sides of the bowl. Cover the bowl and let the dough rise in a warm place for about 45-50 minutes, or until it has roughly doubled in volume.
3. Melt the butter for the topping. Use a little bit of that melted butter to grease a large casserole dish* (approx. 21×34 cm). Mix the rest with the milk (or cream) and set aside.
4. Place the risen dough on a lightly floured work surface and divide it into 12 (or 16) equal pieces. Gently stretch the pieces of dough and then add a little apricot jam on each dough piece. Fold the dough over the jam, completely enclosing the filling. Carefully shape the filled dough portions into balls and place them side by side in the greased baking dish (smooth sides up). Cover the dough pieces and let them rise for another 15 minutes or so.
5. While the dough balls are rising, preheat the oven to 160°C (320°F) fan-forced. Brush the risen dough pieces with the butter mixture and then bake them in the preheated oven for about 35-38 minutes – the Buchteln should have a nice golden-brown color. Remove from the oven and let cool down. The Buchteln can be served still warm or cooled. If you wrap them airtight, they will still taste delicious the next day.
Note: If you don’t have a stand mixer, you can, of course, knead the dough by hand. Knead the dough for about 10 minutes to allow the dough structure to develop sufficiently.
1. Milch oder Haferdrink zusammen mit der Butter in einen kleinen Topf geben und auf dem Herd erwärmen, bis die Butter komplett geschmolzen ist. Die Mischung wieder so weit abkühlen lassen, bis sie nur noch handwarm (34-38°C) ist. Wer hier zum Testen nicht die Finger in die Milch mit der geschmolzenen Butter stecken möchte, sollte sich vielleicht ein Küchenthermometer* zur Hilfe nehmen.
2. In der Zwischenzeit Dinkelmehl, Zucker und Salz in der Schüssel der Küchenmaschine vermischen. Eine kleine Vertiefung in die Mehlmischung drücken und dann die Hefe hineinbröckeln. Die lauwarme Milchmischung, den Vanille Extrakt und das Ei dazugeben und alles mit den Knethaken der Maschine in etwa 5-6 Minuten zu einem glatten, elastischen Teig verarbeiten – der Teig sollte sich leicht vom Rand der Form ablösen lassen. Die Schüssel abdecken und für etwa 45-50 Minuten an einem warmen Ort gehen lassen, bis sich das Volumen in etwa verdoppelt hat.
3. Die Butter für das Bestreichen schmelzen. Eine große Auflaufform* (etwa 21×34) mit ein wenig der geschmolzenen Butter einfetten und den Rest mit der Milch bzw. Sahne verrühren. Zur Seite stellen.
4. Den gegangenen Teig auf eine leicht bemehlte Arbeitsfläche setzen und dann in 12 (oder auch 16) gleich große Stücke teilen. Die Teigstücke ein wenig auseinanderziehen und dann jeweils etwas Aprikosenkonfitüre daraufgeben. Den Teig über die Konfitüre einschlagen und die Füllung komplett mit Teig umschließen. Die Teigportionen vorsichtig zu Kugeln formen und nebeneinander in die gefettete Auflaufform setzen (glatte Seiten nach oben). Die Buchteln noch einmal abdecken und für etwa 15 Minuten gehen lassen.
5. Während die Buchteln gehen, den Ofen auf 160°C (320°F) Umluft vorheizen. Teigstücke mit der Buttermischung bestreichen und dann im vorgeheizten Ofen für etwa 35-38 Minuten backen – die Buchteln sollten eine schöne, goldbraune Oberfläche bekommen haben. Aus dem Ofen nehmen und abkühlen lassen. Man kann die Buchteln noch leicht warm oder abgekühlt servieren. Wenn man sie luftdicht einpackt, schmecken sie auch am nächsten Tag noch.
Hinweis: Wer keine Küchenmaschine zum Kneten hat, kann das natürlich auch per Hand tun. Den Teig dann für etwa 10 Minuten durchkneten, damit sich die Teigstruktur ausreichend entwickeln kann.
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Here is a version of the recipe you can print easily.
Description
Buchteln aka. Sweet Yeast Buns with Apricot Jam are a popular dessert from Austria. We love to bake these fluffy buns. So good and really delicious!
For the dough:
1 cup (250ml) regular milk (or oat milk)
3.5 oz. (100g) butter
19.4 oz. (550g) spelt flour
2.1 oz. (60g) sugar
1 pinch of salt
0.74 oz. (21g) fresh bakers yeast
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 large egg
For the filling & topping:
about 1/2 jar apricot jam (4.6–5.6 oz. /130-160g)
1.8 oz. (50g) butter
1 tbsp. regular milk (or heavy cream)
1. Add regular milk (or oat milk) and butter to a small saucepan and heat up on the stove until the butter has melted completely. Allow the mixture to cool down until it’s lukewarm only (34-38°C/93-100°F). If you don’t want to use your fingers to test the temperature, you might want to use a kitchen thermometer* instead.
2. Meanwhile, combine the spelt flour, sugar, and salt in the bowl of a stand mixer. Make a well in the center of the flour mixture and crumble in the yeast. Add the lukewarm milk mixture, vanilla extract, and egg, and knead everything with the dough hook for about 5-6 minutes until a smooth, elastic dough forms. The dough should easily pull away from the sides of the bowl. Cover the bowl and let the dough rise in a warm place for about 45-50 minutes, or until it has roughly doubled in volume.
3. Melt the butter for the topping. Use a little bit of that melted butter to grease a large casserole dish* (approx. 21×34 cm). Mix the rest with the milk (or cream) and set aside.
4. Place the risen dough on a lightly floured work surface and divide it into 12 (or 16) equal pieces. Gently stretch the pieces of dough and then add a little apricot jam on each dough piece. Fold the dough over the jam, completely enclosing the filling. Carefully shape the filled dough portions into balls and place them side by side in the greased baking dish (smooth sides up). Cover the dough pieces and let them rise for another 15 minutes or so.
5. While the dough balls are rising, preheat the oven to 160°C (320°F) fan-forced. Brush the risen dough pieces with the butter mixture and then bake them in the preheated oven for about 35-38 minutes – the Buchteln should have a nice golden-brown color. Remove from the oven and let cool down. The Buchteln can be served still warm or cooled. If you wrap them airtight, they will still taste delicious the next day.
Notes
If you don’t have a stand mixer, you can, of course, knead the dough by hand. Knead the dough for about 10 minutes to allow the dough structure to develop sufficiently.
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