I’ve been experimenting with yeast based dough in past months. It was mostly plain dough I was using for pizza or other savory snacks. But after I visited a bakery in Prague and tasted their baking (give them a visit when you’re around), I got inspired to give yeast based sweets another try myself.

Yeast dough

In this recipe I will share a photo of my notes, and you can choose to use the same ingredient list (or not).
Generally speaking, the more butter, sugar and eggs are in the dough, the softer and fluffier it should be.

Recipe
Different recipe variations for the dough

Making the yeast dough

  1. I usually mix the warm milk (and water) with the yeast first to activate it. You’ll see it become foamy and bubbly.
  2. After the yeast is activated, I add the rest of the ingredients and mix the dough thoroughly.
  3. Then, I let it grow on the countertop until it doubles in size (or tries to escape the bowl), and I poke it down.
  4. I let it rise again (or put it in the fridge if I want to use it the next day).
  5. I use it in whatever way I find appropriate, in this blog it was muffin rolls, kolache and buchty.

The Muffin Rolls

To shape our dough into muffins, I drew inspiration from cinnamon rolls and other filled rolls I enjoyed as a child (though those were usually much bigger).

Making the Muffin Rolls

  1. Roll the dough into a sheet about 0.5–1 cm thick.
  2. Cover it with your desired filling (cocoa powder, cinnamon, walnuts, poppy seeds, or other goodies).
  3. Sprinkle sugar on top to lightly coat the filling.
  4. Roll the dough tightly.
  5. Prepare a muffin tray and line it with paper.
  6. Cut the roll into pieces and transfer them into the muffin papers.
  7. Let them rise for 20–30 minutes, until puffy.
  8. Bake for 20 minutes at 170°C.
  9. Optionally brush with eggwash after cooking

Directions
The process of making the Muffin Rolls

Kolache

Another way to use the dough is by making kolache. Kolache are small pastries, often filled with fruit, jam, or cheese, and shaped like mini-pizzas.

Making the Kolache

  1. Shape the dough into small flat circles, in whatever way you find convenient.
  2. Fill each with your desired filling.
  3. Add a topping of choice.
  4. Optional: brush the edges with egg wash and dot the tops with a bit of butter.
  5. Bake for 20 minutes at 170 °C (or until golden brown).

Making the filling for Kolache

Crumble

  • 50 g butter
  • 50 g sugar
  • 75 g flour
    Mix the ingredients until you get a crumbly consistency.

Fresh Fruit Kolache

  1. Cut pears, apples, or other fruits into slices or pieces.
  2. Place the fruit on the kolache.
  3. Sprinkle with crumble.

Kolache with Preserved Fruit
If you preserve fruit for winter as a kompot, you can use the strained fruit on your kolache the same way you’d use fresh fruit.

Kolache with Curd

  • 500 g curd (or quark)
  • 50 g sugar
  • 1 egg
  • vanilla for flavour
    Mix the ingredients and fill the kolache with the mixture.

Poppy Seed Kolache

  • 200 g ground poppy seeds
  • 400 g milk
  • ¼ tsp cinnamon
  • 80 g sugar
  • 80–100 g jam
  • 20 g rum
    Slowly boil the ingredients until it slightly thickens. Let it cool before use.

Walnut Kolache

  • 250 g ground walnuts
  • 200 g milk
  • ¼ tsp cinnamon
  • 105 g sugar
  • 20 g butter
  • 60 g rum
    Slowly boil the ingredients until it slightly thickens. Let it cool before use.

Kolache
Kolache before and after baking. I went with Walnut, Poppy Seed and Curd flavours. Some Curd ones got a dollop of plum jam and others had aronia, and I topped them with crumble.

Buchty

Third way you can use the dough, is by making buchtas. Those are bread rolls that have filling inside of them, rather than on the outside.

Making the Buchty

  1. Divide the dough into equal portions.
  2. Fill those pieces of dough with filling, and close them up.
  3. Bake them for 20 minutes at 170 °C (or until golden brown).
  4. Optional: give them egg wash.

Making the filling for Buchty

Buchty are a bit easier to fill than Kolache. You can:

  1. Use thick plum jam
  2. Use thick ganache or melted chocolate
  3. Fill them with grated apples, pears, or other fruits
  4. Use any of the Kolache fillings
  5. Or try anything else you like!

Buchty
Buchty before and after baking, they are so fluffy!

Closing words

I’ve tried making these cakes with a few different ingredient ratios. In each new batch, the cakes were became softer (probably partially because of the ingredients and partially because I started respecting the baking times), and in result, tastier. Still, I’d say the quality of the filling matters more than the dough, and an egg wash (especially just the yolk) makes a big difference.

Buchty
Representatives of the three different batches