Buchteln, served with a delicious homemade vanilla sauce, is an Austrian Dessert that you can easily prepare at home.
The small dumplings made of yeast dough are filled with apricot jam, chocolate, or traditionally Powidl (plum jam) and baked in the oven.
Serve with vanilla custard or apple compote. Simply divine!
Buchteln is a classic contribution of "Bohemian cuisine" to Viennese cuisine. It has been known in Vienna probably since the Biedermeier period (1815 to 1848). Today, Buchteln is considered the quintessential Viennese coffee pastry.
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🥘 Ingredients
- Milk
- Yeast - fresh
- Powdered sugar
- Butter - unsalted
- Salt
- Flour
- Yolk
- Vanilla sugar
- Butter - for coating
- Powdered sugar - to sprinkle before serving
Filling
- Apricot jam
- Chocolate
Or
- Powidl (plum jam)
- Cinnamon
- Rum
See the recipe card for quantities.
🔪 Instructions
Step 1
First, we make the so-called Dampfl. A Dampfl is a pre-dough that you prepare to see how well the dough rises with the yeast.
If the Dampfl does not rise, you do not have to discard the entire dough, but only prepare a new pre-dough. This approach saves time, ingredients, and nerves.
Heat the milk to about 86 °F // 30 °C. You can do this in the microwave or on the stove, whichever you prefer.
Pour half of the heated milk into a mixing bowl and sprinkle in the fresh yeast.
If you want to use a food processor for kneading the dough, use the mixing bowl of the food processor right away.
Mix with a whisk to a thick, mushy dough.
Dust with a bit of flour (just enough to cover the Dampfl), and cover with a tea towel. Place the pre-dough in a warm place and let it rise (about 20-30 minutes).
Step 2
Once the pre-dough is ready, it is time to knead the dough. Put the dough in the food processor equipped with a dough hook and turn it on low.
Now, gradually add the rest of the ingredients.
Starting with
- the second half of the warmed milk,
- then vanilla sugar,
- salt,
- the four egg yolks,
- the powdered sugar,
- butter
- and last but not least, the flour.
Let the machine knead until a beautiful dough is formed.
Cover the dough with a tea towel and let it rise for another 20 minutes.
Step 3
Before you start shaping the dough, prepare the pan. In a small pan, melt the butter and spread the pan with the melted butter.
Use the rest of the melted butter to brush the Buchteln before baking.
Step 4
Roll out the dough thinly and cut it into squares (2x2 inch // 5x5 cm). Place a teaspoon of the desired filling in the middle of the dough pieces.
In our case, this was apricot jam for one-half of the Buchteln and chocolate for the other half.
If you use chocolate, you can use either chocolate drops or chocolate cream.
Once the filling is placed on the dough square, close the open side of the Buchteln by twisting all four corners together. Place the finished, filled Buchtel, end down, in the prepared pan.
It is essential that you place them close together.
Place them close together.
After Baking.
Once all the Buchteln are filled and formed (and there is no more room in the pan), brush the Buchteln lying against each other with the melted butter. Let them rise covered in a warm place for another 20 minutes.
Meanwhile, preheat the oven to about 356 °F // 180 °C top/bottom heat. After the 20 minutes, bake the cakes on the middle rack for about 25 minutes.
Before serving, let cool briefly over and sprinkle with powdered sugar. Serve with vanilla sauce or apple compote!
Dusted with powdered sugar.
Gone in a few minutes.
Enjoy!
🍑 Variations
The easiest way to vary the Buchteln is by their filling. Whether Kinder chocolate, caramel, or the most diverse types of jam. Whatever you like! Here you can let your imagination run wild!
🍽 Equipment
- Cast iron pan
- Cooking pot - or glass measuring cup
- Baking thermometer
- Mixing bowls
- Kitchen machine
- Whisk
- Rolling pin
- Small pan - for melting the butter
- Pastry brush
- Spoon
- Baking tray
🌡 Storage
Buchteln keeps in the refrigerator for between two and three days.
And you can easily freeze them after baking and cooling. When freezing, make sure you either wrap the Buchteln tightly with plastic wrap or store it in an airtight container.
Defrost at room temperature or in the oven/microwave at a low temperature.
AND: You can eat Buchteln cold as well! 👍
💭 Top tip
You can tell if the pre-dough is ready when cracks have formed on the surface of the flour.
If you like this pastry, try Mandies Air Fryer Cinnamon Rolls!
🧐 Things to know
The influence of Bohemian on Austrian cuisine can be seen in the 18th and 19th centuries. Bohemian cooks were in the service of many Viennese bourgeois houses. Their pastries were proverbial and sung about in many songs. They were made of yeast and potato dough and considered specialties, which significantly enriched the repertoire of "Viennese cuisine." The cookbooks of Bohemian cooks also experienced many editions in the 19th century.
Source: info.bml.gv.at
Buchteln is one of the classic contributions of "Bohemian cuisine" to Viennese cuisine and has been known in Vienna probably since the Biedermeier period (1815 to 1848).
Back then, cooks first made this pastry from dark, coarsely ground rye flour, later from wheat flour.
It could be improved if the pastries were designed as dough fillings and prepared their filling, the ingredients of which came from local products. Mainly fruit fillings from apricots and plums were used.
Source: info.bml.gv.at
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📖 Recipe
Buchteln with custard
Equipment
- Cooking Pot Or glass measuring cup
- Baking thermometer
- Rolling Pin
- Small pan for melting the butter
- Pastry brush
- Spoon
- Baking tray
Ingredients
- 1 cup Milk
- ¼ cup Yeast fresh
- ½ cup Powdered sugar
- ½ stick Butter unsalted
- ¾ teaspoon Salt
- 3 ¾ cups Flour
- 4 Egg yolk
- 1 ¼ tablespoon Vanilla sugar
- Butter for coating
- Powdered sugar to sprinkle before serving
Filling
- 1 ¼ g Apricot jam
Optional Filling I
- Chocolate
Instructions
Pre Dough
- Heat 1 cup Milk to about 86 °F // 30 °C.1 cup Milk
- Pour half of the heated milk into a mixing bowl and sprinkle in ¼ cup Yeast.¼ cup Yeast, 1 cup Milk
- Mix with a whisk to a thick mushy dough.
- Dust with a bit of flour (just enough to cover the Dampfl), and cover with a tea towel.3 ¾ cups Flour
- Place the pre-dough in a warm place and let it rise (about 20-30 minutes).
Dough
- Once the pre-dough is ready, it is time to knead the dough. Put the dough in the food processor equipped with a dough hook and turn it on low.
- Now gradually add the other half of the warmed milk, ½ cup Powdered sugar, ½ stick Butter, ¾ teaspoon Salt, 3 ¾ cups Flour, 4 Egg yolk, 1 ¼ tablespoon Vanilla sugar.
- Let the machine knead until a beautiful dough is formed.
- Cover the dough with a tea towel and let it rise for another 20 minutes.
- In a small pan, melt the butter and spread the pan with the melted butter.Butter
Shaping the Buchteln
- Roll out the dough thinly and cut it into squares (2x2 inch // 5x5 cm).
- Place a teaspoon of 1 ¼ g Apricot jam, Chocolate, Powidl, Cinnamon, or Rum desired filling in the middle of the dough pieces.1 ¼ g Apricot jam, Chocolate, Powidl, Cinnamon, Rum
- Once the filling is placed on the dough square, close the open side of the Buchteln by twisting all four corners together.
- Place the finished, filled Buchtel, end down, in the prepared pan. It is essential that you place them close together.
- Once all the Buchteln are filled and formed (and there is no more room in the pan), brush the Buchteln lying against each other with the melted Butter.
- Let them rise covered in a warm place for another 20 minutes.
Baking and Serving
- Meanwhile, preheat the oven to about 356 °F // 180 °C top/bottom heat.
- After the 20 minutes, bake the cakes on the middle rack for about 25 minutes.
- Before serving, let cool briefly over and sprinkle with Powdered sugar. Serve with vanilla sauce or apple compote!Powdered sugar
Nutrition values are estimates only, using online calculators. Please verify using your own data.
⛑️ Food Safety
- Cook to a minimum temperature of 165 °F (74 °C)
- Do not use the same utensils on cooked food, that previously touched raw meat
- Wash hands after touching raw meat
- Don't leave food sitting out at room temperature for extended periods
- Never leave cooking food unattended
- Use oils with high smoking point to avoid harmful compounds
- Always have good ventilation when using a gas stove
For further information, check Safe Food Handling - FDA.
Andréa Janssen says
What a great day that I came across your blog for these delicious Buchteln. Knowing them from childhood memories, I always wanted to try preparing them myself and these were really good. Thank you for sharing!
Nora says
That sounds wonderful! Thank you, Andréa! I am so happy you liked them!
Marysa says
I have never heard of Buchteln before. My daughter is going to Austria this summer, and it would be fun to make some Austrian treats before she goes.
Nora says
This sounds like a great way to start a wonderful time in Austria! Wish your daughter a wonderful stay and a good trip!
Lindsay Howerton-Hastings says
This was my first time working with fresh yeast, and the rolls turned out perfectly! Thanks for a great recipe.
Nora says
Thank you, Lindsay! I am so happy they turned out great!
Giangi Townsend says
Heavenly delicious! We all love it! Thank you for sharing and for your great instructions. I am not a baker therefore, all your instructions were greatly appreciated.
swathi says
These looks delicious I am going to try this, may be I will make it a sourdough version.