Vatrushka is a pirog*, which is a baked pastry shell with sweet or savory filling typical of Eastern Europe.
Characterized by a ring-shaped dough with traditional white tvorog cheese (a Russian cheese made from fermented milk) in the center, sometimes with the addition of raisins or fruit pieces.
The most common size is about 2-4 inches in diameter, but there are also larger versions. Vatrushkas are usually made using leavened sweet bread dough.
Savory varieties are made using unsweetened dough, with onions added to the filling.
The etymology of the word is uncertain.
A widespread hypothesis derives the root of the name from the word “vatra,” which in some Slavic languages means “fire”.
According to another version, the word is borrowed from the Romanian language, where “vatra” means “a kind of cake, baked in the fire”.
This sweet version of mine is dedicated to the film “Anora” nominated for 9 Oscars for the Oscar Menu.
The film tells the difficult marriage between Anora, a young prostitute, and Vanya Zakharov, son of a Russian oligarch, on my other blog – Miss Spettacolo – you can find an article dedicated to its emotional and refined ending.
- Difficulty: Medium
- Cost: Economical
- Rest time: 1 Hour
- Preparation time: 10 Minutes
- Portions: 12 Pieces
- Cooking methods: Oven
- Cuisine: Russian
- Seasonality: All seasons
Ingredients for Vatrushka:
- 4 cups flour
- 1 tbsp active dry yeast (or 1 oz fresh yeast)
- 1 cup milk
- 3 eggs
- 7 tbsp butter (melted)
- 9 oz tvorog (or ricotta or quark)
- 1/3 cup sugar (+ 1 teaspoon)
- 1 pinch salt
Steps
Dissolve the yeast in warm milk with 1 teaspoon of sugar and let rest for 5 minutes.
Combine it with the flour, melted butter, 2 eggs, and a pinch of salt.
Let it rest for 1 hour covered.
For the filling: mix the tvorog (or ricotta or quark) with the sugar and the egg – optionally add some flour or starch to make the filling thicker.
You can opt for a lactose-free version using almond ricotta whose recipe can be found on the blog.
From the dough, form about 12 balls of 2-2.5 oz, flatten them to create a 2-4 inch ring (without a hole) with a high edge to fill them with a spoonful of filling,
Let rise for another 30 minutes, then bake in a static oven at 350°F for 20 minutes and the last 5 minutes in grill mode.
Serve with tea.,
* Pirog should not be confused with pierogi (accent on “ro” in Polish and English) in Polish cuisine, which are dumplings similar to Russian pelmeni or Ukrainian varenyky.
* Pirog should not be confused with pierogi (accent on “ro” in Polish and English) in Polish cuisine, which are dumplings similar to Russian pelmeni or Ukrainian varenyky.
“Anora” is available on DVD.
