½cup plus 2 tablespoons(150 ml) milk,heated until warm (100 to 115°F)
1 ½teaspoons(5 g) active dry yeast
2 ¾cups plus 2 tablespoons(355 g) all-purpose flour,plus more as needed
3tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons(40 g) granulated sugar
¼teaspoonkosher salt
5 ½tablespoons(77 g) unsalted butter,melted
1large egg
½teaspoonpure vanilla extract
To Assemble and Finish:
4tablespoonssmooth apricot jam or powidl
1tablespoon(14 g) unsalted butter,melted for the pan and topping (or more as needed)
Confectioner’s (icing) sugar,for dusting
Instructions
Combine the warm milk and yeast in a liquid measuring cup or bowl and allow to stand for about 10 minutes to activate the yeast.
In the bowl of an electric stand mixer fitted with a dough hook, add the flour, sugar and salt and give it a quick stir just to combine. Add the milk-yeast mixture, melted butter, egg, and vanilla extract, and mix together on medium speed for about 5 minutes. The dough should pull away from the sides of the bowl, be very elastic, but not sticky. You should also be able to stretch a small piece of dough with your hands so it is thin enough and nearly transparent without it ripping (windowpane test).
Cover the bowl with a clean tea towel or plastic wrap and allow the dough to rise in a warm spot until doubled in size (about 1 to 2 hours but really depends on ambient temperature).
Brush some but not all of the 1 tablespoon melted butter in a baking dish (rectangular, oval, and round will all work) approximately 12-by-7-inches in size give or take (about 1.75 to 2 quarts volume).
Transfer the dough to a lightly floured surface, deflate it, and divide it into 12 equal pieces (each weighing about 55 grams). For each ball of dough, fold the edges under the middle a couple of times so you will get a nice ball with a smooth surface on the top, then flip them over so the smooth side is on the bottom.
Flatten each ball with your palm to a circle with a diameter of 3 to 3 ½ inches. Put 1 teaspoon of jam into the center of each disc of dough, then lift up the edges of the dough, bringing them together and pinch to seal, smoothing out the dough as best you can. Be sure to avoid getting jam on the edges of the dough because it won’t stick together to seal. Flip the ball over so the sealed side is on the bottom and the smooth side is on top. Set aside. Repeat with the remaining dough and jam until you have 12 sealed balls.
Transfer the sealed balls of dough with the sealed side down into the prepared dish. It’s ok if they are touching. Brush the buchteln all over with the remaining melted butter (remelt it if necessary). Loosely cover and proof again in a warm-ish spot for about 30 minutes until puffed up. If they appear dry afterwards, you may brush them all with a bit more melted butter.
Preheat the oven to 375°F / 190°C with the oven rack in the center. Bake the buchteln for about 25 to 30 minutes or until golden brown.
Cool for about 15 to 20 minutes, then dust with confectioners’ (icing) sugar and serve. You can also serve them with a vanilla sauce which is quite traditional. Store leftover buchteln in an airtight container at room temperature.
Notes
Buchteln are softest when freshly baked and still a bit warm or at room temperature. They will become a bit more firm-textured by the following day, and the powdered sugar will dissolve into the top crust once they are covered. You can refresh them for a few minutes in an oven or toaster oven at 350°F to just warm them back up and re-soften them, if desired.
If the dough is very sticky after mixing, sprinkle in another teaspoon of flour and mix a couple minutes more and repeat if needed until the texture is correct. If the dough isn’t sticky but you can’t do the windowpane test, knead it another couple minutes and check again.
If your house is particularly cool or drafty, and you don’t have a warm spot to proof the dough, try this technique. Turn on your oven (at any temperature) for just 30 to 60 seconds or so. Turn it off the moment the oven feels slightly warm but not hot (just keep opening the door and checking). Then cover your dough and place it in the slightly warm oven and let it proof in there. This works great during winter months. On a warm summer day, regular room temperature should be sufficient.
In the Austrian version of this recipe, apricot jam is very traditional. For the Czech version (called Buchty), the filling is usually poppy seed paste or powidl, a traditional Bohemian jam made from zwetschge plums without any additional sweeteners or gelling agents.