559. Bulochki (Russian sweet yeast rolls)

BULOCHKI#BREADBAKERS

 Appetite comes at mealtime – Russian Proverb

     #Breadbakers theme for the month of May 2016 was decided by Deepti of Baking Yummies. She suggested that we bake rolls. It took me a whole week to decide whether I wanted to bake some sweet or savoury rolls. My sweet tooth ruled and I decided to bake sweet rolls, Bulochki. While most bakeries use the term rolls and buns as they wish, the general rule is that rolls are usually stuffed or rolled with a sweet or savoury filling whereas buns are generally plain and not filled. However, there are no strict rules. Hard crusted breads are included in rolls like French rolls or Kaiser rolls whereas Hot Cross Buns are classified as buns.

        Bulochki is a Russian sweet filled roll. Usually they are filled with apple, sometimes cherries, apricots,poppy seeds or other fruits. The apple can be stewed, made into butter or jam and then filled in the rolls before baking. I decided to fill the rolls with cooked apples. The rolls can be sprinkled with flour crumb, brushed with egg, dusted with powdered sugar, glazed or iced. Usually the dough is made using eggs but I decided to make an eggless one.To make the bread part softer I replaced the eggs with butter. I followed the recipe for the filling from Olga’s Flavour Factory. The rolls can be oval or round shaped, knotted or as pull apart rolls.

        When I baked the rolls, my hubby didn’t even try them. I shared some with my family and left a few in the fridge. I brought them out of the fridge on Sunday and warmed them up on a griddle pan over low heat. I think as the Russian proverb says, my hubby’s appetite for the rolls came when I served them as brunch. “How come I didn’t taste these on the day you baked them? They are so delicious.” Now what do I say to that? They are one of my favourite rolls as I love apple in desserts, bakes etc. Hope you too love this recipe and will want to try it out.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

BULOCHKI

Makes 16 rolls (or 32 if you want to make mini ones)

For the dough:

3 cups all purpose flour (plain flour)

2 tsp instant dry active yeast

½ tsp salt

¼ cup sugar

1 – 1¼ cup warm milk

4 tbsp butter

 

For the filling:

5-6 (approx 700-800g) apples*

½ cup sugar

1 tbsp lemon juice

1 tsp lemon zest

1 tsp cinnamon powder

For brushing:

2 tbsp milk

For glazing:

2 tbsp honey

1 tbsp water

extra flour for dusting

extra butter for greasing

 

Preparation of the dough:

1. Put flour, salt, sugar and yeast in a big bowl and mix well.
2. Add one tablespoon butter and rub it into the flour.
3. Add the milk and form a dough.
4. Sprinkle the board with some flour and knead the dough, adding butter little by little till the dough is smooth and elastic. Knead the dough for 10-15 minutes by hand or for 7-10 minutes in a machine.
5. Grease the bowl bowl with butter. Shape the dough into a ball.
6. Place the dough in the bowl. Cover with a cling film or towel and place in a warm place till the dough is double the size. This will take about 1½ hours, depending on how warm the place is.
7. In the meantime prepare the filling.

Preparation of the filling:

1. Peel, core and chop the apples into small pieces.
2. Put the apple and sugar in a wide pan over medium heat.
3. Mix till the sugar melts and till the apples let out water.
4. Lower the heat and let the mixture simmer till the apples are cooked.
5. Let the mixture cool down.
6. At this stage if you find too much liquid in the apple mixture, then strain it.
7. Add lemon juice, lemon zest and cinnamon powder and mix well.

Final preparation of bulochki:

1. Knead the risen dough gently, just enough to let out the air.
2. Divide it into 16 parts.
3. Grease baking tray with butter or line it with parchment paper.
4. Sprinkle the work top with some flour.
5. Divide the filling into 16 parts.
6. Take one part and roll it into an oval of approx 5″X 3″.
7. Put one part of the filling in the middle of the rolled dough.
8. Pinch the two long ends together to seal. Tuck the ends. Remember to pinch the seams well so that the filling does not come out during baking.
9. Place the seam side down on the greased tray.
10. Follow steps 6-9 with the remaining dough and filling.
11. Cover the rolls with a towel and let them rise till double the size for about 45 minutes.
12. Preheat the oven to 180°C.
13. Brush the rolls with milk.
14. Bake in the oven for 20-25 minutes or till the tops are golden brown.
15. Mix honey and water and keep it ready.
16. Remove the baked rolls from the oven and brush them with the honey water mixture.
17. Let the buns cool.
18. Serve with tea or coffee.

Tips:

• *Use green apples or a mixture or any of your choice.
• If you want to add egg in the dough then use 2.
• Use egg wash instead of milk for brushing the rolls before baking.
• Next time I’ll probably sprinkle the rolls with black poppy seeds.
• If the rolls begin to brown too quickly, cover them with foil and bake till done.

Check out the delightful rolls baked by fellow bakers:

• Anadama Rolls from Passion Kneaded
• Bulochki (Russian Sweet Yeast Rolls) from Mayuri’s Jikoni
• Cinnamon Rolls from Bakingyummies
• Crescent Rolls from Sara’s Tasty Buds
• Feta Olive Knots from Food Lust People Love
• Flax Oat Wheat Dinner Rolls from Cook’s Hideout
• Einkorn Parmesan and Garlic Rolls from The Wimpy Vegetarian
• Gluten Free Cinnamon Rolls from A Baker’s House
• Hokkaido Milk Rolls from Baking in Pyjamas
• Kahvalti – Turkish-style Breakfast Buns from A Shaggy Dough Story
• Masala Bread Rolls from Sneha’s Recipes
• Mini Cheddar Bialys from Karen’s Kitchen Stories
• Oatmeal Dinner Rolls from A Day in the Life on the Farm
• Pesto Rolls from Veg Nation
• Raspberry Sweet Rolls from Kylee Cooks
• Savory Cheddar Rolls from Magnolia Days
• Stuffed Vegatable Masala Buns from Spill the Spices
• Twisted Knotted Mint Garlic Rolls from Gayathri’s Cook Spot
• Wholewheat Low Fat Stuffed Cinnamon Rolls from Sizzling Tastebuds

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