Knysh

Knysh (Ukrainian Sweet Cheese Buns)

Small round Ukrainian yeasted buns with a pillowy crumb and a creamy centre of sweetened farmer cheese, eaten warm from the oven or at room temperature with coffee.

Prep

30 min

Cook

20 min

Total

50 min

Serves

12 buns

Difficulty

Medium

Recipe ingredients

• •300 g (10½ oz / about 2½ cups) plain wheat flour, all-purpose, plus extra for dusting
• •120 ml (½ cup) whole milk, warm (about 38 °C / 100 °F) to bloom the yeast
• •7 g (1 packet (2¼ tsp)) fresh yeast, or 1 tsp instant dry yeast; fresh is traditional in Ukrainian baking
• •50 g (¼ cup) caster sugar, plus extra for the filling
• •60 g (¼ cup) unsalted butter, softened for the dough; melted for brushing if liked
• •1 whole (1 large) egg, plus 1 yolk for the filling and 1 yolk + 1 tbsp milk for the wash
• •1 g (¼ tsp) fine salt
• •250 g (about 1 cup / 9 oz) farmer cheese (syr), tvorog-style curd cheese; if unavailable, mix 200 g full-fat ricotta with 50 g drained plain cottage cheese blended smooth
• •1 whole (1 large) egg yolk, for the filling
• •30 g (2 tbsp) caster sugar, for the filling, adjust to taste
• •1 tsp vanilla extract or vanilla sugar, vanilla sugar is most traditional
• •1 tsp finely grated lemon zest, optional, classic in Polissia-style knysh
• •1 tbsp poppy seeds, optional, sprinkled on top before baking
• •20 g (about 3 tbsp) powdered sugar, for dusting after baking

Steps

1. 1 Bloom the yeast: whisk fresh yeast and 1 tsp of the sugar into the warm milk and leave 8–10 minutes until foamy. If using instant yeast, simply stir it into the flour.
2. 2 Make the dough: in a large bowl combine flour, salt and remaining sugar. Make a well, add the bloomed yeast mixture, the whole egg and the softened butter. Mix to a soft dough, then knead on a lightly floured surface 8–10 minutes until smooth, elastic and only slightly tacky. Cover and rise 1 to 1¼ hours until roughly doubled.
3. 3 Make the filling: mash the farmer cheese with the egg yolk, sugar, vanilla and lemon zest (if using) until smooth and creamy. It should hold its shape on a spoon; chill while the dough finishes rising.
4. 4 Shape the buns: punch down the dough, divide into 12 equal pieces (about 45 g each) and roll each into a smooth ball. On a floured surface roll each ball into a round about 10–11 cm (4 in) across and 4–5 mm thick.
5. 5 Fill and seal: spoon a generous tablespoon of the cheese filling into the centre of each round. Bring the edges up over the filling, pinch firmly to seal, then gently flip seam-side down and flatten with the palm into a round bun about 7–8 cm (3 in) across and 1.5 cm thick. Place seam-side down on two parchment-lined trays.
6. 6 Second rise: cover loosely with a tea towel and leave 25–35 minutes until visibly puffy.
7. 7 Preheat the oven to 190 °C / 375 °F (conventional) or 175 °C / 350 °F (fan). Whisk the egg yolk with 1 tbsp milk for the wash.
8. 8 Finish and bake: brush each bun with the egg-yolk wash, sprinkle with poppy seeds if using, and bake 18–22 minutes until deeply golden on top and the underside sounds hollow. Internal crumb should read above 90 °C / 195 °F on an instant-read thermometer.
9. 9 Cool on a rack for 10 minutes so the cheese filling sets, then dust with powdered sugar. Knysh are best eaten the day they are baked, warm or at room temperature.