Austrian Style Sweet Pull Apart Yeast Buns Recipe

March 09, 2023 by tina oblak in Adriatic Recipe, All year round recipe, Austrian inspired dishes, Autumnal dish, Autumnal recipe, baked dish, baking, breakfast, brunch, Central European recipes, child friendly dish, child friendly meal, dessert, Eastern European recipes, easy baking, Easy recipe, Enriched dough, family friendly dish, home baking, Istrian cuisine, Istrian dish, Istrian food, Istrian gastronomy, Mitteleuropean cuisine, Mitteleuropean dish, Mitteleuropean food, Mitteleuropean recipes, pudding, Rustic dish, simple recipe, Slovenian cuisine, Slovenian food, Slovenian gastronomy, Snacks, Sweet bread, sweet course, sweet finger food, sweet nibbles, Sweet Things

These soft, fluffy and airy sweet yeast buns are filled with apricot jam and are simply irresistible. This baked treat is similar to a crown loaf, it breaks into 12 individual rolls which makes it perfect for sharing, and they transport very well to take on a picnic.

As soon as they are baked the outside is lightly golden and slightly crispy but the crust becomes soft when the buns cool down.

They can be enjoyed as a dessert and are perfect for breakfast, great with tea or coffee, and kids love them as a snack, any time of the day, with a glass of milk or hot chocolate.

They are Austrian in origin (Buchteln plural form and Buchtel singular) where they are very commonly served with the vanilla sauce. These sweet buns are unknown to many people, and because they are slightly off the beaten track, this makes them a bit of an undiscovered treasure. However, they are very popular in Slovenia which borders Austria, and was once part of Austro-Hungarian Empire.

I remember that these buns were baked in school for our mid morning snack, accompanied by a hot drink. The aroma of freshly baked buhteljni (this is what they are called in Slovenian) would travel through the corridors into the classrooms – disrupting at times our concentration! Indeed, just before the break we children would get so excited the teachers found it almost impossible to contain us.

Here I am sharing the recipe of my maternal grandmother, stara mama Iva, she baked them often on a regular basis, they went down as a real treat every single time, and she never seemed to bake enough of them...

Recipe

Ingredients

This recipe makes 12 buns

400g all purpose (plain) flour
40g butter, melted and slightly cooled
pinch of sea salt
finely grated lemon zest of one unwaxed lemon
½ Tsp vanilla extract
2 medium eggs, at room temperature
140ml semi-skimmed or full fat milk, lukewarm
60g caster sugar
5g (1 ½ Tsp) dry fast-action yeast
apricot jam or a jam of your preference for the filling

For the glaze

40g melted unsalted butter for the brushing

For serving

icing sugar or vanilla icing sugar for dusting

Method

Put the sifted flour in a large mixing bowl and add the sea salt to one side of the bowl.

Make a well, pour in lukewarm milk and add the yeast.

In a separate smaller bowl, add the eggs and whisk them lightly. Add the sugar, melted and slightly cooled butter, and vanilla extract.

Pour the egg mixture to a big mixing bowl and add finely grated lemon zest.

Stir the mixture with the fork first so all the ingredients come together, incorporate, and combine well to make a fairly sticky dough.

Tip the dough into a lightly floured working surface and knead by hand for about 10-15 minutes, adding a little extra flour if needed.

The dough should be very soft, shiny and elastic.

Transfer the dough to a large lightly oiled container or bowl. Cover tightly with cling film and leave to rise in a warm place for about at least 1 hour, or until the dough has doubled in size.

Form into a sausage and divide into 12 equal pieces.

Flatten them to the thickness of about 1cm to obtain mini pizza shaped discs. You can do this by using floured rolling pin or stretch the dough with your hands.

Put one teaspoon of apricot jam in the centre, on top of each circle, and close the ends well. Do not try to be overgenerous with the jam, if the filling gets on the edges of the disc, it is almost impossible to seal them because the dough will stop sticking. Wrap the dough around the filling, pinching and sealing it tightly You should end up with 12 parcels.

Lightly grease a 23cm round, deep springform cake tin. You can use other shapes of baking trays, just make sure they are greased to prevent the buns from sticking.

Place the parcels, one next to each other, so they are snug and touching with the seam side down in a non stick baking tray. Melt the butter and brush the top and all the sides.

Leave to proof for a second time, for about 30min, by covering them with a clean kitchen cloth in a warm room with no draft until they are nicely risen and puffed up.

Bake at 180º static in the preheated oven, on the middle shelf, for about 30minutes or until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean.

The buns should be lightly golden on top and well risen.

Leave in the tin for about 5 minutes, then release the sides of the tin.

Remove and place the sweet buns to a wire rack to cool.

Dust the buns with regular or vanilla icing sugar and enjoy.

Meatloaf with Hard Boiled Eggs and Oven Baked Potatoes Istrian Recipe

Beans and Sardines

December 23, 2022 by tina oblak in Adriatic Recipe, All year round recipe, Autumnal dish, Autumnal recipe, baked dish, Celebratory dish, child friendly dish, child friendly meal, dinner, Easter, Easter dish, Easter recipes, Easy recipe, family friendly dish, family friendly meal, hearty dish, Istrian cuisine, Istrian dish, Istrian food, Istrian gastronomy, main course, main dish, main meat course, Meat, roasted dish, Rustic dish, simple recipe, Slovenian cuisine, Slovenian food, Slovenian gastronomy, supper, Winter dish, Winter recipe, Starters

Meatloaf with hard boiled eggs is a real crowd pleaser. It is moist, tender, satisfying, and comforting, and when eaten hot, it will warm you up body and soul. It is equally delicious cold, and it makes a fantastic starter. Slices of leftover meatloaf are a great sandwich filler, and it is also brilliant to take on picnics, as it transports very well.

This dish is made with minced beef and pork combined with stale pieces of bread previously softened in milk, fresh parsley, marjoram, onions, garlic, salt and pepper, it is then shaped in a log and cooked. It has a rustic appearance from the outside but when you cut through it, it looks quite elegant and sophisticated, presenting itself quite cheffy, elaborate and complicated to make, but this meatloaf dish could not be easier to prepare.

Nowadays, this dish might be considered and perceived to be a regular family midweek meal, or a weekend dinner, but this was not always the case. In fact, my nona told me that in Slovenian Istra, meatloaf stuffed with hard boiled eggs was exclusively reserved for festivities and to celebrate special occasions. To make it extra special finely chopped pancetta would be added to the meat mix and it could also be baked wrapped inside bread dough, almost resembling Beef Wellington. Another way of cooking the meatloaf is wrapping it in a cloth and boiling it in plenty of simmering water.

This dish is called Polpeton by the locals, a dialect word clearly influenced by the neighbouring Italian Polpettone, which has numerous regional variations from North to South of Italy.

Regardless of what it is called, Polpettone in Italian, or Polpeton in Istrian , they both showcase a very humble but creative way of using stale bread or breadcrumbs, the latter one, once again, being home made from old bread.

The Istrian meatloaf distinguishes itself from the others by adding fresh or dry marjoram, a herb very commonly grown along the Slovenian coast, and characterizes quite specifically many savoury dishes in Istrian cooking, offering distinctive flavour.

I am sharing here my nona's recipe for this delicious meat loaf which is traditionally served and enjoyed with sone oven roasted potatoes, a selection of vegetables and a side salad.

This is easier to make than it looks, give it a go, it will become one of your favourite recipes for meatloaves, and you will be asked to share the recipe by your family and friends.

Recipe

Ingredients

Serves 4-6

250g minced beef
250g minced pork
2 soft white baps or some stale bread (roughly 120g)
150ml milk
1 Tbsp marjoram (fresh or dry), finely chopped
a handful of fresh flat leaf parsley (about 12g), finely chopped
1 onion (about 100g), peeled and finely chopped
1 clove of garlic, peeled and pressed
1 egg, slightly beaten
4 eggs, hard boiled and peeled
sea salt
black pepper

Oven baked potatoes (optional)

500g potatoes, peeled and cut into cubes
extra virgin olive oil, generous drizzle
sea salt, to taste
black pepper, to taste

Method

Preheat the oven to 180C or equivalent.

Cut or tear with your hands white baps (or any other type of stale bread you are using) into small pieces and put them into a bowl. Pour over the milk, mix well and leave to soak for a few minutes until the bread is completely softened (if necessary squeeze out gently with your hands excessive milk).

While the bread is soaking in milk, prepare the meat mixture.

Put both minced beef and minced pork in a fairly large bowl. Add finely chopped onions, crashed garlic, finely chopped fresh parsley and marjoram, lightly beaten egg, generous pinch of sea salt, black pepper and softened pieces of bread.

With your hand mix very well all the ingredients, almost using a squeezing action, to thoroughly combine the mixture (if you end up with bigger bread pieces just break them with your fingers).

Transfer the meat mixture onto a large sheet of baking parchment (roughly the size of your baking tray) and flatten it with your hands into an approximate 30x25cm (12 x 10 inch) rectangle.

Place 4 whole hard boiled eggs in a row, along the centre and form the meatloaf around the eggs using the baking parchment.

Press it gently to seal any seams, and tuck well the edges.

Transfer the meat loaf, seam side down (together with the baking parchment) on to a baking tray.

Place cubed potatoes around the meatloaf, drizzle with extra virgin olive oil and season with sea salt and black pepper to taste. With your hands arrange them in a single layer and mix and toss so all the cubed potatoes are evenly coated in olive oil and the seasoning.

Bake at180C static or equivalent for 60 minutes.

Halfway through baking, check the colour of the meatloaf, if it is browning too much, tent it with some aluminium foil to prevent it from browning too much and starting to burn.

When baked, cover the meat loaf with the aluminium foil to keep it warm and allow it to rest for a bit before slicing it.

Just a thought

Meatloaf will keep in the fridge, in an airtight container, for about 3-4 days. Best reheat it in a microwave, covered.

Before baking the meatloaf you can “dress it up” by topping it with overlapping slices of pancetta giving it that additional festive look and flavour.

Wine suggestion

Chianti Colli Senesi DOCG 2021 - Poliziano

Djuvec Rice with Bell Peppers and Tomatoes Istrian Recipe

October 05, 2022 by tina oblak in Adriatic Recipe, Appetizers, Autumnal dish, Autumnal recipe, Balkan dish, brunch, child friendly dish, child friendly meal, dinner, Easy recipe, entrée course, family friendly dish, family friendly meal, first course, first course dish, first course meal, Healthy, healthy mael, hearty dish, Istrian cuisine, Istrian dish, Istrian food, main course, main dish, main vegetarian course, main vegetarian dish, main vegetarian meal, Nutritious, Nutritious dish, one pot meal, Rustic dish, Side Dishes, simple recipe, Slovenian cuisine, Slovenian food, Slovenian gastronomy, Starters, summer dish, summer recipe, supper, Vegan, Vegetable side dish, Vegetables, Vegetarian

Djuvec (frequently spelled Ðuveč and pronounced Joo-vetch) is a one pot rice dish, and a bit of a hidden gem in the gastronomic world. It is very commonly found in South-Eastern Europe in countries like Slovenia, Croatia, Serbia and other Balkan countries, and perhaps it is not very well known to the rest of the world.

This vegetarian and vegan friendly dish is one of my absolute favourites, it is incredibly simple and quick to make, healthy, and is really delicious. It is also a very practical dish. It can be prepared ahead of time, and it makes a fantastic addition to more familiar picnic foods and buffets at parties.

Djuvec is always a big hit with friends and family at the barbecue gatherings, as it is traditionally served at a room temperature as a side dish, and makes a great paring to pan fried or grilled vegetables, fish or different type of meats like Ćevapčići (small pieces of rolled grilled mince meat) and Ražnjići (grilled pork meat on skewers).

It can also be served hot or warm as a main mail, maybe with a side salad, as an alternative to a tasty, and perhaps, more frequently cooked, well known and much loved a classic Italian risotto.

It is often made during the summer, end of summer and early autumn with main ingredients being onions, red, orange or yellow bell peppers and tomatoes, and often peas, ajvar (sweet roasted red pepper spread) and powdered paprika is added to a basic recipe to create a very common variations of this dish.

I am sharing here my mum's super delicious one pot pepper and tomato rice dish that she used to make time and time again, just try it, I promise you, you will came back to this “off the beaten track recipe” that my family and my friends simply adore, and cannot get enough of it.

Recipe

Ingredients

Serves 4-6

3 Tbsp virgin olive oil or olive oil
1-2 onions (about 250g), peeled and finely chopped
1 clove garlic, peeled and crushed
2 red bell peppers (about 400g), wash, dry, remove the seeds and white filaments and cut into small cubes (for this recipe you can also use yellow or orange bell peppers or a combination)
few vine tomatoes or other types of ripe and sweet tomatoes (about 300g) washed, quartered and roughly chopped
1 Tbsp tomato paste
300g long grain rice
600ml vegetable stock or instant vegetable stock powder
sea salt
black pepper
fresh flat leaf parsley for serving, roughly chopped, optional

Method

Place olive oil in a fairly large shallow cast iron casserole dish or frying pan, add finely chopped onions, crushed garlic, a generous pinch of sea salt and cook for about 10 minutes on a gentle heat until the onions become soft and translucent, stirring occasionally.

Add small cubes of bell peppers and stir in with the onions and garlic, cook further for about 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Transfer roughly chopped tomatoes to the pan, add tomato paste, mix and cook for 10 minutes or so or until the tomatoes are soft and cooked down, stirring occasionally.