Strawberry Custard Sweet Buns
Soft, fluffy Eastern European sweet buns filled with silky vanilla custard, fresh strawberries, and buttery streusel. Similar to traditional Vatrushkas and Czech Kolaches, these bakery-style buns can be made with custard, sweetened farmer’s cheese, cream cheese, fruit preserves, or seasonal fruit fillings.
Depending on the region, these pastries are known as Vatrushkas, Kolaches, sweet cheese buns, or filled sweet rolls. Traditionally they are made with sweetened farmer’s cheese or cottage cheese, but custard, fruit, cream cheese, and jam fillings are equally popular. This strawberry version combines a soft enriched dough with creamy vanilla custard, fresh berries glazed in a simple strawberry syrup, and a buttery streusel topping that adds the perfect finishing touch.
These sweet buns are ideal for breakfast, brunch, afternoon coffee, or a special weekend baking project. While fresh strawberries shine during the summer months, the recipe can easily be adapted throughout the year using your favorite fruits, jams, or sweet cheese fillings.
Yield: 8–9 Sweet Buns
Ingredients
For the Dough
- 250g warm milk
- 75g sugar
- 9g baking salt
- 7g instant yeast
- 70g egg
- 500g bread flour
- 45g softened unsalted butter
For the Vanilla Custard
- 400ml whole milk
- 3 large eggs
- 1 tbsp vanilla bean paste
- 70g sugar
- 30g cornstarch
For the Strawberries
- 300g small fresh strawberries
Strawberry Glaze
- 4 tbsp smooth strawberry juice or puree
- 4 tbsp sugar
For the Streusel
- 30g melted butter
- 70g all-purpose flour
- 10g sugar
- 2g baking salt
For Finishing
- 1 egg, beaten, for egg wash
Instructions
Make the Dough
Combine the warm milk, sugar, yeast, egg, bread flour, and salt in the bowl of a stand mixer. Mix until a shaggy dough forms. Knead on medium speed for 6–8 minutes until the dough begins to look smooth. Add the softened butter gradually and continue kneading for another 4–5 minutes until the dough becomes silky, elastic, and passes a windowpane test.
Transfer the dough to a lightly greased bowl, cover, and let rise until doubled in size, about 1–1½ hours.
Hand Mixing Method
Mix all ingredients except the butter until no dry flour remains. Let the dough rest for 20 minutes. Add the softened butter and knead until smooth and elastic, about 10–15 minutes. Cover and let rise until doubled.
Make the Custard
In a saucepan, whisk together the milk, eggs, sugar, cornstarch, and vanilla paste until smooth. Cook over medium heat, whisking constantly, until the mixture thickens into a smooth pastry cream. Transfer to a bowl, cover the surface directly with plastic wrap, and cool completely.
Make the Strawberry Glaze
Combine the strawberry juice and sugar in a small saucepan. Bring to a gentle simmer and cook for 2–3 minutes until slightly thickened. Cool completely. Toss the strawberries with the cooled glaze just before assembling.
Make the Streusel
Combine the melted butter, flour, and sugar in a bowl. Mix with a fork until crumbly and set aside.
Shape the Sweet Buns
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Once the dough has doubled, gently deflate it and divide it into 8–9 equal portions, about 85–90g each. Shape each piece into a smooth ball and place them on the prepared baking sheet.
Cover and let proof until noticeably puffy and almost doubled, about 45–60 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 325°F (165°C).
Brush each bun lightly with egg wash. Using the bottom of a greased glass or the back of a spoon, press a deep well into the center of each bun.
Fill each cavity generously with vanilla custard. Arrange the strawberries on top of the custard and sprinkle generously with streusel.
Bake
Bake for 25–27 minutes, or until lightly golden around the edges and fully baked through. Allow the buns to cool on the baking sheet for 10 minutes before transferring them to a wire rack.
Serve slightly warm or at room temperature.
Sourdough Option
If you’d like to make these sweet buns with sourdough, add 100g active sourdough starter (100% hydration) to the dough and reduce the instant yeast to 0.5g (about ⅛ teaspoon).
The dough will ferment more slowly and develop a deeper flavor. After mixing and kneading, let the dough rise until increased by about 75%, which may take 4–6 hours depending on the strength of your starter and room temperature. After shaping, allow the buns to proof until noticeably puffy, approximately 2–4 hours, before filling and baking.
For even more flavor, the shaped buns can be refrigerated overnight and baked the following day after they have finished proofing. Adjust fermentation times as needed, as every sourdough starter behaves differently.
Filling Variations
One of the reasons Vatrushkas and Kolaches have remained popular for generations is their versatility. Once you master the dough, the filling possibilities are endless.
Try filling them with:
- Sweetened farmer’s cheese (tvorog)
- Sweetened cottage cheese
- Cream cheese filling
- Cheesecake-style filling made with cream cheese, sugar, and egg yolk
- Raspberry jam
- Apricot preserves
- Cherry preserves
- Blueberry preserves
- Apple filling
- Lemon curd
- Pastry cream with seasonal fruit
You can also swap the strawberries for blueberries, raspberries, blackberries, cherries, peaches, apricots, plums, or apples depending on the season.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a Vatrushka?
Vatrushka is a traditional Eastern European sweet bun made from enriched yeast dough and typically filled with sweetened farmer’s cheese, cottage cheese, or tvorog. Modern versions often include custard, cream cheese, fruit, or jam fillings.
What is the difference between a Vatrushka and a Kolache?
Both are yeast-raised pastries with a filled center. Vatrushkas are common throughout Eastern Europe and are traditionally filled with sweet cheese, while Czech Kolaches often feature fruit preserves, poppy seed filling, or sweet cheese. Today, the styles overlap and share many similarities.
Can I make the dough ahead of time?
Yes. After the first rise, refrigerate the dough overnight. The next day, allow it to warm slightly, then shape, proof, fill, and bake.
Can I use frozen fruit?
Yes, but thaw and drain the fruit well before using to avoid excess moisture in the filling.
How should I store them?
Because these buns contain custard, store them in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Allow them to come to room temperature or warm them slightly before serving.
Can I freeze them?
The dough freezes well, but buns filled with custard are best enjoyed fresh for the best texture and flavor.
Soft, buttery, and filled with creamy custard and fresh strawberries, these Strawberry Custard Sweet Buns bring together the best qualities of traditional Vatrushkas and Kolaches. Whether you fill them with sweet cheese, fruit, custard, or jam, they are a timeless bakery treat that’s guaranteed to disappear quickly.
Strawberry Custard Sweet Buns
Ingredients
- 250 g Warm milk
- 75 g Sugar
- 9 g Baking salt
- 7 g Instant yeast
- 70 g Egg
- 500 g Bread flour
- 45 g Unsalted butter, softened
- 400 ml Whole milk
- 3 Large eggs
- 1 tbsp Vanilla bean paste
- 70 g Sugar
- 30 g Cornstarch
- 300 g Small fresh strawberries
- 4 tbsp Smooth strawberry juice or puree
- 4 tbsp Sugar
- 30 g Unsalted butter, melted
- 70 g All-purpose flour
- 10 g Sugar
- 2 g Baking salt
- 1 Egg, beaten
Equipment
- Stand Mixer Highly recommended to smoothly incorporate the butter matrix into the enriched dough
- Saucepan
- Whisk
- Baking Sheet lined with parchment paper
- Glass or Spoon Greased, to press deep wells into the proofed dough portions
Method
- Kneading in mixer: In your stand mixer bowl, combine the 250g of warm milk, 75g of sugar, 7g of instant yeast, 70g of egg, 500g of bread flour, and 9g of baking salt. Mix until a shaggy mass forms, then knead on medium speed for 6 to 8 minutes until the dough base begins to smooth out. (Hand Method: Mix all except butter until no dry spots remain, rest 20 minutes, then knead manually for 10 to 15 minutes).
- Butter Emulsification: Gradually drop the 45g of softened unsalted butter piece by piece into the moving mixer. Continue kneading for an additional 4 to 5 minutes until the fat is seamlessly incorporated and the dough turns silky, elastic, and clears a clean, translucent windowpane test.
- Primary Rise: Transfer the smooth dough mass into a lightly greased bowl. Cover securely and allow to proof at room temperature for 1 to 2 hours until it cleanly doubles in volume.
- Custard Thicken Cycle: In a small saucepan, preheat the 400ml of whole milk, in separate bowl mix 3 large eggs, 70g of sugar, 30g of cornstarch, and 1 tablespoon of vanilla bean paste until completely lump-free. then combine with warm milk. Place over medium heat and whisk constantly until the mixture thickens into a heavy, smooth pastry cream. Transfer to a clean bowl, press plastic wrap directly onto the custard surface, and let cool completely.
- Strawberry Glaze Reduction: In a separate small saucepan, combine the 4 tablespoons of smooth strawberry juice or puree with 4 tablespoons of sugar. Bring to a gentle simmer and cook for 2 to 3 minutes until slightly thickened. Set aside to cool. Toss your 300g of small fresh strawberries directly into this glaze right before assembly.
- Streusel : In a small bowl, mix the 70g of all-purpose flour, 10g of sugar, and 2g of baking salt. Pour in the 30g of melted butter and toss gently with a fork until standard crumbly streusel pebbles form; set aside.
- Scaling & Rounding: Deflate your double-risen dough gently. Tip onto a clean surface and divide into 8 to 9 equal portions weighing roughly 85–90g each. Roll each portion firmly into a tight, smooth ball.
- Tray Proofing Interval: Arrange the rounded dough balls neatly onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, leaving generous space between each. Cover loosely and allow them to proof for 45 to 60 minutes until noticeably puffy and nearly doubled.
- Thermal Calibration & Wash: Preheat your home oven to 325°F (165°C). Uncover the puffy dough balls and brush their outer surfaces lightly with beaten egg wash.
- Stamping the Well: Lightly grease the flat bottom of a drinking glass or the back of a large spoon. Press it firmly straight down into the exact center of each proofed ball to form a deep, wide cavity with a substantial, raised outer edge.
- Generous Loading Assembly: Spoon a generous portion of the cooled vanilla custard directly into each stamped cavity. Arrange the glazed strawberries neatly over the custard core, then scatter a heavy layer of the fork-crumbled streusel pebbles across the top of the fruit.
- The Tender Golden Bake: Slide the pan onto the middle oven rack and bake at 325°F (165°C) for 25 to 27 minutes. The buns are done when the outer dough rings turn a soft, light golden brown and the core custard is set. Cool on the baking tray for 10 minutes before sliding onto a wire rack. Serve warm or at room temperature.
Nutrition
Notes
- Sourdough Conversion Parameters: To easily shift these traditional buns into a slow-fermented profile, add 100g of active, mature sourdough starter (100% hydration) straight into the initial dough mix and drop the instant yeast down to a mere 0.5g (roughly 1/8 teaspoon). The main bulk rise will extend out to 4 to 6 hours until an increase of 75% is achieved, and the final post-shaping tray proof will require 2 to 4 hours to become fully puffy before filling stamps are applied.
- The Magic of the Dual-Pan Stamp Technique: When executing step 10, make sure to press the greased glass firmly down until you almost touch the sheet pan base. Enriched doughs possess high elastic rebound; if the well is pressed too shallowly, the dough center will rise up during baking and push the vanilla custard and glazed strawberries right off the sides of the bun.
- Storage and Moisture Safeguards: Because these decadent buns feature a high-moisture custard center, any leftovers must be stored securely inside an airtight container in the refrigerator, where they will keep beautifully for up to 3 days. To restore their original fresh-bakery crumb texture, pull them from the cold and warm gently in a toaster oven or microwave for 10 to 12 seconds until just slightly warm before eating.
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