Well, I should have put quotes around “Austrian” because they are not authentic sweet rolls. I used gluten free flour and apple compute in the first batch and AP flour and fresh made raspberry jelly in the second batch. What can I say, I didn’t have any apricot filling.

The texture of the apple filled resembled a biscuit more than bread, but a friend whose mother is Austrian said they were very close (except it should be filled with apricot jam.) The raspberry filed Buchteln were delicious, tender and above all, had raspberry in them.

Buchteln – Sweet Austrian Yeast Buns

Yield: 12 Buchteln

INGREDIENTS
• 150 ml (½ c plus 2 Tbl) warm milk
• 5 g (1 ½ tsp g) active dry yeast
• 40 g (3 Tbl) sugar
• 1 large egg
• 77 g (5 ½ Tbl) melted butter
• ½ tsp vanilla extract
• ¼ tsp salt
• 325 g (about 2 ½ c) all-purpose flour
Filling
• About 5 Tbl apple compote with fine texture (no chunks)
• 3 Tbl melted butter for the pan
• Confectioners sugar for dusting

METHOD

1. In a large mixing bowl sprinkle the yeast over the warm milk and set it aside for 10 minutes for the yeast to dissolve and activate.
2. Stir in sugar, egg, melted (lightly cooled) butter, vanilla and salt with a hand whisk.
3. Stir in about 1 ½ cups (200 g) of the flour to get a thick batter and stir vigorously with the whisk until no lumps remain. Time to change your tools: Get rid of the whisk and use a sturdy (wooden) cooking spoon to gradually stir in the rest of the flour.
4. When all ingredients come together bowl fold the edges into the center for a couple of minutes. The dough will be sticky but refrain from adding more flour. It helps if you oil your clean hands before you knead a sticky dough. Knead until smooth, about 5 minutes.
5. Let the dough rise, covered at warm room temperature until doubled in volume (about 3/4 to 1 hour).
6. Transfer the dough onto a lightly floured surface and divide it into 10-12 60 g portions. Keep pieces you don’t need right away covered.
7. Fold the edges of each piece into the middle a couple of times so you will get a nice ball with a smooth surface on the bottom side. Flatten each ball with your palm to a circle with a diameter of 3 to 3 ½ inch, keeping the center slightly thicker than the edges. Usually this part works without using any additional flour. If the dough keeps sticking to your countertop, add some.
8. Put 1/2 teaspoon of filling (not more) in the center of every circle. Wrap the dough around the filling, pinching and sealing it tightly. Round the buns again, creating a bit of surface tension. If you use too much filling, it’s difficult to seal them. Also avoid getting filling onto your edges, because this way it is almost impossible to seal them.
9. Put every Buchtel (singular of Buchteln) with the sealed side down onto a lightly floured surface until you have finished filling all of them.
10. Brush a baking pan (I used a round 9-inch ceramic pan) with melted butter, just until coated.
11. Place the Buchteln in your baking pan. You can do this tightly packed (traditional way) or give them a little, but not too much space. They will still rise during the second proofing and baking. If you feel there are too many of them, you can place the remaining in a lined muffin tin.
12. Let them proof a second time for about 20-30 minutes at warm room temperature until puffy. It is best to cover the whole pan with a lid or cling wrap in this step. If you have a rather shallow pan, don’t cover the Buchteln, since they will stick to the plastic wrap. Brush with melted butter.
13. Bake them at 375 °F/ 190 °C in the preheated oven (center) for about 25 minutes (minimum 20 minutes). When they are golden-brown in color, take them out of the oven.
14. Let the Buchteln cool for 5-10 minutes and serve them dusted with confectioner’s sugar. Enjoy!