Vienna has a way of slowing time. You enter a traditional coffee house, and the world softens — marble tables, dark wood paneling, waiters in crisp jackets, and the gentle clatter of silver spoons against porcelain cups. One chilly afternoon, I settled into a corner seat, watching the city pass by outside when a plate of warm Buchteln arrived at my table.
They looked almost too perfect to touch: golden, puffed, lightly dusted with powdered sugar, their Apricot filling just beginning to scent the air. I broke one open with my fork, and the soft steam carried that unmistakable aroma of sweet yeast dough — the kind that instantly transports you to childhood kitchens and Sunday afternoons. One bite, and I knew I wasn’t leaving Vienna without bringing this recipe home with me.
Back in my own kitchen, I recreated those Buchteln, hoping to capture not just the flavor, but the feeling of that Viennese moment — the warmth, the comfort, the quiet indulgence. Here is the recipe, written step by step, just as I made it.
Preparing the yeast dough with dry and wet ingredients (recipe below) 
After 45 min the yeast dough should have risen 
Form dough into a log 
Slice dough log into about 8 pieces 
Flatten sliced dough and fill with Apricot jam. Close and roll into a ball 
Place dough balls in pan and brush with some vegetable oil 
Place sweet dumplings into a casserole dish. Let rest for 30 minutes. Preheat oven to 390 F. 
Buchteln, sweet baked yeast dumpling 
Let cool on baking rack and sprinkle with powdered sugar
🥣 Buchteln – Step‑by‑Step Recipe
Preparing the Dough
Begin by whisking together the egg, granulated sugar, active dry yeast, and lukewarm milk in a large mixing bowl. Stir until the yeast dissolves completely.
Add the soft butter, flour, salt, lemon zest, and vanilla extract to the same bowl.
Knead the mixture into a smooth, elastic dough — about ten minutes by hand or six minutes in a stand mixer.
Once the dough feels soft and supple, cover the bowl with a cotton towel and let it rise in a warm place for about one hour, or until it has doubled in size.
Shaping the Buchteln
When the dough has risen, turn it out onto a lightly floured pastry board.
Shape it gently into a long roll and divide it into eight equal pieces. Form each piece into a small roll or dumpling.
If you’d like to add a filling, press a small indentation into each piece, spoon in a bit of apricot jam, and pinch the dough closed again so the filling stays tucked inside.
Preparing for Baking
Butter a casserole dish generously and arrange the dough balls close together inside.
Brush the tops lightly with vegetable oil to prevent them from sticking to one another as they rise. Cover the dish again and let the rolls rest for another 20 to 30 minutes while you preheat your oven to 390°F (200°C).
Baking the Buchteln
Place the dish in the preheated oven and bake the Buchteln for 20 to 30 minutes, or until they turn a beautiful golden brown.
Remove them from the oven and allow them to cool slightly on a rack.
While still warm, dust them generously with powdered sugar so they take on that classic Viennese coffee‑house look.
✨ Notes
Buchteln are beloved in Austrian and Bavarian kitchens — soft, sweet yeast rolls baked close together until they form one fluffy cluster. They can be filled with Apricot jam, Nutella, or poppy seed filling, or served plain with Vanilla sauce. Warm, comforting, and nostalgic, they’re the perfect way to bring a little bit of Vienna into your home.
Ingredients you can buy on Amazon:
Dr. Oetker Vanilla-Sauce 3 packs (17g each)
Dr. Oetker Vanille Sugar – Pack of 10
Buchteln, sweet baked yeast dumplings
Ingredients
- 4 cups of all purpose flour
- 3.5 tbsp granulated sugar
- 3 tbsp butter
- 1 egg
- 2 1/4 tsp active dry yeast (1 pack)
- 1 dash salt
- 125 ml lukewarm milk
- zest of one lemon
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- Apricot jam for filling (optional)
- Vegetable oil to brush dough
- Powdered sugar to cover
Can be served with Vanilla sauce that can be ordered here on Amazon
Instructions
- In a large bowl ombine egg, sugar, yeast and lukewarm milk. Stir to dissolve.
- Add the soft butter, flour and salt to the same bowl.
- Knead to a smooth dough by hand for 10 minutes or Kitchen aid 6 min.
- Let rise covered with a cotton towel at a warm place for 1 hour.
- Place dough on a floured pastry sheet and form a roll.
- Divide by 8 pieces and form rolls or dumplings.
- You can now make a groove in the roll and fill with apricot jam, then close.
- Butter a casserole dish and set the rolls inside.
- Brush with a little vegetable oil so they don’t stick together.
- Let rise again covered for 20 to 30 minutes.
- Preheat oven to 390F (200 C).
- Bake for 20 to 30 minutes until golden brown.
- Let cool on cooling rack and cover with powdered sugar.
Notes
These sweet dessert dumplings can be filled with fruit jam like Apricot or Nutella-Chocolate-Hazelnut spread.
