There are some Polish bakes that immediately take me back home, and jagodzianki are definitely one of them. Jagodzianki are traditional Polish buns filled with wild blueberries, known as bilberries in English. They are such a familiar part of Polish summer. But the version I make is a little different from the classic yeast buns most people know.
These Polish blueberry buns are made with a shortcrust-yeast dough, or ciasto krucho-drożdżowe. It contains yeast, but you don’t treat it like a traditional yeast dough. There’s no long kneading or waiting around for hours while the dough doubles in size. Cold butter is worked into the flour, the yeast is mixed with sour cream, and the shaped buns only need a short rest before going into the oven.
The Polish Blueberry Buns I Keep Coming Back To
I actually went looking for this kind of recipe because I’ve never been a big fan of purely yeast-based buns. For me, jagodzianki are at their best when the dough is a little more buttery and delicate, somewhere between a traditional yeast bun and pastry.
That’s how I came across this recipe on the Polish food blog Bistro Mama. The shortcrust-yeast dough was exactly what I had been looking for, and once I tried it, I knew this was how I wanted my Polish blueberry buns to be.
The dough is rich with butter, but still soft, with a slightly more delicate texture than a classic yeast bun. Add plenty of juicy blueberries and a generous layer of buttery crumble on top, and that’s my idea of a really good jagodzianka.
What Makes These Jagodzianki Different?
Unlike classic Polish blueberry buns made from a traditional yeast dough, this recipe takes a slightly different route.
The butter is used cold and cut into the flour with the sugar. Fresh yeast is mixed with sour cream before being added to the dough, followed by an egg and an extra yolk. Once everything comes together, the dough can be divided and filled almost straight away.
After shaping, the buns rest for only around 15 minutes. I love that there is no long proving involved. You still get that lovely softness from the yeast, but with a richer, more buttery texture.
Plenty of Blueberries Where They Belong
For me, a jagodzianka should actually contain blueberries. Not a tiny spoonful hidden somewhere in the middle of a huge bun.
Here, each piece of dough is rolled out and filled with a generous amount of fruit. The blueberries are mixed with a little sugar, potato starch and breadcrumbs. The starch helps with all those juices released during baking, while the breadcrumbs help stop the filling from making the dough underneath too wet.
The buns are then sealed carefully and placed seam-side down before being covered with crumble.
Polish Blueberry Buns with a Proper Crumble
The crumble is simple: flour, butter and sugar. Nothing complicated is needed.
I like leaving it a little uneven rather than turning it into very fine crumbs. Those larger buttery pieces bake into golden, crunchy little clusters, which are so good against the softer dough and juicy blueberry filling.
And yes, some of it will inevitably fall onto the baking tray. That’s part of making anything with a proper amount of crumble.
A Polish Summer Bake Worth Making
Fresh blueberries and Polish baking just belong together. When these Polish blueberry buns come out of the oven, golden on top with the occasional bit of purple filling trying to escape through the dough, it’s difficult to wait for them to cool.
They’re lovely while still slightly warm, but this particular shortcrust-yeast dough also holds up beautifully once the buns have cooled. You get buttery dough, lots of blueberries and crunchy crumble in the same bite.
If you’ve only ever tried traditional yeast-dough jagodzianki, this version is worth making. It’s still unmistakably a Polish jagodzianka, just with the kind of buttery, delicate dough that I personally prefer.
Polish Blueberry Buns – Jagodzianki with Crumble
Course: DessertCuisine: PolishDifficulty: Easy10
servings30
minutes25
minutes380
kcalIngredients
- For the Shortcrust-Yeast Dough
340 g plain flour
4 tbsp sugar
100 g cold butter
30 g fresh yeast
3 tbsp sour cream
1 egg
1 egg yolk
- For the Wild Blueberry Filling
250 g wild blueberries (bilberries)
3 tbsp sugar
½ tbsp potato starch
1 tbsp breadcrumbs
- For the Crumble
120 g plain flour
80 g butter
60 g sugar
Directions
- Sift the flour onto a work surface and make a well in the centre. Add the sugar and cold butter, then chop everything together with a knife until roughly combined.
- Mix the fresh yeast with the sour cream until smooth. Add it to the flour and butter mixture.
- Make another well in the centre, add the egg and egg yolk, then knead everything together until a smooth dough forms.
- To make the crumble, combine the flour, butter and sugar. Rub everything together with your fingertips, leaving some larger crumbs. Place in the fridge while you prepare the buns.
- For the filling, gently mix the wild blueberries with the sugar, potato starch and breadcrumbs.
- Divide the dough into 10 equal pieces.Roll each piece out and place 2–3 tablespoons of blueberry filling in the centre.
- Bring the edges together and seal them well so the filling stays inside. Place each bun seam-side down on a baking tray lined with baking paper.
- Sprinkle generously with the crumble and leave the buns to rest for about 15 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 180°C fan.
- Bake for approximately 25 minutes,until the Polish blueberry buns are beautifully golden on top. Allow them to cool slightly before serving.
Notes
- Wild blueberries:
Traditional jagodzianki are made with small wild blueberries, also known as bilberries. They have a more intense flavour and colour than larger cultivated blueberries.
Using frozen blueberries:
Frozen wild blueberries work well, but don’t fully defrost them. They are easier to handle while still cold and firm and release less juice while you’re shaping the buns. However, don’t use them straight from the freezer. Very cold berries will quickly chill the dough, making it firm and harder to shape and seal. Let them sit at room temperature briefly so they’re still cold but no longer frozen solid.
Don’t overmix the filling:
Mix the blueberries gently with the sugar, potato starch and breadcrumbs so you don’t crush the fruit and release too much juice before filling the buns.
Be generous with the filling:
A good jagodzianka should have plenty of blueberries inside. Just make sure you can still bring the edges of the dough together and seal them properly.
Seal them well:
Pinch the edges firmly and place each bun seam-side down on the baking tray. This helps prevent the blueberry filling from escaping during baking.
Keep the crumble chunky:
Don’t work the crumble until it’s completely fine. Leaving some larger buttery pieces gives you those lovely crisp, golden clusters on top.
Short resting time:
These buns don’t need the long proving time of a traditional yeast dough. About 15 minutes after shaping is enough before baking.
Best served: Let the jagodzianki cool slightly before eating. The blueberry filling will be extremely hot straight from the oven.
