Authentic Ukrainian Perishke Recipe: Fluffy Cottage Cheese & Dill Buns

Welcome to a culinary journey back to my childhood, a place where warm, savory aromas often filled the air, especially during festive seasons. Today, I’m thrilled to share a cherished Ukrainian recipe that holds a special place in my heart: Perishke. These delightful Ukrainian filled buns, featuring a rich cottage cheese and fragrant dill filling, are traditionally served with a luscious dill cream sauce, creating a truly unforgettable experience that’s both comforting and incredibly flavorful.

For as long as I can remember, my Grandma would lovingly prepare Perishke for Christmas, Easter, and other significant family gatherings. Her kitchen, bustling with activity and filled with the scent of fresh baking, was the heart of our holiday celebrations, and these buns were always a highlight, eagerly anticipated by everyone. Among the array of traditional Ukrainian dishes she mastered, Perishke quickly became one of my absolute favorites – a true taste of home and a bite of pure comfort.

Years later, driven by a desire to preserve these precious culinary traditions and recreate that nostalgic flavor, I embarked on the quest to make Grandma’s Perishke myself. This endeavor, much like my earlier adventure in perfecting Nalysnyky (Ukrainian Crepes), proved to be a delightful challenge. It involved a bit of culinary detective work: reaching out to my Aunt to unearth Grandma’s original, handwritten recipe (which, true to form, was more a sparse list of ingredients than detailed instructions!), cross-referencing with various online recipes, and a follow-up call to my Aunt for those crucial, missing steps and tips.

The journey was worth every moment. The end result was incredibly satisfying, capturing the authentic flavor and heartwarming essence I remembered from Grandma’s kitchen. While my handmade buns might have turned out a touch larger than hers, I found this actually made the process slightly less labor-intensive, a small but welcome efficiency! The taste was precisely as I recalled, evoking a powerful sense of nostalgia. I wholeheartedly recommend making these Perishke for your own special occasions, or whenever you crave a truly comforting and flavorful homemade treat that transports you to simpler times.

Crafting Your Homemade Perishke: A Step-by-Step Guide

Embracing the tradition of many beloved Ukrainian dishes, making Perishke is a delightful project that rewards patience with incredible flavor. While it requires a few stages, each step is straightforward and incredibly satisfying. Let’s break down the process, starting with the heart of any good bun: the dough.

The Perfect Perishke Dough: Enriched and Flavorful

The foundation of these exquisite buns is an enriched dough. This means it’s made with all-purpose flour but boasts the added richness of eggs, sugar, and oil, which contribute to its tender crumb and subtle sweetness. This enriched quality is what gives Perishke their characteristic soft, fluffy texture, making them irresistibly light yet satisfying. The yeast works its magic, creating air pockets that expand during baking, resulting in that wonderfully airy interior.

For convenience, a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook is an excellent tool for achieving a perfectly kneaded dough with minimal effort. It consistently mixes and kneads the dough to the ideal elasticity, usually in about 10-15 minutes. However, don’t be deterred if you don’t own one. You can absolutely achieve wonderful results by using a food processor (using the dough blade for quick mixing) or, more traditionally and therapeutically, by kneading the dough by hand on a lightly floured surface. Manual kneading allows you to truly connect with the dough, feeling its transformation from a sticky mass to a smooth, elastic ball. Once mixed and kneaded, the dough needs time to develop its flavor and rise, typically at least an hour, until it doubles in volume in a warm, draft-free place.

The Savory Cottage Cheese and Dill Filling: A Classic Combination

While your dough is undergoing its first magical rise, you can prepare the aromatic and savory filling. This mixture is wonderfully simple, yet bursting with fresh, clean flavors. It primarily combines dry curd cottage cheese, which offers a firmer, less watery texture ideal for baking, with a touch of heavy cream for moisture and richness. The star of the show here is vibrant fresh dill; its distinctive herbaceous note is what truly defines the flavor profile of traditional Perishke, perfectly complementing the creamy cheese. Seasoning with salt and freshly ground black pepper enhances all these natural flavors, creating a harmonious blend that is utterly delicious on its own.

Shaping and Second Rise: Crafting Each Individual Bun

Once your dough has majestically doubled in size, gently “punch it down” to release the accumulated air. This step helps create a finer, more even crumb. Now, you’re ready to begin the art of shaping each Perishke. The goal is to create uniformly sized buns, each perfectly encasing its savory filling. A kitchen scale is your best friend here: measure out 1-ounce (about 28g) pieces of dough. Work with one piece of dough at a time, ensuring the remaining dough stays covered to prevent drying out.

Roll each dough piece into a smooth ball, then use a rolling pin to flatten and stretch it into a roughly 3-inch round. The dough will be slightly sticky, so work on a lightly floured surface and keep a little extra flour nearby for dusting your hands or the rolling pin as needed. Next, hold the dough round in the palm of your hand and carefully place about 2 teaspoons of the cottage cheese and dill filling in the center with your other hand. Then, bring the edges of the dough together over the filling, pinching them firmly and completely to seal the bun. This seal is crucial to prevent any delicious filling from escaping during baking. Place each filled dough ball, seam-side down, onto a baking sheet that has been lined with either a silicone baking mat or parchment paper. Remember to gently cover the shaped buns with a clean towel while you continue working, allowing them to begin their second rise.

This second rise, often called “proofing,” is essential for light and airy Perishke. It typically takes about 10-15 minutes after you’ve placed the last bun on the baking sheet, giving the yeast a final burst of activity before baking.

Baking and Serving Your Delicious Perishke with Dill Cream Sauce

As the Perishke near the end of their second rise, preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C). Just before baking, very gently and very lightly brush the tops of the buns with a small amount of melted butter. This butter wash not only adds a beautiful golden-brown color to the crust but also contributes to the rich flavor and keeps the buns wonderfully soft. Bake them until they are beautifully golden brown, usually around 25 minutes, remembering to turn the baking sheets halfway through for even cooking. Due to the time-consuming nature of shaping each bun, you might find it more practical to bake the sheets one at a time, ensuring that each batch is perfectly risen and baked without some over-proofing while others are still being shaped.

The magic isn’t truly complete without the accompanying dill cream sauce. This simple yet elegant sauce perfectly complements the savory buns. While the buns are still warm, you have two options for serving: you can serve them immediately by stirring together the heavy cream (or half-and-half), fresh dill, salt, and pepper, heating it briefly in the microwave, and then generously pouring the warm dill cream sauce over the Perishke, allowing the sauce to seep into the soft buns. Alternatively, you can cool the baked Perishke to room temperature, transfer them to an airtight container or zipper bag, and store them in the fridge to reheat later. When reheating, make the dill cream sauce fresh and add it just before serving. Either way, the combination of the warm, savory bun and the cool, tangy dill sauce is a match made in culinary heaven.

Key Ingredients for Authentic Perishke

Achieving the authentic taste and texture of Ukrainian Perishke relies on a few key ingredients, each playing a vital role. Here’s a closer look at what you’ll need and some helpful tips:

• All-purpose flour: The base for our fluffy dough. Ensure you have extra on hand for dusting your work surface.
• Granulated sugar: Adds a touch of sweetness to the enriched dough and helps activate the yeast.
• Instant yeast: Essential for the dough’s rise, giving the buns their light and airy texture. Ensure your yeast is fresh for best results.
• Table salt: Balances flavors in both the dough and the filling.
• Warm water: Used to activate the yeast in the dough. It should be warm to the touch, not hot (which can kill the yeast) or cold (which slows activation).
• Canola oil or other neutral-flavored cooking oil: Adds moisture and richness to the dough, contributing to its tender crumb.
• Large eggs: Another key component of the enriched dough, adding flavor, color, and structure.
• Dry curd cottage cheese: This is the traditional choice for Perishke filling due to its firm texture and lower moisture content. It won’t make your buns soggy. Depending on where you live, this is sometimes available in tubs by the regular cottage cheese. It might also be available as a pressed block in the cheese aisle. If you can’t find it, don’t worry, there are excellent substitution ideas below.
• Heavy cream: Used in both the filling and the dill cream sauce, providing richness and a smooth texture. You could replace this with sour cream or plain Greek yogurt (in the filling but not in the cream sauce), or 18% table cream, or 10% half-and-half for a slightly lighter option.
• Fresh dill: Absolutely crucial for the authentic flavor of Perishke. Do not substitute with dried dill if possible; fresh dill’s vibrant aroma is irreplaceable.
• Freshly ground black pepper: Adds a subtle spice and depth to the savory filling and sauce.
• Butter (either salted or unsalted will work): Used for brushing the buns before baking, adding to their golden color and delicious crust.

Tips for Perfect Perishke Every Time

• Don’t Rush the Rise: Yeast dough requires patience. Ensure your dough fully doubles in size during both the first and second rises. A warm, draft-free environment is key.
• Master the Seal: When filling the buns, make sure to firmly pinch the edges of the dough together. A tight seal prevents the filling from leaking out during baking, which can make the buns tough or dry.
• Lightly Flour Your Surface: The dough is meant to be soft and slightly sticky. Use just enough flour on your work surface and hands to prevent sticking, but avoid adding too much, as this can make the buns tough.
• Uniformity is Key: Using a kitchen scale to portion your dough ensures all your Perishke bake evenly and look consistent.
• Fresh Dill is Best: For the most authentic and vibrant flavor, always opt for fresh dill. Dried dill simply won’t achieve the same aromatic impact.
• Pre-bake Prep: Line your baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats for easy release and cleanup.

Storage and Reheating Perishke

Perishke are best enjoyed fresh and warm, but they can be stored and reheated:

• At Room Temperature: Baked Perishke can be kept in an airtight container for up to 24 hours.
• In the Refrigerator: Store cooled Perishke in a large zipper bag or airtight container in the fridge for up to 3-4 days. When ready to serve, reheat them in a 325°F (160°C) oven, covered, until warm, then pour the freshly made hot dill cream sauce over them.
• Freezing: Perishke freeze beautifully! Once completely cooled, transfer them to a freezer-safe bag or container, separating layers with parchment paper to prevent sticking. They can be frozen for up to 2-3 months. To reheat from frozen, thaw overnight in the refrigerator, then warm in a 325°F (160°C) oven as described above. Prepare fresh dill cream sauce.

Perishke Nutrition Notes:

The nutrition information provided in the recipe below is calculated for one Perishke bun, assuming the recipe yields 32 buns as written. It’s a useful guide for those monitoring their dietary intake.

If you’re looking to adjust the nutritional profile, replacing the heavy cream in the filling and/or sauce with a lower-fat cream alternative, sour cream, or plain Greek yogurt will slightly reduce the total calories, total fat, and saturated fat content per serving, while still maintaining much of the desired texture and flavor. Always check the labels of your chosen substitutes for precise nutritional values.