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Home / Recipes
2 hours 15 minutes
5 from 8 votes
19 Comments

Sweet Cheese Buns (Poale-n brau)

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by: Joanna Cismaru
01.14.21
Updated: 01.14.21

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pin for sweet cheese buns.

These beautiful Sweet Cheese Buns are loaded with golden raisins and a creamy ricotta cheese filling, encompassed by an irresistibly delicious bun.

sweet cheese buns stacked on top of each other with the top one broken in half.

I love cheese pies, cheese pastries, so much in fact, that I have many variations of these recipes on the blog, most of them being on the savory side, but I wanted to add a sweeter adaption to my repertoire! This is another one of those Romanian recipes that I love.

These little cheese buns are called “Poale-n Brau” in Romanian, which I couldn’t even translate if I wanted too! Something to do with waist, or hem or lap, I don’t think there’s a way to properly translate this. No matter what they’re called, they’re delicious.

a freshly baked sweet cheese bun.

Sweet Cheese Buns

I struggled with what to call them in English but sweet cheese buns is what I settled on. A combination of golden raisins and creamy, dreamy ricotta spiked with a fresh zest of lemon fill these flaky delights!

Although they are a bit of work to make, there will be an abundance of baked goods to go around, making it all worth it. You can share with your loved ones or keep them all to yourself.

Ingredient Notes

overhead shot of ingredients needed to make sweet cheese buns.
  • Cheese – We are using ricotta cheese for that extra creamy and decadent filling.
  • Flour – Regular all-purpose flour is your best friend when making these buns.
  • Eggs – The eggs are going to help make our buns airy and fluffy.
  • Sugar – We need a little bit of sweetness to balance the flavor of these cheese buns, granulated is fine.
  • Water – Make sure it’s lukewarm! The best temperature of the water should be anywhere from 95 degrees to 105 degrees for this.
  • Vegetable Oil – Substitute canola, sunflower, or safflower oil.
  • Lemon – We want the zest from one fresh lemon to add a nice bright hint of citrus flavor to these pastries!
  • Yeast – I chose to use fresh yeast for this recipe, but feel free to substitute with 1 package of active dry yeast!
  • Raisins – I used golden raisins, you can use your preference!
    • Optional: You don’t have to do this, but you can soak the raisins in some rum for about 1 hour, just for some extra flavor!

How to Make Sweet Cheese Buns

process shots showing how to make dough for sweet cheese buns.

Prep the Dough:

  1. Dissolve Yeast: In a big bowl, add the flour and form a well in the middle. Crumble up the fresh yeast and add it in the well. Pour the water over the yeast and stir it up until the yeast dissolves. If using active yeast, activate in a bowl with the lukewarm water and a tsp of the sugar.
  2. Mix Dough: Add the oil, 1/2 cup of the sugar, 2 eggs and half the lemon zest to the well. Using your hands mix everything together and continue kneading the dough for about 10 minutes. Alternatively you can do this in your stand mixer and mix on medium low until the dough is smooth and comes clean from the sides of the bowl.
  3. Let Rise: Place the dough in an oiled bowl, cover it up with a clean towel, or plastic wrap and let it double in size, in a warm place.
  4. Make Cheese Mixture: While the dough is rising, we can make the cheese mixture. In a medium bowl, add the ricotta cheese, raisins, remaining 1/2 cup of sugar, 1 egg, remaining lemon zest and mix it all together. Place the cheese mixture in the fridge while the dough is rising.
process shots showing how to prep the dough and roll it out for cheese buns.

Shaping and Baking:

  1. Preheat Oven: Preheat oven to 350 F degrees.
  2. Roll and Cut Dough: After the dough has doubled in size, roll it out in a long rectangular so that it’s about 1/4 inch in thickness. Using a pastry cutter cut it into squares that are 3″ x 3″.
  3. Roll it Out: Take each square and roll it up until it’s 6″ x 6″, it will be quite thin, but don’t worry as it will rise quite a bit more.
  4. Assemble: Place 2 tsp of the cheese mixture in the center of each square. Fold over each corner of the square over to the middle and pinch in the middle to make the dough stick. Now fold each newly formed corner over to the middle again and pinch it in the middle. Make sure you pinch it well, otherwise the dough will open up. Repeat with remaining dough and cheese mixture.
  5. Egg Wash: Brush the cheese buns with egg wash and let them sit out for another 10 minutes so they rise a bit more.
  6. Bake: Bake in the oven for about 30 or 35 minutes, or until golden brown.
  7. Finish and Serve: Cool on wire racks and sprinkle with powdered sugar if preferred.
process shots showing how to form the dough to make sweet cheese shots.

FAQs & Expert Tips

FAQs

Do I Have To Use Fresh Yeast?

For these buns I used fresh yeast, however it’s not a must! You can alternatively use regular active dry yeast, you’ll need a package of active dry yeast or 2 1/4 tsp or 1/4 oz.

Where Can I Buy Fresh Yeast?

If you really want to use fresh yeast, you can usually get it from a bakery or if your grocery store has a bakery you can get it there from the baker, they usually sell it in blocks and it’s quite cheap.

What’s The Best Mixing Method?

When mixing this dough, you can use a wooden spoon, your hands or a mixer to mix everything together. Alternatively, you can save yourself all the work and mix it all in your mixer.

How to Serve

These sweet cheese buns great for breakfast with a cup of coffee, and not to mention they’re super portable, so you can take them with you on the go! I like to dust mine with a little extra powdered sugar for that little added sweetness.

side by side shots of sweet cheese buns cooling on a cooling rack and sprinkled with powdered sugar.

Tips

  1. Before starting, ensure that your yeast is active!
  2. Make sure to brush the dough with egg wash before baking. This adds shine and will enhance the golden color of the buns.
  3. If you’d like, you can add your preference of mix-ins to the filling before baking. You can also top it with slivered almonds or a dusting of powdered sugar!
overhead shot of a bunch of freshly baked sweet cheese buns.

Storing Sweet Cheese Buns

These sweet cheese buns will stay fresh for up to 3 days, covered and stored at room temperature, but will keep for an additional week in the refrigerator, covered with foil, plastic wrap or in a plastic bag or airtight container.

Freezing

Wrap these sweet cheese buns tightly with aluminum foil or plastic freezer wrap, or place in heavy-duty freezer bag/airtight container. This will allow them to stay fresh for up to 1 month.

Let defrost at room temperature for about 2 to 3 hours when ready to serve or simply pop them in the microwave for 30 seconds to 1 minute.

sweet cheese buns stacked on top of each other.

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sweet cheese buns stacked on top of each other with the top one broken in half.

Sweet Cheese Buns

5 from 8 votes
Prep: 30 mins
Cook: 35 mins
Rising time: 1 hr 10 mins
Total: 2 hrs 15 mins
Author: Joanna Cismaru
Serves: 24 pastries
Print Pin Rate
These beautiful Sweet Cheese Buns are loaded with golden raisins and a creamy ricotta cheese filling, encompassed by an irresistibly delicious bun.

Equipment

  • KitchenAid Classic 4.5 Quart Stand Mixer
  • Classic Wooden Rolling Pin
  • Aluminum Baking Sheet (2 pack)

Ingredients

  • 6 cups all-purpose flour
  • 2 oz fresh yeast or 1 package of active dry yeast
  • 1 cup water lukewarm
  • 1 cup vegetable oil
  • 1 cup sugar granulated, divided
  • 4 large eggs at room temperature, divided
  • 1 tbsp lemon zest
  • 2 cups ricotta cheese
  • ¾ cup golden raisins
US Customary – Metric

Instructions

  • Dissolve Yeast: In a big bowl, add the flour and form a well in the middle. Crumble up the fresh yeast and add it in the well. Pour the water over the yeast and stir it up until the yeast dissolves. If using active yeast, activate in a bowl with the lukewarm water and a tsp of the sugar.x
  • Mix Dough: Add the oil, ½ cup of the sugar, 2 eggs and half the lemon zest to the well. Using your hands mix everything together and continue kneading the dough for about 10 minutes. Alternatively you can do this in your stand mixer and mix on medium low until the dough is smooth and comes clean from the sides of the bowl.
  • Let Rise: Place the dough in an oiled bowl, cover it up with a clean towel, or plastic wrap and let it double in size, in a warm place.
  • Make Cheese Mixture: While the dough is rising, we can make the cheese mixture. In a medium bowl, add the ricotta cheese, raisins, remaining ½ cup of sugar, 1 egg, remaining lemon zest and mix it all together. Place the cheese mixture in the fridge while the dough is rising.
  • Preheat oven: Preheat oven to 350°F.
  • Roll and Cut Dough: After the dough has doubled in size, roll it out in a long rectangular so that it's about ¼ inch in thickness. Using a pastry cutter cut it into squares that are 3" x 3". Repeat with remaining dough.
  • Roll it Out: Take each square and roll it up until it's 6" x 6", it will be quite thin, but don't worry as it will rise quite a bit more.
  • Assemble: Place 2 tsp of the cheese mixture in the center of each square. Fold over each corner of the square over to the middle and pinch in the middle to make the dough stick. Now fold each newly formed corner over to the middle again and pinch it in the middle. Make sure you pinch it well, otherwise the dough will open up. Repeat with remaining dough and cheese mixture.
  • Egg Wash: Beat the remaining egg and brush the cheese buns with it. Let them sit out for another 10 minutes so they rise a bit more.
  • Bake: Bake in the oven for about 30 or 35 minutes, or until golden brown.
  • Finish and Serve: Cool on wire racks and sprinkle with powdered sugar if preferred.

Recipe Notes

  1. Before starting, ensure that your yeast is active!
  2. Make sure to brush the dough with egg wash before baking. This adds shine and will enhance the golden color of the buns.
  3. If you’d like, you can add your preference of mix-ins to the filling before baking. You can also top it with slivered almonds or a dusting of powdered sugar!
  4. These sweet cheese buns will stay fresh for up to 3 days, covered and stored at room temperature, but will keep for an additional week in the refrigerator, covered with foil, plastic wrap or in a plastic bag or airtight container.
  5. Wrap these sweet cheese buns tightly with aluminum foil or plastic freezer wrap, or place in heavy-duty freezer bag/airtight container. This will allow them to stay fresh for up to 1 month.
  6. Let defrost at room temperature for about 2 to 3 hours when ready to serve or simply pop them in the microwave for 30 seconds to 1 minute.

Nutrition Information:

Serving: 1bunCalories: 288kcal (14%)Carbohydrates: 37g (12%)Protein: 7g (14%)Fat: 13g (20%)Saturated Fat: 9g (56%)Cholesterol: 41mg (14%)Sodium: 32mg (1%)Potassium: 114mg (3%)Fiber: 1g (4%)Sugar: 11g (12%)Vitamin A: 136IU (3%)Vitamin C: 1mg (1%)Calcium: 55mg (6%)Iron: 2mg (11%)
Course:Bread, Pastries
Cuisine:Romanian
Keyword:sweet cheese buns
Tried this recipe? Rate it belowtag @jocooks on instagram and hashtag it #jocooks!

Meet Joanna Cismaru

I’m Joanna (Jo for short) and this is my blog where I share with you my culinary adventures. Here you will find a variety of recipes using simple everyday ingredients and creating wonderful, delicious and comforting meals, including some decadent desserts.

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Comments

  1. Randy Goldberg says

    January 23, 2021 at 10:48 am

    Can this be halved?

    Reply
    • Joanna Cismaru says

      January 23, 2021 at 1:00 pm

      Absolutely!

      Reply
  2. LavenderRose says

    January 15, 2021 at 11:15 am

    How could I modify this recipe using storebought pastry to make turnovers. Love this filling. thank you❤️

    Reply
    • Jo Cooks Team says

      January 15, 2021 at 11:49 am

      I would just follow as instructed (of course leaving out the dough) The only thing I would say is to watch the bake time. Depending on the thickness of the pastry, they might take less or more time to bake.

      Reply
  3. Rita says

    January 15, 2021 at 8:46 am

    Love all your recipes! How long will it take for dough to double in size? TY

    Reply
    • Jo Cooks Team says

      January 15, 2021 at 9:50 am

      Thank you! It will ultimately depend on a couple factors. In a toasty kitchen, your dough may proof in as little as an hour (maybe less!). When the temperatures dip, it can take much longer—upwards of two or even three hours. But on average it will take about an hour to an hour and a half.

      Reply
  4. Alex says

    July 25, 2017 at 12:16 am

    Hello, just wondering if this will work with store bought phyllo ? If so, will the baking time be the same as welll? Thank you in advance

    Reply
    • Joanna Cismaru says

      July 25, 2017 at 9:18 pm

      I don’t think Phyllo would work so great here, I think puff pastry might be a bit better. I would follow the instructions on the puff pastry package for baking time and temperature.

      Reply
  5. T.Rose says

    June 1, 2014 at 11:46 pm

    I am doing a report on Romania for my 6th grade Europe report and needed a recipe from Romania… When I saw the pictures I knew this was for me!!! Thank you so much it is sooooooooooooooo yummy!!!

    Reply
    • jo says

      June 2, 2014 at 12:35 am

      You’re welcome, so glad you liked it. 🙂

      Reply
  6. Diana says

    July 29, 2013 at 12:17 am

    My 8 year-old non-Romanian child picked out this recipe while we were browsing the site. She said that it is the one she wants me to make, and of course it is a Romanian recipe. She didn’t even pick out a recipe from the cakes or cookies lists. This mommy is so proud. I can’t wait to make yet another one of your amazing recipes. God bless.

    Reply
    • jo says

      July 29, 2013 at 2:54 am

      Lol, that’s a great story! You have a child with wonderful taste. 🙂

      Reply
  7. cynthia says

    July 22, 2013 at 9:27 am

    Thanx to Andreea and her mama Maria for their help / ideas, and introducing me to this website.
    You two are the best……!!

    Reply
  8. Zoicas Alina says

    September 7, 2011 at 8:17 pm

    Sincer , sper sa nu te superi ca iti scriu …dar retetele tale ma fac sa ma simt ca sunt acasa…iti scriu cu lacrimi in ochi….sunt retete pe care mama le facea cand eram in tara…acum soarta si destinu m-au indepartat de scumpa viata de altadata..si la care inca tanjesc…insa retetele tale sunt asa de asemanatoare cu cele pe care le stiu eu….iti multumesc mult….

    Reply
    • jo says

      September 7, 2011 at 9:09 pm

      Alina, multumesc foarte mult. Ma bucura foarte tare cand primesc comentarii cum a fost cel scris de tine. Si mie imi plac foarte mult prajiturile si cozonacii care se fac in Romania, si de aia le fac si eu cat de des pot, imi place sa invat cum se fac, si bineinteles imi place sa le si mananc. 🙂 Poale-n brau chiar nu am mai incercat niciodata pana nu mi-a spus sotul meu de ele. Oricum, ma bucur foarte mult ca-ti place. 🙂

      Reply
  9. Heavenly Housewife says

    July 27, 2011 at 12:13 pm

    Is it possible to be in love with pastry? I think I might be with these :), they are so lovely. I am bookmarking this and plan to make them soon.
    *kisses* HH

    Reply
    • jo says

      July 27, 2011 at 1:18 pm

      And trust me when I say they are very delicious. Hope you enjoy them.

      Reply
  10. Elle Hyson says

    July 25, 2011 at 3:38 pm

    I am 89 years old and the pictures of your cheese pastries took me back to early, early days at home. My mother was a baker par excellence and cheese delkelh were one of the pastries I couldn’t get enough of – and your pastries certainly resemble those Hungarian delicacies of my childhood. I found your blog only recently by good fortune and am enjoying everything I read. Thanks.

    Reply
    • jo says

      July 25, 2011 at 4:16 pm

      Elle, that is the nicest thing anyone could ever say to me. Thank you very much.

      Reply

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I'm Joanna (Jo for short) and this is my blog where I share with you my culinary adventures. Here you will find a variety of recipes using simple everyday ingredients and creating wonderful, delicious and comforting meals, including some decadent desserts.

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