Cheese-Filled Yeast Envelopes Draft

How I make it

Dough

1. If using fresh yeast, dissolve it in a small bowl with the cup of warm milk, add 2 tsp sugar and let it foam for about 10 minutes.

2. If using dry yeast, mix it with the flour in the mixer bowl and add the rest of the ingredients, including the warm milk and sugar.

3. Put all the dough ingredients in the mixer bowl and add the foamy yeast.

4. Knead with the dough hook on medium-low speed for about 5 minutes, until soft and smooth. The dough is very sticky at this stage; don't add more flour.

5. Scrape the dough off the sides of the bowl with a flexible spatula and fold it into the rest.

6. Dust the dough with a little flour, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for a slow rise of at least 4-5 hours, or overnight.

Filling

1. Mix all the filling ingredients in a small bowl.

Shaping and baking

1. On a lightly floured surface, knead the cold risen dough briefly and divide it into 5 equal pieces.

2. Roll each piece into a 9½-inch (24 cm) square and cut it into 4 equal squares.

3. Put a heaping tablespoon of filling in the center of each square.

4. Fold the corners in over one another like an envelope. First corner over the filling, the opposite corner over its tip, the third corner over both, and the fourth corner over all of them.

5. Make sure each envelope is completely sealed so the filling can't leak.

6. Carefully transfer to flat baking sheets lined with parchment paper, about 1½ inches (4 cm) apart.

7. Cover with a dry towel or plastic wrap and let rise for about 40 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 375°F (190°C).

8. Dissolve the glaze sugar in the warm milk.

9. Bake for 15 minutes.

10. Take out of the oven, brush with the glaze and bake 5-10 minutes more, until nicely browned and the glaze is set and shiny.

11. Transfer to a wire rack to cool.

What I've learned

• For smaller pastries, I cut the dough into more squares and use less filling in each.
• Instead of the sugar glaze, you can brush them with beaten egg, or skip the glaze and dust with powdered sugar once cool.
• They freeze well. As soon as they've cooled, I wrap them tightly in plastic, press out the air and freeze. To serve, I warm them in a hot oven for about 10 minutes.