Polish Jagodzianki – Blueberry Buns
Blueberry or rather billberry? It’s actually hard to find the right name for them in English. They are either translted to ‘berries’ or ‘blueberries’ but berries seams to be too general and blueberries are just not it! Basically in Poland they are called ‘jagody’ and blueberry buns are called ‘jagodzianki’. Jagody are much smaller than blueberries, they are darker and sweeter. They can be found in forests, they are not commonly grown for sale unlike blueberries. You can buy them in local market squares but it’s hard to find them in supermarkets. But let’s call them blueberry buns.
Blueberry buns with icing or crumble? Some people believe that real Polish jagodzianki are only with icing and the crumble is a desecration of jagodzianki! In my opinion, why not both? After all, the best bun (yeast sweet bun called ‘drożdżówka’) is with crumble and icing, so why not jagodzianka? Below you will find a recipe for both the crumble and the icing, you can prepare both or just one of them as you wish 😉
When is blueberry/jagody season?
The season fo jagody usually starts at the end of June and lasts throughout July, but due to the heat we are increasingly experiencing, the berry season starts earlier and earlier. While the season for blueberries (borówki) starts in july and lasts till september.
Why are berries so expensive? How much do berries cost?
In 2024, I paid PLN 18 for a blueberry bun in a nearby confectionery shop and PLN 30 for 500 g of berries (jagody). Unfortunately, a kilogram of berries costs PLN 60 on the market!
0.5 kg of berries yields about 8 blueberries, so it is much more profitable to prepare them yourself, especially since this cake stays fresh for several days! If you want, you can replace the blueberries (borówki) with blueberries, the taste is similar and the blueberries are twice as cheap!
What kind of dough are berry buns made of?
Jagodzianki are made from yeast dough, like buns or sweet rolls. After all, some people call them ‘buÅ‚ki z jagodami’. The dough should be buttery, soft and stay fresh for a long time.
What is the best flour for jagodzianki?
Apparently, luxury flour type 550 is the best for yeast cakes. As I didn’t have such flour, I used a mixture of 450 and 650 flour and I think it was a bull’s eye! The dough turns out soft and stays fresh for several days. You can, of course, use any wheat flour, but in my opinion, the use of these two types of flour is responsible for the dough that “does not age” and that everyone raves about.
Do you need to defrost berries for buns?
Berries do not need to be defrosted before adding them to blueberry buns, but of course you can. Remember to coat them in starch before adding them to the dough.
What to coat the berries in?
We coat berries and other fruits in starch before adding them to the dough. You can also add powdered sugar and vanilla sugar or vanilla extract. It is best to sift the powdered sugar and starch through a sieve so that they mix well and there are no lumps. Especially when it comes to powdered sugar, it tends to clump and leave large sugar particles. Coat the berries in this mixture. Thanks to this, the juice released by the fruit will become thick and more like jam, it will not leak out so easily and the cake will not get soaked, and we will not get dirty with berry juice when eating blueberry cakes.
How to shape jagodzianki?
ATTENTION! The dough is very soft, so before dividing the dough, you must sprinkle the countertop with flour to prevent the dough from sticking to it. Divide the dough into eight equal parts. Stretch each part in your hands to obtain a flat, round cake. Then put it in a deep plate or bowl, preferably one that does not have steep, vertical walls. The smoother the “descent” of the bowl – the angle of inclination of the walls – the more convenient it will be to form the dough. You need a bowl so that the berries don’t “run away” to the sides while gluing. Place a few tablespoons of berries in the center of the dough and seal it like a dumpling. Glue it carefully so that there are no holes in the dough. Glue the corners inside to give the blueberry a more round shape. To remove the blueberry bun from the bowl, hold the bowl in one hand and cover the top of the blueberry bun with the other. Then turn the bowl over so that the jagodzianka is stuck side down in your hand. Place the blueberries buns on the baking tray, seam side down.
What to spread on blueberry rolls?
Before baking, spread the blueberries with milk/white/yolk/whole egg or their mixture. This will make the buns shiny and if you prepare the crumble, it will be easier for the crumble to stick to the dough.
How long to bake blueberry crumble cakes?
Bake the blueberry buns until they are golden and orangy. Bake them at 175°C (347 °F) without a fan and bake for about 25 minutes.
How to store blueberry buns?
Store baked blueberries in a tight container. The glazed crumble may become soggy after 1-2 days.
Blueberries contain gluten. From the proportions given below, you will get approximately 8 blueberry buns (approx. 170 g). Read the step-by-step recipe on how to prepare the best Polish jagodzianki and watch the video below the recipe.
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Polish Jagodzianki – Blueberry Buns
Polish Jagodzianki Recipe
Ingredients
Dough
- 15 g fresh yeast (or 1 tsp dried yeast)
- ½ cup sugar
- ½ cup milk
- 1 cup flour type 450
- 1 cup flour type 650
- 50 g butter (melted)
- 3 egg yolks
- salt
Filling
- 500 g berries
- 2 heaping tablespoons icing sugar
- 2 heaping tablespoons starch
- 12 g vanilla sugar (or 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract)
Crumble
- 25 g butter (cold)
- 25 g suhar
- 50 g flour
Icing
- 5-8 tbsp powdered sugar (depending on the density you want)
- 2 tbsp hot water
- 1 tsp lemon juice
Additionally
- 1 egg (to spread on the buns)
Instructions
Dough
- If you use fresh yeast, first prepare the leaven: crumble the yeast into a bowl. Add some sugar and pour lukewarm milk. Add some flour (approx. 2-3 tablespoons) and mix. Cover the mixture with a cloth and leave to rise for about 10 minutes. After this time, add the rest of the flour and sugar, add the egg yolks and salt. If you use dried yeast, you can mix all the ingredients immediately.15 g fresh yeast, ½ cup sugar, ½ cup milk, 1 cup flour type 450, 1 cup flour type 650, 3 egg yolks, salt
- Mix the dough until the ingredients are combined until a smooth dough is formed (approx. 10 minutes). Then slowly add the melted and cooled butter. After adding all the butter, knead the dough for about 5 minutes until the dough combines with the fat. Cover the kneaded dough and set aside to rise (approx. 1 hour).50 g butter
Filling
- Wash and dry the berries thoroughly. In a bowl, mix the berries with powdered sugar, starch and vanilla sugar.500 g berries, 2 heaping tablespoons icing sugar, 2 heaping tablespoons starch, 12 g vanilla sugar
Crumble
- In a bowl, mix together cold butter, sugar and flour. It is best to knead the crumble by hand. Knead until the butter combines with the flour and sugar and larger and smaller crumbs are formed.25 g butter, 25 g suhar, 50 g flour
Forming
- Sprinkle the counter generously with flour. Place the risen dough on it. Sprinkle them with flour and divide them into 8 equal parts. Form each part into a flat, round cake. Place the dough in a bowl or deep plate to make filling it more convenient. Place 2-3 tablespoons of berries in the center of the cake. Seal the dough like a dumpling/doughnut. Place on a baking tray lined with baking paper, seam side down. Cover the formed blueberries and set aside to rise for about 1 hour.
- Brush the risen blueberries with beaten egg, sprinkle with crumble and put in the oven preheated to 175 °C (347 °F) and bake for approx. 25 minutes . Set the baked blueberries aside to cool.1 egg
Icing
- Pour 2 tablespoons of hot water, some lemon juice into a bowl and add 2-3 tablespoons of powdered sugar. Mix. Add powdered sugar in portions until you obtain the desired consistency. The thicker the icing, the more of it there will be on the buns.5-8 tbsp powdered sugar, 2 tbsp hot water, 1 tsp lemon juice
- Spread the cooled buns with the icing. Enjoy your meal!
Video
Nutrition
Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet
