Combine all the ingredients for the dough plus a pinch of salt in a bowl and knead for a few seconds until the dough is smooth. Cover the bowl and leave to prove for 45 minutes in a warm place.
To make the filling, mix the cottage cheese with the egg yolk, sugar, lemon zest and poppy seeds, then set aside.
On a work surface sprinkled with flour, divide the dough into 12 equal balls, approx. 40g each. Transfer to a large baking sheet, cover, then leave for15 minutes in a warm place. Preheat the oven to170C/150C F/Gas 3.
Dip a teaspoon in flour andmake a well in the middle of each ball, pressing all the way down and then around to form a 5.5cm disc with raised edges. Use the base of a small glass – dipped in flour to prevent sticking – to make the initial well larger, stamping it into each dough ball. Brush the egg wash all over and especially around the edges.
Place 1tsp of the cheese mixture in the well in the middle of each bun, followed by 1tsp jam, then sprinkle some extra poppy seeds on top.
Bake on a lower shelf of the oven for 12-14 minutes until the dough around the wells is golden. Transfer to a cooling rack, then serve while still warm.
Recipes and photographs taken from Danube by Irina Georgescu, photography by Issy Croker, (Hardie Grant, £28)
