Moravian curd and plum jam buns (Koláče)

1. Warm the milk until lukewarm, crumble in the yeast with a teaspoon of sugar and leave for 10 minutes to activate. Set aside 60 g of the flour, 40 g of the butter and 30 g of the sugar for the crumble.

2. Knead the rest of the flour with the salt, sugar, two of the egg yolks, the activated yeast and the melted (not hot) butter into a smooth, glossy dough; cover and leave in a warm place for 1 hour until doubled.

3. Press the curd cheese through a sieve and mix smooth with the third yolk, half of the reserved sugar and the grated lemon zest. For the crumble, rub the reserved flour, butter and remaining sugar together with your fingertips.

4. Shape the dough into about 16 walnut-sized balls, set them on a lined baking tray and flatten slightly; rest for 20 minutes. Press a hollow into the middle of each with the base of a glass and fill alternately with curd or plum jam.

5. Brush the edges with water, sprinkle the tops with crumble and bake in an oven preheated to 180 °C for 18-20 minutes until golden.

6. Cool on a rack until lukewarm; they're best fresh, on the day they're made.

Tip: Koláče are the pastry of Moravian weddings and village fairs – hundreds are eaten at a single wedding; the classic trio is curd, plum butter (povidla) and poppy seed, so if you like, make a third batch with a poppy-seed filling too.