Quark is a soft, tangy cheese that's more similar to sour cream than what we think of as "cheese". It's available from Appel Farms in Bellingham, who sells at the Columbia City Farmers' Market. You can also find Appel Farms low-fat and non-fat quark at QFC (it's with the cottage cheese) and PCC Natural Markets. The whole milk version (in the green tub) has been spotted at Madison Market, and is well worth seeking out for this recipe. The low-fat version is perfectly acceptable (and easier to find).

For the Dough:
2 large eggs, room temperature
? cup sugar
2 cups whole milk, warmed
3/4 ounce (3 packets) active dry yeast
2 teaspoons salt
1 tablespoon whole cardamom seeds (from 30 to 40 pods), coarsely ground
5 1/2 - 6 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for kneading
1/2 pound (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature, cut into 16 pieces
Vegetable oil spray
1 large egg yolk, whisked in a bowl with 2 teaspoons water, for glazing pulla
Turbinado sugar, for sprinkling

For the Filling:
1 cup quark
? cup half and half
1 large egg
1/4 cup sugar
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract or vanilla sugar

In a mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the eggs and sugar on medium speed until blended, about 1 minute. Add the milk, yeast, salt and cardamom, and stir to blend. With the machine on low speed, add 5 1/2 cups of flour about a cup at a time, and beat until the flour is combined and the dough is thick and elastic and begins to separate from the sides of the bowl.

Switch to the dough hook. With the machine on medium speed, add the butter one piece at a time, and beat until no large chunks of butter are left in the bottom of the bowl, 3 to 5 minutes. Reduce speed to low, and add additional flour until the dough gathers around the hook and cleans the sides of the bowl. (The dough will still be sticky.)

Dump the dough out onto a floured surface, and knead gently until the dough no longer sticks to your hands. Spray a large bowl generously with the oil spray. Transfer the dough to the bowl, turn to coat with oil on all sides, and cover with a tea towel. Let the dough rise at warm room temperature until doubled in bulk, 45 minutes to one hour.

Punch down dough and transfer half of it to a lightly floured surface. (Re-cover the remaining dough and set aside in a cool place.) Press the dough into an even rectangle roughly the size of a piece of paper. Using a sharp knife or pizza wheel, cut the dough into eight equal portions.

Form the dough into balls, folding each piece inward on itself and pinching the edges of the dough together, so that one side of each ball is round and smooth. Place four balls pinched-side down on each of two parchment-covered baking sheets, cover with towels and let rise again until almost doubled, 20 to 30 minutes. While dough rises again, preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

Whisk the filling ingredients together in a mixing bowl until smooth, and set aside.

When ready to bake, use a round drinking glass with a 2-inch bottom (such as a pint glass) to make a circular indentation in the center of each ball, pressing hard, and twisting gently to release the glass from the dough. (Hint: Dipping the glass in flour before each indentation makes the glass release more easily.) Fill each indentation with a scant ¼ cup of the quark filling. Brush the dough of each pulla with the egg yolk mixture, and sprinkle generously with the turbinado sugar.

Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, rotating baking sheets after 15 minutes, until filling is set and pastry is browned. Let cool 10 minutes on sheets, then transfer to racks to cool completely.

While the first batch bakes, repeat shaping, rising and filling with the second batch on fresh baking sheets. (If you don’t have four baking sheets, run used sheets under cold water to cool to room temperature before shaping second batch of pulla.)

Note: Pulla is best the day it’s made, but you can reheat day-old pulla on a baking sheet for 10 to 15 minutes at 200 degrees.