Three Sweet Bun Recipes
It’s REAL bread week!
A week to celebrate real bread, nothing artificial, no funny business, just real ingredients and real food which may be trickier to find than you might initially have thought.
Fortunately, the Real Bread Campaign is here to help us find the real deal. Take a look at their website to find a local Real Bread bakery near you and if you fancy making your own, why not start with these three buns.
Bun dough is essentially an enriched bread dough which means… butter, sugar, milk and eggs. The process and principles are the same as they are for a white tinned loaf for example in terms of the fact that there are times we need to put the work in, and times the dough needs to rest and rise.
If you’re a beginner there are so many places you could begin your bread making journey, why not start somewhere you can make something you’ll really enjoy, and want to bake over and over… like custard filled morning buns. Just sayin.
Have fun with these and as always, post out your triumphs on Instagram using #bakewithjack so I can see :-)
Orange Custard Morning Buns
Croissants are delicious right? But they can be tricky to make. You need to be precise in order to laminate the dough and create those perfect layers of dough and butter that open up in such a lovely way. These morning buns work on the same principle. We still are layering dough and butter, but in a less faff way. The result? A slightly less refined, slightly more rustic, still deliciously layered sweet buttery bun.
Notes
This recipe will make 12 Morning buns, you’ll need a muffin tray to bake them in.
This is a two day process. Day one you make the dough and we rest it up in the fridge overnight for two reasons; it makes for amazing flavour AND it makes layering the butter WAY easier!
Difficulty: Easy to make, tricky to shape, easy to bake.
My Kitchen Temperature: 20°C/68°F
Start to finish: Day 1: 1.5 hours Day 2: 3.5-5.5 hours
Ingredients
For the dough
180g Room temperature Milk
1 Medium Egg (50g)
45g Golden Caster Sugar
16g Fresh yeast or 8g dry yeast
375g Strong White Bread Flour
5g Salt
35g Soft Unsalted Butter
To Laminate
120g Soft Unsalted Butter
75g Golden Caster Sugar
For the Crème Pâtissier
6 Medium Egg Yolks
100g Golden Caster Sugar
50g Plain Flour
500g Whole Milk
Zest of 1 Orange, finely grated
To Finish
100g Caster Sugar
Method
For your Crème Pâtissier
Put the egg yolks into a large bowl and whisk in half of the sugar and all of the flour.
Bring your milk to the boil in a large saucepan with the orange zest and remaining sugar.
Whisk half of the hot milk into the egg mixture. Then add the other half and mix that in too. Tip the entire mixture back into the pan, slowly bring back to the boil stirring all the time with a spatula, and cook for a couple of minutes until thickened.
Pour your crème pâtissier into a bowl and cover the surface with clingfilm to stop a skin from forming as it cools. Then, keep in the fridge until you are ready.
For the Buns
Day 1
Making the Dough
In a large mixing bowl whisk your milk, egg, sugar, and yeast together until the yeast is dissolved.
Next add the flour, and salt. Mix everything together with your dough scraper until it comes together into a dough with no particularly dry bits or wet bits, then, break up the butter and poke it into the dough with your fingertips.
Turn the dough out onto a clean table and knead your well for 8 minutes without dusting with any flour. Expect it to be slippery as the butter gets incorporated, use your dough scraper to help unstick yourself from time to time and clean up a bit and it will come together I promise.
After eight minutes shape your dough into a ball and place it back into the bowl. Cover with clingfilm and rest at room temperature for 1 hour. Then place it in the fridge for the following day.
Day 2
Laminating
Remove your dough from the fridge, it should look a little more puffed up that yesterday, be firm to the touch and smell incredible. Have your sugar to hand and your butter ready too, soft and divided into three 40g pieces.
Dust an area of your table with a little flour and turn out the dough upside down onto it, dust the top of the dough and press into a flat disk with your fingers. Now with a rolling pin, turn your flat disk into a 30cm square.
Take your first piece of butter and spread it over the top two thirds of the dough square with your dough scraper, then, sprinkle 25g of caster sugar over the buttered part (roughly 2 dessert spoons). Fold the dough in three, bottom part up, top part down and over the first. Turn your now rectangle 90 degrees so it is portrait to you and press flat with your fingers to seal the layers. Roll it again with your rolling pin to a rectangle of around 45cm long by 15cm wide.
Repeat the exact process with your new rectangle, butter and sugar the top two thirds and fold into three. You should now have a square.
Press again with your fingers to seal and roll to flatten very slightly. Rest it now, under an upturned bowl, for 15 minutes to make the next part easier.
Dividing and Shaping
Roll your dough out once again with your rolling pin to a landscape rectangle 40cm long and 30cm wide. Butter the whole top surface with your remaining piece of butter and sprinkle the last of the sugar.
This time instead of folding, we are going to cut and stack the dough. Cut it onto four quarters and place each piece on top of each other making a brick of dough and press firmly with your fingertips to stick the layers together so that they wont peel apart in the next part.
Transfer your dough to a chopping board and with a sharp serrated knife, saw the dough into 12 strips, one for each bun.
Pick up a strip by the ends and stretch it longways to 20-25cm. Twist it up from the ends, curl it around itself and place in the bottom of one of your muffin tin holes. When it’s in nice and snug, push a finger into the middle firmly to make a dent, this is for your custard to go in later.
A tip here is that in the final bun we really want to see all those layers. When you are twisting up the dough, try to make sure there is as much of that cut side showing as possible.
When they are all done, cover loosely with cling film.
Final Proof
The time your buns will take to rise here will be different depending on how warm your kitchen is, and how cold your fridge was. It can take 2-4 hours for your buns to puff up nicely but what you are looking for is an increase in volume by the same again. They should be puffing up and over the rim of your muffin tin like a… muffin.
While the buns rest and puff up, preheat your oven to 200°C Fan/375F/ Gas Mark 6 with two empty shelves and a deep tray on the bottom oven floor. Fill half a kettle of water ready to go for later if you are baking with steam.
When they have clearly risen and are slightly delicate to the touch get ready to bake.
Baking
When you are ready to load your bread into the oven, boil the kettle.
Gently place your morning buns in the oven and pour the hot water into the tray beneath (be careful!) and close the oven door.
Bake for 15-20 minutes until golden. To check they are done, slide a knife underneath one of them and have a peep. If the bottom is evenly golden they are good to go. They will likely still be soft and that’s ok, they will crisp up as they cool.
When they are done remove them from the tray and place them on a cooling rack as soon as they are cool enough to handle. Place your finishing sugar in a large bowl and toss each bun to coat it one by one returning to the rack afterward.
When your buns are nearly cool, open up that hole in the centre with a knife or the end of a spoon and pipe a generous amount of your crème pâtissier in the middle.
Apple and Cinnamon Twists
A warm bun layered with butter and sugar with a classic flavour combo inside, apple and cinnamon. Finished with straight up white icing I don’t think you can go far wrong. This is the exact same dough as the morning buns so once you’ve cracked them you have this recipe at your disposal to as well as anything else your imagination might take you.
Notes
This recipe makes 12 Apple Twists.
This is a two day process. Day one you make the dough and we rest it up in the fridge overnight for two reasons; it makes for amazing flavour AND it makes layering the butter WAY easier!
Difficulty: Easy to make, easy to bake
My Kitchen Temperature: 20°C/68°F
Start to finish: Day 1: 1.5 Hours Day 2: 3-5hours
Ingredients
For the dough
180g Room temperature Milk
1 Medium Egg (50g)
45g Golden Caster Sugar
16g Fresh yeast or 8g dry yeast
375g Strong White Bread Flour
5g Salt
35g Soft Unsalted Butter
To Laminate
80g Soft Unsalted Butter
50g Golden Caster Sugar
For the Apple Filling
3 Eating apples, I used Braeburn
25g Golden Caster Sugar
Juice of 1 lemon
¼ tsp Cinnamon
For the Icing
100g Icing Sugar
2 tsp Water
Method
For the Apple Filling
Peel, core and cut your apples into small cubes (I got 200g from my apples). Place in a small saucepan together with the rest of the ingredients and bring slowly to a simmer on a low heat with the lid on.
Cook your apples, stirring every once in a while, until soft and translucent.
Mash them slightly with the back of a spoon and continue to cook with the lid off until thickened.
A tip here is that we don’t want our twists to be wet, and for all the apple to dribble out while it bakes. So reduce the apple mixture on the hob as much as you can without it catching the bottom of the pan, stirring all the time.
Place in a bowl to cool.
For the Twists
Day 1
Making the Dough
In a large mixing bowl whisk your milk, egg, sugar, and yeast together until the yeast is dissolved.
Next add the flour, and salt. Mix everything together with your dough scraper until it comes together into a dough with no particularly dry bits or wet bits, then, break up the butter and poke it into the dough with your fingertips.
Turn the dough out onto a clean table and knead your well for 8 minutes without dusting with any flour. Expect it to be slippery as the butter gets incorporated, use your dough scraper to help unstick yourself from time to time and clean up a bit and it will come together I promise.
After eight minutes shape your dough into a ball and place it back into the bowl. Cover with clingfilm and rest at room temperature for 1 hour. Then place it in the fridge for the following day.
Day 2
Laminating
Remove your dough from the fridge, it should look a little more puffed up that yesterday, be firm to the touch and smell incredible. Have your sugar to hand and your butter ready too, soft and divided into two 40g pieces.
Dust an area of your table with a little flour and turn out the dough upside down onto it, dust the top of the dough and press into a flat disk with your fingers. Now with a rolling pin, turn your flat disk into a 30cm square.
Take your first piece of butter and spread it over the top two thirds of the dough square with your dough scraper, then, sprinkle 25g of caster sugar over the buttered part (roughly 2 dessert spoons). Fold the dough in three, bottom part up, top part down and over the first. Turn your now rectangle 90 degrees so it is portrait to you and press flat with your fingers to seal the layers. Roll it again with your rolling pin to a rectangle of around 45cm long by 15cm wide.
Repeat the exact process with your new rectangle, butter and sugar the top two thirds and fold into three. You should now have a square.
Press again with your fingers to seal and roll to flatten very slightly. Rest it now, under an upturned bowl, for 15 minutes to make the next part easier.
Dividing and Shaping
Roll your dough out once again with your rolling pin to a landscape rectangle 40cm long and 30cm wide.
Spread your apple and cinnamon filling evenly on the bottom half only and leaving a strip free of apple at the edge closest to you. Fold the dough in half towards you, using that bare edge to seal the apple inside.
Using a sharp knife or a pizza cutter, cut the dough vertically into 12 strips.
Pick up a strip by the ends and stretch it longways to 20-25cm. Twist it up from the ends and place it on a large parchment lined baking tray. Use two trays with six twists on each, socially distant to give them space to grow.
Final Proof
The time your twists will take to rise here will be different depending on how warm your kitchen is, and how cold your fridge was.
While the twists rest and puff up, make some egg wash and preheat your oven to 200°C Fan/375F/ Gas Mark 6 with two empty shelves and a deep tray on the bottom oven floor. Fill half a kettle of water ready to go for later if you are baking with steam.
It can take 2-4 hours for your twists to puff up and when they have increased in volume, looking proud and puffy and slightly delicate to the tough, carefully brush a little egg wash over each one.
Baking
When you are ready to load your bread into the oven, boil the kettle.
Gently place your morning twists in the oven and pour the hot water into the tray beneath (be careful!) and close the oven door.
Bake for 15-20 minutes until golden. To check they are done, slide a knife underneath one of them and have a peep. If the bottom is evenly golden they are good to go. They will likely still be soft and that’s ok, they will crisp up as they cool.
When they are done remove them from the tray and place them on a cooling rack as soon as they are cool enough to handle. Mix up your icing and drizzle over the twists with a spoon or from a piping bag with a small nozzle.
Dark Chocolate and Pistachio Brioche
These are a little more grown up. Bitter dark chocolate and pistachios entwined within the king of all enriched doughs, the mighty brioche. Plenty of eggs and butter make these super soft and rich, the perfect accompaniment for your afternoon coffee while you are writing up recipes exactly like I am doing right. this. Minute :-)
Notes
This recipe makes 16 Brioche Swirls
This recipe requires a lot of butter and so, we start of making the dough with just a little bit. After kneading, we add the rest bit by bit.
Difficulty: A little tricky to make, easy to bake
My Kitchen Temperature: 20°C/68°F
Start to finish: 4-4.5 hours
Ingredients
For the dough
20g Fresh yeast
95g Room Temperature Milk or Water
150g Whole Egg (3 Medium Eggs)
40g Golden Caster Sugar
375g Strong White Bread Flour
5g Salt
150g Soft Butter
For the filling
25g Soft Unsalted Butter
25g Golden Caster Sugar
100g Dark Chocolate, chopped finely
50g Shelled pistachios, chopped finely
To Finish
Dark Chocolate
Chopped Pistachios
Sea Salt Flakes
Method
Making the Dough
In a large mixing bowl weigh your yeast, milk or water, and eggs. Wisk them together. Add the sugar and whisk that in too.
Add the flour and salt to the bowl along with a small piece of your butter, perhaps a quarter. This small amount of butter just helps our dough be a little more manageable and a little less sticky when we knead. Mix everything together into a dough with your dough scraper.
Knead your dough gently on a clean work surface for 4-5 minutes.
Adding the butter
Next, you’ll need to incorporate the butter and you can do this in the bowl to make it less messy.
Put the dough into the bowl and put a third of the remaining butter on the top. Dimple it all over with your finger tips, pushing the butter into the dough. Then keep folding it over itself, pushing the dough into the middle, rotating the bowl and repeating. At first it will look as if the butter will never go into the dough but keep going and the slippery dough will take on the butter and become silky. When it does, do exactly the same thing with the other two thirds of butter. Once the butter has been taken by the dough, knead it for a further minute on the table to make sure everything is nicely incorporated.
Rest the dough for three minutes on the table, then shape it into a smooth ball, place it back into the bowl, dust a little flour on the top and leave to rest with a cloth on top for 60-90 minutes at room temperature.
While you are waiting beat your remaining egg ready to brush over later, and prepare your filling by chopping your chocolate and pistachios and mixing them together.
Dividing and shaping
When the dough has risen nicely, turn it out of the bowl upside down onto a lightly dusted surface so it is sticky side up.
Press with your fingers to flatten slightly and use a rolling pin to roll it out into a landscape rectangle around 45cm long and 30cm wide.
Spread your soft butter over the entire dough leaving a 2cm strip at the edge closest to you. Sprinkle the sugar all over the buttered area followed by the chocolate and pistachio mix.
Starting from the edge furthest from you, roll the rectangle up into a firm sausage. Pinch the edge to seal it up.
With a scraper mark out fifteen lines where you will cut your brioche sausage. Slide a piece of cotton thread underneath the dough, bring it up around the sides, cross the ends over and pull to “snip” the dough into rounds.
Arrange your rounds cut side up on two large parchment lined trays and cover loosely with cling film.
Final Proof
Allow 90 minutes to two hours for your buns to prove nicely. While the buns rest and puff up, make some egg wash and preheat your oven to 180°C Fan/Gas Mark 5 with two empty shelves and a deep tray on the bottom oven floor.
When your buns have risen nicely, carefully brush a little egg wash over each one.
Baking
When you are ready to load your bread into the oven, boil the kettle.
Gently place your brioche buns in the oven and pour the hot water into the tray beneath (be careful!) and close the oven door.
Bake for 12-15 minutes until golden. To check they are done, slide a knife underneath one of them and have a peep. If the bottom is evenly golden they are good to go.
When they are done remove them from the tray and place them on a cooling rack as soon as they are cool enough to handle.
Melt a little chocolate and drizzle over each one finishing with some extra chopped pistachios and sea salt flakes.