“These buns are so nostalgic – fluffy, not too sweet and dripping with icing,” says Julia Busuttil Nishimura. “They get a bit of a twist here with an enriched dough flavoured with orange and lemon, and a vibrant blackberry icing. The dough, although it needs a little time, is really easy to work with and is soft and pillowy. Any berry works – I love making them with raspberries or strawberries too. If you don’t have berries, a simple icing made with icing sugar, some vanilla extract, melted butter and a touch of milk is also lovely.”
Ingredients
Makes 12
- 1 egg, for egg wash
- salted butter, to serve (optional)
Pre-ferment
- 200 g tipo 00 flour
- 160 ml (⅔ cup) full-cream milk, warmed
- 7 g active dried yeast
- 25 g caster sugar
Main dough
- 300 g tipo 00 flour
- 60 g caster sugar
- pinch of sea salt
- 80 ml (⅓ cup) full-cream milk
- 2 eggs (approximately 100 g)
- finely grated zest of 1 lemon and 1 orange
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 20 g honey
- 1 tablespoon neutral vegetable oil
- 80 g unsalted butter, softened, plus extra for greasing
Blackberry icing
- 300 g icing sugar
- 100 g fresh or thawed frozen blackberries
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter, melted
Method
- Combine all the pre-ferment ingredients in a large bowl and stir well. Cover and allow to prove in a warm spot for 1 hour or until spongy and risen.
- Place the pre-ferment and all the main dough ingredients, except for the butter, in the large bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook attachment. Mix on a medium–high speed for 10–12 minutes or until the dough is strong and elastic. With the mixer running, add the butter, one heaped teaspoon at a time, and continue mixing for 8–10 minutes or until a piece of dough becomes almost transparent without easily breaking when stretched.
- Transfer the dough to a well-greased bowl, cover and allow to prove in a warm spot for 1–1½ hours or until doubled in size.
- Line two baking trays with baking paper.
- Punch down the dough, transfer to a clean work surface and divide into twelve 80 g pieces. Roll into balls, then transfer to the trays and loosely cover. Allow to rise again for 45 minutes to 1 hour or until risen and puffy.
- Preheat the oven to 175°C fan-forced (195°C conventional).
- Whisk the egg with 1 teaspoon of water and brush the top of the buns with the egg wash. Bake for 12–14 minutes or until the buns are risen and golden. Allow to cool on the trays.
- For the blackberry icing, place the icing sugar in a bowl and set aside. Crush the blackberries in a small bowl with the back of a fork. Stir well, then press the mixture through a sieve, catching all the juices and discarding any solids. Add the melted butter to the icing sugar and enough of the blackberry liquid to create a thick but spreadable icing. If the icing is still too thick, add a little water until the desired consistency is achieved.
- Spread the cooled buns with the blackberry icing and allow it to set for about 30 minutes. You can serve the buns plain or split them in half and spread generously with the salted butter, if desired. They are best eaten on the day they are made.
Simple Pleasures by Julia Busuttil Nishimura, published by Plum, RRP: $44.99, photography by Armelle Habib. Simple Pleasures is out now and available at such excellent independent Victorian bookstores as Readings and Hill of Content.