Pistachio, Rose & Strawberry Buns

• portionen: Makes 8 muffin-sized bun
• gesamtzeit: Overnight

Zutaten

FOR THE DOUGH

70g unsalted butter, diced and at room temperature

20g fresh yeast or 1½ tsp dried yeast

1 egg

30g granulated sugar

80-100g/ml milk

300g bread flour a pinch of table salt

FOR THE PISTACHIO CREAM

80g pistachios

80g unsalted butter, at room temperature

80g granulated sugar

1 egg

1 tbsp all-purpose flour

8 tsp strawberry jam (you can use the strawberry and rose jam recipe)

1 batch base sugar syrup (page 59)

1 tbsp rose water

Anweisungen

MAKE THE DOUGH

Before beginning, see the notes for tips on making the dough.

Place the butter, yeast, egg, sugar and 80g/ml of the milk in a large mixing bowl, then top with the flour and salt.

Use the dough attachment on your mixer or your hands to bring it all together to a smooth, shiny dough, adding the remaining 20g/ml of milk if it looks dry. Don't worry too much if you still have some whole flecks of butter running through the dough; they will make your final bun super-light.

Once the dough has a nice texture to it (after about 2-3 minutes with an electric mixer or 5-6 minutes working by hand), wrap the bowl in cling film and place in the fridge to chill for at least 2 hours. You can leave it there for up to 12 hours, but not much longer or it will start to double in size.

WHEN READY TO MAKE THE BUNS

Put the pistachios in a food processor and blitz until they resemble breadcrumbs, then add all the other pistachio cream ingredients and pulse until they are well combined to form a paste.

Lightly butter an eight-hole muffin tin or eight individual pudding molds.

Remove the dough from the fridge and roll out with a rolling pin on a very lightly floured workbench to a rectangle of 16” x 8”. You may need to flip the dough over once or twice to create a smooth, even rectangle, but try to work with as little flour as you can so as not to dry the dough out.

Use a sharp knife or pizza slicer to cut a 2 x 4 grid into the dough so that you end up with eight squares of 4 inches x 4 inches.

Lift each square into a pudding mold or cup of the muffin tin and push it all the way down. Allow the excess dough to hang over the sides. Divide the pistachio cream between the squares to fill them, then top each with a teaspoon of strawberry jam. Fold the corners over lightly to cover the filling, but don't push them down. You can now freeze these if you want to save the baking for another day, but if you are ready to bake today, preheat the oven to 400°F/375°F convection.

Allow the little buns to double in size in the muffin tin / molds (this will take 30-40 minutes). You can tell they are done rising when the little dough triangles on the top have thickened and started poking up.

Place in the center of the oven and bake for 10 minutes, then turn them to bake evenly. Reduce the oven temperature to 350°F/325°F convection and bake for another 10 minutes, then remove from the oven.

Brush generously with the sugar syrup that has been laced with rose water and allow to cool slightly in the tin or molds before removing and serving.

Notizen

From: ‘Golden Sweet & Savory Baked Delights from the Ovens of London’s Honey & Co.’ by Itamar Srulovich & Sarit Packer

Here are a few guidelines to working with this dough:

• Allow at least 2 hours to refrigerate it before shaping, as it can be very soft when freshly made. Ideally, if you plan ahead, make the dough the day before, place it in a large bowl, cover and refrigerate overnight.

 • Try to work it with as little additional flour as you dare. The end product will benefit greatly.

 • Work on a cool surface in a cool kitchen, as the dough will soften quickly once out of the fridge.

 • Have all your fillings ready before you start on the dough. It also helps if you have your tray lined in advance.

 • If you are going to bake after shaping, leave the buns at room temperature to proof. If you are preparing in advance, freeze the unbaked buns as soon as they are shaped (to preserve as much yeast activity as possible when you send it to sleep in the freezer).

 • You can shape the buns in the evening, place them on the baking tray and pop them in the fridge to proof slowly overnight and bake first thing in the morning (a good way of making your partner or guests indebted to you for the rest of the day/week/year).

 • Filled doughs will keep for up to a week in the freezer but after that they start to deteriorate and lose their plumpness.

 • Always freeze unbaked dough uncovered on a tray, then (once frozen) you can transfer to a container or freezer bag or wrap the tray with cling film.

• When you are ready to bake, thaw overnight in the fridge before taking out to proof in the morning (or if you only sleep 5-6 hours, simply leave them out at room temperature, and when you wake they should be ready to bake).

• Most of the following recipes make 6-9 individual pieces, depending on how big you like your buns. I would advise sticking as closely to my measurements as possible, as I have tested them to give you the best ratio of filling to dough and the correct yield from every recipe. You can of course improvise, but I take no responsibility for the results!