Belgian Buns

 

True confessions here. I have never had a Belgian Bun before now. They are a very popular yeast bread bun over in the U.K., similar in looks to a cinnamon bun, but that is where any similarity ends.  These delicious buns are filled with lemon curd and sultana raisins. Yes, you heard that right, lemon curd.

Now why did I never taste one of these when I was actually living in the U.K?  I have no answer to that question. Probably because I am not overly fond of store made buns.  Usually, they taste stale to me and I am not fond of stale buns.

This all changes when you make your own from scratch, and to be honest it was not something I had ever considered until . . .  one, one of my readers asked me to make them, and two, I discovered they are filled with lemon curd, and I LOVE lemon curd!

 

On this particular day I made a recipe for Belgian Buns that I had found on the BBC Food site.  I had done them previously from a recipe I found somewhere else and was not happy with the way they tuned out so those got thrown away. (I hate it when that happens.)

I trust BBC food however and so I knew their recipe would be absolutely foolproof and it was. They turned out beautiful.

The recipe does make an even dozen buns though, which is quite a few. Like any bread bun they are best enjoyed on the day of baking so if you cannot eat a dozen on one day (and who can) then I suggest you only ice half of them and freeze the rest in an airtight container, icing and decorating them on the day you decide to eat them.  Just thaw them out, ice and decorate.

These Belgian Buns were SO good I found myself wondering why I had waited so long to try them. Why indeed! Beautifully delicious as written.  I adapted the recipe to add North America measurements.

 

WHAT YOU NEED TO MAKE BELGIAN BUNS

Just a few simple ingredients. The cherry on top is entirely optional, but it does add to the pretty finish.

For the buns:

• 4 1/2 cups (450g) strong bread flour
• 2 1/2 tsp (7g) fast action yeast
• 6 1/2 TBS (75g) sugar
• 1 tsp salt
• 6 fluid ounces (165ml) warm milk
• 1 large egg, lightly beaten (plus extra egg wash to glaze) (1 egg yolk beaten with 1 tsp water)
• 3 1/2 TBS (50g) butter, melted

For the filling:

• 5 TBS lemon curd
• 1 cup (150g) sultana raisins

To finish:

• 2 cups (260g) icing sugar
• water
• 12 glace cherries

 

Strong bread flour is bread that has been grown and specifically milled to make bread with. You can use regular flour, but it will not have as high a gluten content. You can always add a TBS of vital wheat gluten to make up for that. 

Your milk should only be tepid, not hot. If it is too hot it will kill your yeast. I like to make sure all of my other ingredients (egg, butter, etc.) are at room temperature.

Lemon curd can be found in the jams and spreads section of the grocery store, or you can make your own if you are really keen. You can find my recipe to make your own here. 

You can use any kind of raisin, but sultana raisins are especially nice.

Glace cherries are awfully nice, but failing that, you could use maraschino cherries, patted dry, or leave them off altogether.

HOW TO MAKE BELGIAN BUNS

I was surprised at just how simple and easy these were to make! I used my bread machine for the dough part which made them even easier. Just follow the instructions as per your model of machine. Otherwise mix, knead, etc. as per the recipe instructions below.

Whisk the flour, yeast, sugar and salt together in a large bowl. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and pour in the warm milk, butter and egg. Mix all together well until you have a soft dough. If it feels a bit too sticky or wet you can add 1 TBS flour.

Tip out onto a lightly floured board and knead gently until the dough feels smooth and elastic. Shape into a ball and put into a large, lightly floured bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and leave in a warm place to rise for one hour or until doubled in size.

 

Line a large baking tray with some baking parchment.

Knock the dough back and then lightly roll it out to a rectangle which measures 12 by 18 inches.

Brush one long edge with egg wash. Spread the lemon curd over the remainder of the dough. Sprinkle with the raisins.

Roll the dough up tightly from one long edge towards the egg wash brushed edge, like a jelly roll to form a long log, pinching the edge shut along the egg wash.

Using a sharp knife cut into 12 equal pieces and place onto the prepared baking sheet. Cover lightly with plastic cling film and set in a warm place to rise for about 45 minutes, until doubled in size.

 

Pre-heat the oven to 400*F/200*C/gas mark 6.

Once the oven is heated remove the cling film from the rolls. Brush the tops with some egg wash and then bang the baking sheet into the oven. Bake for 10 minutes and then reduce the oven temperature to 350*F/180*C/ gas mark 4. Bake for a further 10 minutes until golden brown.

Remove from the oven and leave to cool.

Whisk the icing sugar together with enough cold water to give you a thick white icing. Spoon this over top of the cooled rolls and top each with a glace cherry.

Store any leftovers in a tightly covered container. You can freeze these, but do so before frosting.

 

This was the second time I had actually baked these. I was not happy with the first ones I made. From another recipe, I hasten to add. These turned out lovely, with a beautiful texture and taste.  Not at all hard to do either, I confess to making the dough in my bread machine and leaving it for the first proving in the machine.

After that it was an easy roll out, topping/filling, cutting and leaving to rise again, prior to baking to perfection.  I quite enjoyed these. I took half of them to my next-door neighbor who was thrilled beyond measure.  Beautiful with a hot drink.

Do note, these are best eaten on the day.

 

Are you a lover of traditional British Recipes?  If so, you might also enjoy the following delicious temptations. 

LONDON CHEESECAKES - Not cheesecakes at all, but as per the British propensity of naming things in a quirky odd way that sounds delicious but has nothing at all to do with what they are, London Cheesecakes are beautiful puff pastry bakes, topped with a bit of jam, some almond frangipane cake topping and a glazed icing with a coconut sprinkle. Beautiful with a hot drink of course!

ENGLISH MELTING MOMENTS - With their beautiful crisp and buttery texture, these cookies/biscuits do melt in the mouth.  Crisp on the outside, short-bread-like inside, and coated with toasty whole oats for even more texture and flavor these are topped with a bit of cherry prior to baking.  Delicious with a hot cuppa!

Yield: 12 buns

Author: Marie Rayner

Belgian Buns

Prep time: 1 H & 45 MCook time: 20 MinTotal time: 2 H & 5 M

A traditional yeast bun, filled with lemon curd and plenty of sultana raisins. Beautiful served fresh along with a hot drink.

Ingredients

For the buns:

• 4 1/2 cups (450g) strong bread flour
• 2 1/2 tsp (7g) fast action yeast
• 6 1/2 TBS (75g) sugar
• 1 tsp salt
• 6 fluid ounces (165ml) warm milk
• 1 large egg, lightly beaten (plus extra egg wash to glaze) (1 egg yolk beaten with 1 tsp water)
• 3 1/2 TBS (50g) butter, melted

For the filling:

• 5 TBS lemon curd
• 1 cup (150g) sultana raisins

To finish:

• 2 cups (260g) icing sugar
• water
• 12 glace cherries

Instructions

1. Whisk the flour, yeast, sugar and salt together in a large bowl. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and pour in the warm milk, butter and egg. Mix all together well until you have a soft dough. If it feels a bit too sticky or wet you can add 1 TBS flour.
2. Tip out onto a lightly floured board and knead gently until the dough feels smooth and elastic. Shape into a ball and put into a large, lightly floured bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and leave in a warm place to rise for one hour or until doubled in size.
3. Line a large baking tray with some baking parchment.
4. Knock the dough back and then lightly roll it out to a rectangle which measures 12 by 18 inches.
5. Brush one long edge with egg wash. Spread the lemon curd over the remainder of the dough. Sprinkle with the raisins.
6. Roll the dough up tightly from one long edge towards the egg wash brushed edge, like a jelly roll to form a long log, pinching the edge shut along the egg wash.
7. Using a sharp knife cut into 12 equal pieces and place onto the prepared baking sheet. Cover lightly with plastic cling film and set in a warm place to rise for about 45 minutes, until doubled in size.
8. Pre-heat the oven to 400*F/200*C/gas mark 6.
9. Once the oven is heated remove the cling film from the rolls. Brush the tops with some egg wash and then bang the baking sheet into the oven. Bake for 10 minutes and then reduce the oven temperature to 350*F/180*C/ gas mark 4. Bake for a further 10 minutes until golden brown.
10. Remove from the oven and leave to cool.
11. Whisk the icing sugar together with enough cold water to give you a thick white icing. Spoon this over top of the cooled rolls and top each with a glace cherry.
12. Store any leftovers in a tightly covered container. You can freeze these, but do so before frosting.

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