IN THE POT | FINGER BUNS

Know this about me; I love a good finger bun. (Hello Vicar!) Seriously, there’s something so awesome about a freshly baked sweet bun with pink icing, coconut and butter.

I’ve been watching The Great British Bake Off and a couple of weeks ago they made finger buns and it got me thinking; “I could make finger buns!”.  So when the mood struck me, I did.

It’s not that hard to make them, but I suspect perfecting them will take a bit of practice.

It was nice to actually make bread as I don’t think I’ve done it since we had the new oven installed. The whole time I was making these I was wondering what Paul Hollywood would make of my dough (I also spent some time imagining how he’d knead the dough as I am in awe and envy of his one handed technique!).

When they came out of the oven it was obvious that I need to spend a bit more time practicing my shaping technique.  I just keep telling myself that they’re rustic.

The minute they got icing on them they were transformed into something a little more appealing – it’s amazing the sins that pink icing will hide!

I’d love to say they were fabulous, but they weren’t, they were alright. Not my favourite finger bun, but for a first go they were pretty good.  It has inspired me to find the perfect finger bun recipe however, so expect to see more in my future.

Finger Buns

4 cups (500g) plain flour

1/3 cup (35g) full-cream milk powder

2 x 7g sachets dried yeast

1/2 cup (125g) caster sugar

1/2 cup (80g) sultanas

½ teaspoon salt

60g unsalted butter, melted

1 egg, lightly beaten

1 egg yolk, extra, to glaze

Glace Icing

1¼ cups (155g) icing sugar

20g unsalted butter, melted

pink food colouring

1. Mix 3 cups (375g) of the flour with the milk powder, yeast, sugar, sultanas and ½ teaspoon salt in a large bowl.  Make a well in the center.  Combine the butter, egg and 1 cup (250ml) warm water and add all at once to the flour.  Stir for 2 minutes or until well combined.  Add enough of the remaining flour to make a soft dough.

2. Turn out onto a lightly floured surface.  Knead for 10 minutes, or until the dough is smooth and elastic, adding more flour if necessary.  Place in a large lightly oiled bowl and brush with oil. Cover with plastic wrap and leave in a warm place for 1 hour, or until well risen.

3. Lightly grease two large baking trays. Preheat the oven to a moderate 180°C. Punch down the dough and knead for 1 minute. Divide into 12 pieces. Shape each into a 15cm (6 inch) long oval. Put on the trays 5cm (2 inches) apart. Cover with plastic wrap and set aside in a warm place for 20-25 minutes, or until well risen.

4. Mix the extra egg yolk with 1½ teaspoons water and brush over the dough. Bake for 12-15 minutes, until firm and golden. Transfer to a wire rack to cool.

5. For the glace icing, stir the icing sugar, melted butter and 2-3 teaspoons of water together in a bowl until smooth. Mix in the food colouring and spread over the tops of the buns.

Note: Great served cut in half length ways and buttered. Best eaten on day of baking.

Source: The Essential Baking Cookbook