Passionfruit and Elderflower Sweet Buns
My rogue elderflower tree continues to sprout blooms so I am trying to force the change of season from my cold bones and nothing feels more fresh and spring-like than these sweet elderflower buns. You can use the sweet bun base and top with whatever you like. I happened to have some passionfruit curd that I had made, which partners beautifully with the floral notes of the elderflower.
This recipe is an adaptation of a bun recipe from Cloudy Kitchen. I have tweaked it to suit Australian flours and temperatures a little, and I have also bumped up the amount of milk powder as I think it gives the buns an impeccable mouthfeel. Lessen the amount of sugar if you would like to use this as a base recipe for burger buns.
Ingredients 12
Tangzhong
25 g bread flour
120 g full cream milk
Buns
Tangzhong, prepared
200 g full cream milk, cold
45 g caster sugar
7 g instant yeast
45 g milk powder
1 1⁄2 tsp sea salt flakes, fine
1 egg, large, at room temperature
360 g bread flour
55 g unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 egg, whisked with 1 tbsp water (for egg wash)
1 ‒ 2 tbsp elderflower cordial
Icing
1 cup passionfruit curd
1⁄4 tsp elderflower cordial
elderflower, fresh, to top
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Method 8
Tangzhong
Make the Tangzhong. Combine the and in a saucepan. Place over medium heat and cook, stirring continuously, until the mixture thickens into a paste. It will remind you of clag glue. Remove from heat and transfer to the bowl of a stand mixer.
Buns
Pop the tangzhong in your stand mixer bowl fitted with the dough hook then add the cold . Stir around - this will warm the milk up a little. Add the then add the then leave to sit for 5-10 minutes until foamy. Add the , , , and .
Mix the dough. Mix the dough on medium speed until it is smooth and elastic and clearing the sides of the bowl, about 12-15 minutes. It will be a little sticky. Don't panic. If you feel after that time that it is too sticky/soft then add a teaspoon or so of flour at a time until the dough just comes together. Add the and mix for a few minutes or until the butter is fully incorporated. The dough should be smooth and elastic.
Rise the dough. Turn the dough out onto a surface and very lightly if needed to bring into a tight ball with a bench scraper. Transfer to a greased bowl and cover the bowl with plastic wrap. Place the dough in a warm spot and rise until doubled in size, approximately 1 ½ hours. It may take longer than this in the colder months. I always pop my bowl in the warmest spot when it is cold and wrap the bowl in a kitchen towel.
Divide the dough. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Grease and line a 23x33cm baking pan. Divide the dough into equal portions. I find weighting them so each bun weighs roughly 65g results in a nicely sized final bun. Working with one piece of dough at a time, flatten out the piece of dough, then tuck up into a ball, then turn the ball seam side down and pop into the tray. Repeat with the remaining pieces of dough. Spread the buns out as they will get larger in size.
Cover the buns either with some lightly greased plastic wrap. Leave the buns to rise again for about an hour. You want them to puff up and double in size, and when you press lightly on one, it should leave a small indentation that doesn’t quite spring back.
Egg wash and bake. When there is about 20 minutes to go in the rise, preheat the oven to 360°f / 185°c. Brush the buns with egg wash. Bake the buns for 15-20 minutes, until deep golden brown. Remove from the oven. Leave to cool in the pan.
Assembly
Smooth some over toe top of the buns using an offset spatula or the back of a spoon. Leave to set until a slight crust forms on the icing. Top with a few fresh elderflower and eat. These buns can freeze but like most baked goods do best eaten straight away.
Katrina Meynink's tips
Adding cold milk to the hot Tangzhong cools it down so it's cool enough that it doesn't kill the yeast.
Make sure your butter isn't too soft here or it will get all melty.
If you want to slow down the rising at any time, pop it into the fridge. Just make sure the dough is nicely covered so that it doesn't dry out on the surface.
If you would like to freeze some of the rolls, do not fill them with jam or frost them. Instead, pop them into a ziploc bag or lightly wrap. To defrost the rolls, leave to sit at room temperature. You can refresh them in the microwave or oven to freshen. Fill and frost as directed.
If after that time the dough really isn’t coming together and you’re worried, add flour a teaspoon at a time just until the dough just comes together.
