Iced Buns – With Cream and Stawberry Jam

Soft bun, fresh cream with strawberry jam and topped with icing.  What could be better for afternoon tea?

One of the first things I baked when I started my blog in 2014 was Iced Buns.  I decided to make them again, this time with a video.  I hadn’t intended to make them today, but after some Black Forest Brownies didn’t turn out as I wanted I scrapped them and decided to do these buns instead.

I remember having these buns as a special treat when I was a child, but it was a very rare occurrence, as such things were expensive.  I do remember how much I enjoyed them though.

Made with an enriched dough the buns are light and very soft.  Then they are simply iced and then filled with some whipped cream and some strawberry jam(any jam could be used of course). 

The recipe takes a while as the dough needs to be proofed once and then after being shaped the buns need to proof again.  That time, though, is worth it as it delivers such a wonderfully soft and fluffy bun which fully deserves to be filled with decadent cream and jam.

Mine turned out very well indeed.  So good, in fact, that I ate two in quick succession, which is no mean feat as they are so filling.  I fully intend to make them again next month.

Maritozzi con la Panna, a lovely soft Italian bun is a wonderful variant to this recipe.

                                 Iced Buns – With Cream & Strawberry Jam – Video

Ingredients:

For the dough

• 500g/(3 1/3 cups, based on scooping packed flour into a 250ml cup)strong white flour
• 50g/(1/4 cup) caster sugar
• 40g(3 tbsp minus 1/2 tsp) unsalted butter, softened
• 2 medium eggs large in USA)
• 14g(4 1/2 tsp or 2 x 7g/ sachets) instant yeast
• 1 tsp salt
• 150ml(1/2 cup + 2 tbsp)warm milk
• 140m(1/4 cup + 1/3cup) warm water

For the icing

• 200g/7oz icing sugar
• 5 tsp cold water

For the filling

• 200ml/7fl oz whipping cream
• 100g/4oz strawberry jam

Method:

1. To make the dough, place all the ingredients, except the water into the bowl of a stand mixer(you can do it all by hand too) .
2. Mix on a low speed, drizzling in the water as you do so, until the mixture forms a shaggy dough.
3. Increase the mixer to medium speed and knead until the dough is smooth and elastic(about 8 minutes).  It will still be very tacky.
4. Place the dough into a lightly greased bowl and cover with plastic wrap.  Then allow to proof in a warm place for about an hour, until the dough has doubled in size.
5. Tip the dough out onto a floured work surface, and knock the air out.
6. Divide the dough into 12 pieces, each about 85f, then roll into balls and shape into fingers about 13cm/5in long.
7. Place the dough fingers onto a parchment lined baking tray, leaving space for them to double in size.  As they double in size they should just touch each other. set aside in a warm place for 40 minutes. 
8. Preheat the oven to 210C/190C Fan/420F.
9. Bake in the oven for 10 minutes then place them on a wire rack, separating the buns so they cool quicker.
10. Sift the icing sugar in a wide bowl and gradually stir in the cold water to form a thick paste.
11. Dip the top of the cooled fingers into the icing and carefully smooth it.  Place aside until the cream is ready.
12. Whip the cream (adding a little sugar if you wish) until it is thick and  holds a peak.
13. Spoon it into a piping bag .
14. Place the jam into another piping bag.
15. Slice the iced fingers diagonally leaving one long edge intact. 
16. Pipe in a generous line of whipped cream into the middle of each finger, then a thinner line of jam.