Iced Buns

with hundreds and thousands

For me, iced buns are quite a nostalgic bake, and remind me of Saturday morning trips to the local bakery growing up. I used our “organic traditional white flour” for the dough which contributes to a lovely soft bun, but you can use any white bread flour for these.

I didn’t glaze these ones, but if you want them to have a shine to them then brush them with a little milk before putting them in the oven.

Makes 10 buns

INGREDIENTS

  • FOR THE DOUGH
  • 535g strong white bread flour
  • 7g dried yeast
  • 225g water
  • 1 small egg, beaten
  • 50g caster sugar
  • 60g sunflower oil, plus extra for the bowl
  • 10g salt
  • semolina, for dusting
  • FOR THE ICING
  • 250g icing sugar
  • 1½ - 3 tbsp water
  • hundreds and thousands to sprinkle on top

METHOD

Mix the flour and yeast together in a bowl and combine, then add the rest of the ingredients for the dough. Knead until it reaches a smooth and elastic consistency.

Transfer the dough to a lightly oiled bowl, cover with a tea towel, and leave to rest at room temperature for 45 minutes to 1 hour. Divide your dough into ten lumps of roughly 80-90g each and shape these into rounds. Dust a baking tray with semolina, and place the buns on the tray, 8cm or so apart to give them room to expand. Cover and leave them to prove until they have doubled in size, for 1-2 hours.

Preheat your oven to 180°C before you want to bake your rolls. Spray a dash of water on the base of the oven to create steam just before you put your rolls in.

Place your buns in the oven and bake for 14-17 minutes, until golden. Leave to cool on a wire rack.

Make your icing. Sift the icing sugar into a bowl, and add 1½ – 3 tablespoons of water bit by bit, to achieve a thick but spreadable consistency. You don’t want it to be too liquid or it will drip off the buns.

Spread the top of each bun with icing sugar using a knife or teaspoon (or you could pipe it if you prefer). Sprinkle the top of each with hundreds and thousands.

These are best eaten on the day of making, but will keep for a day or so in an airtight container if you have leftovers.

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