Vegan Belgian buns

 

Belgian soft yeast-leavened buns with a sharp vegan lemon curd and raisins filling.


Hola!

Today I bring you these Belgian soft yeast-leavened buns with a sharp vegan lemon curd and raisins filling.

Inspired by The Great British Bake Off, I based the recipe on this one,



VEGAN BELGIAN BUNS

Makes: 12 buns
Prep: 45 minutes (+ proofing times)
Bake: 15-20 minutes


INGREDIENTS

Dough
300g strong bread flour
200g spelt wholemeal flour
1/4 tsp. salt
7g dried yeast (1 sachet)
1 cup unsweetened soya milk
2 tbsp. maple syrup
2 tbsp. sunflower oil

Vegan lemon curd
3 tbsp. potato starch
1/4 tsp. cardamom powder
4 lemons (zest and juice)
3/4 cup unsweetened soya milk
3 tbsp. maple syrup
1 + 1/2 tbsp. coconut oil
A pinch of turmeric or paella food colouring
2 tbsp. Amaretto

Filling
1/2 cup raisins

Toppings
Icing: 250g icing sugar + 1/4 cup unsweetened soya milk + 1 tsp. vanilla essence
Glaze: 1 tbsp. maple syrup + 1 tbsp. unsweetened soya milk
Maple syrup for shine
12 glacé cherries


INSTRUCTIONS

  1. In a big bowl, mix all the dough ingredients. If too wet to handle, add a bit more of flour (not too much or you’ll be making bread). Knead the dough for 5-10 minutes over a clean and floured surface until it comes off easily or in a stand mixer at low speed for about 2-3 minutes. Let it rest in a warm place covered with a wet tea towel until it doubles its size (about 1 hour).
  2. In the meantime, make the lemon curd by mixing all the ingredients except the Amaretto in a saucepan. Bring to a gentle simmer while stirring continuously, and remove immediately from the heat. Add the Amaretto and stir quickly until a smooth paste is formed, and cool down. If there are any lumps, you can use a hand blender.
  3. Roll out the dough on a lightly floured surface onto a rectangle of 48cm by about 35cm (or as it gives). Spread thinly the lemon curd (about 200g) up to the short edges, leaving 2cm off the top long edge. Sprinkle the raisings evenly, and start rolling the dough tightly from the longer bottom edge. Cut it into 12 pieces (4cm each) with a sharp knife, dental floss or a dough scraper/cutter, and place them onto 2 lined baking trays, with enough space in between them. Cover with a wet tea towel and proof for another hour or overnight in the fridge. The next morning, leave it out for 1h before baking.
  4. Make the icing by mixing the ingredients, adding the milk little by little until a very thick paste forms. Put in a piping bag and keep in the fridge. 
  5. Preheat the oven at 180°C and bake the rolls for 15 minutes. Glaze them and bake for another 5 minutes or until golden-brown. As soon as you take them out of the oven, brush the top with maple syrup for shine, and let cool down on a cooling rack. 
  6. Once cool, cut the piping bag end to make a small hole and pipe the icing in a zig zag. Put one glacé cherry on each.
You can keep them at ambient and covered for 2-3 days.

Bon profit!