My friends, it’s been too long. Nearly ten days with no recipes for you, and no farmer’s market visit for me. Frankly, I don’t have a great excuse for my absence. A dash of illness, a sprinkle of work, a smattering of melancholy and a good dose of culinary disinterest affected both my time and inclination to blog.
What’s worse, I can’t even promise that posting will be that prolific in the days to come, either. My Mum and Grandma are in London over the next week, and along with some other potential changes on the horizon, free time is likely to be hard to come by.
All I have to offer in way of an apology are these Citrus and Almond Breakfast Buns. Adapted from this popular recipe from The Kitchn, they put a fresh spin on traditional caramel- and cinnamon-flavoured breakfast rolls. And for now, they’re all I’ve got.
But honestly? I think you’re getting a pretty good deal.
Citrus and Almond Breakfast Buns
adapted from The Kitchn
makes 6 buns (easily doubled)
For the dough:
- 2 cups plain flour
- 2 Tbs. sugar
- 1 heaped tsp. instant yeast
- 1/4 tsp. salt
- 1/8 tsp. ground nutmeg
- zest of one lemon
- 1/4 cup (56g) unsalted butter
- 1/3 cup milk
- 1 egg
- 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
- 1/4 tsp. almond extract
For the filling:
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 1/4 cup ground almonds
- 1/4 tsp. ground ginger
- zest of one lemon
- zest of half an orange
- juice of half a lemon
- 2 Tbs. unsalted butter, very soft
For the toppings:
- 2 oz (56g) cream cheese, at room temperature
- juice of half a lemon
- 1/4 cup icing sugar
- 2 Tbs. flaked almonds, lightly toasted
- zest of half an orange
- Whisk together the flour, sugar, yeast, salt, nutmeg and lemon zest in a large bowl. Melt the butter in a small saucepan, then set aside to cool slightly before whisking in the milk, egg and extracts.
- Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ones and mix to combine. Turn out onto a generously floured surface and knead for 5-8 minutes, until dough is smooth and elastic. (You’ll likely use an extra 1/4 cup of flour at this point; the dough should be soft and smooth but not sticky.) Form dough into a ball, lightly oil or butter it, then place in a covered bowl to rise for one hour.
- While the dough is rising, make the filling. Mix together the sugar, almonds, ginger and citrus zests in a small bowl. Add the lemon juice and softened butter and whisk well to combine, then set aside. Also, prepare a smallish cake pan (8 x 8″ square or 9″ round both work) by buttering it lightly.
- When the dough has doubled in size, punch down and turn out onto a floured surface. Roll into a horizontal rectangle roughly 8 x 10″, then spread the filling over the surface of the dough, leaving a 1″ border all around. Starting with the long edge furthest from you, roll up the dough and cut into 6 equal sections. Place this cut-side-up in the prepared pan, then cover loosely with clingfilm and allow buns to rise for 45 minutes. (As this point, you can also refrigerate the buns for baking up to 24 hours later. In this case, remove from the fridge at least one hour before you want to bake them.)
- When you want to bake the buns, preheat the oven to 175°C/350°F. Bake for 25-35 minutes, until buns are big, puffy and browned on top. Allow to cool for 5-10 minutes, but not completely, before icing.
- While the buns are baking, make the icing. Whisk together the cream cheese and lemon juice until smooth, then sift in the icing sugar and whisk to incorporate. When the buns are done and have cooled a little, spread the icing messily over the top, allowing it to melt and ooze where it likes. Sprinkle with the toasted almonds and orange zest, and enjoy.
