Belgian Buns

Ingredients

• 500 g white bread flour 
• 50 g caster sugar 
• 9 g fast action yeast (3 teaspoons or 1 tablespoon)  
• ½ teaspoon salt 
• 1 large lemon 
• 315 ml soya milk, plus additional for brushing over the buns 
• 80 g plant-based butter, softened 

For the filling 

• 125 g plant-based lemon curd 
• 150 g sultanas 

For the icing 

• 200 g icing sugar 
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice 
• glacé cherries 

Method

Place the flour, sugar, yeast, salt and the zest from the lemon into a large mixing bowl and stir to combine.  

Add the soya milk (this should be lukewarm) and mix to form a rough dough. Knead until it forms into a smooth ball of dough.  

Add the softened butter and continue to knead until the dough is smooth and elastic. It may seem greasy and messy at first, but keep kneading until the butter is completely incorporated into the dough. It should end up looking smooth and silky and should pull away from the side of the bowl cleanly. Add a little more flour if it seems too wet. 

Place the ball of dough in a lightly oiled bowl, cover and set aside to rise in a warm place until it’s doubled in size (around 1 hour).  

Pinch down the risen dough and give it a brief knead to knock out any air bubbles. 

Roll the dough out into a large rectangle shape on a lightly floured surface. Spread the lemon curd evenly across the surface of the dough, leaving a border of 1 cm around the edges. Scatter over the sultanas.  

Begin rolling the dough tightly to create a large sausage shape. Brush the end with a little water to help seal the ‘roll’. 

Using a very sharp knife, trim the ends, and slice into 12 even rounds. Place each round on a large, lined baking tray, leaving around a 2 cm gap between the rounds. Cover again and leave to rise for a further 45 minutes.  

Brush with soya milk and bake in a preheated oven at 180°C/350°F/gas mark 4 for 10 minutes. Reduce the heat to 160°C/325°F/gas mark 3 and cook for another 10 minutes, or until the buns are golden brown.  

Transfer the buns to a wired cooling rack and leave to cool completely.  

To make the icing, sift the icing sugar and gradually stir in the lemon juice to form a thick but spreadable icing. Spread the icing on top of the buns and top each with half a glacé cherry.