Poppy Seed & Marzipan Buns

I've made plenty of buns recently and have no intentions to stop. Especially after visiting Aster last week and watching their executive chef Helena Poulakka expertly knot some cinnamon buns. Whilst mine are never uniform in any way I did learn a few tricks. I thought cinnamon was my favourite, then cardamom, but after making these marzipan and poppy seed ones I just can't decide which comes up trumps. Other than the fact that this recipe is the most easiest I've ever made!

For these buns, I tried rolling the dough out into a shorter rectangle before spreading over the filling. After folding in half and rolling into a longer length, the filling is perfectly sealed which reduces some of the sticky mess I usually experience, and helps to give a nice layered profile after twisting. The next trick is not to twist, knot or roll too much or too tightly. You need all that air in there to get soft cloud like buns.

These buns are made by simply twisting a length of dough a few times, knotting once and tucking the ends under. Although I still quite like my trousers method for knotting, found here.

I also accidentally forgot to buy strong white flour so used brown instead and it totally worked. Next time I'll try a rye mix as I love the balance with sweet fillings.

P O P P Y S E E D & M A R Z I P A N B U N S
(Recipe adapted from Trine Hahnemann, makes 12-16)

Dough:

12g fast action yeast

300ml whole milk, lukewarm

1 egg

700g strong brown flour

50g golden caster sugar

1/2 tsp salt

100g unsalted butter, melted

1 beaten egg, for brushing

Filling:

200g marzipan, grated

250g unsalted butter, melted

4tsp poppy seeds

150g golden caster sugar

Add the yeast to the milk in the bowl of a stand mixer and mix gently with a spoon to allow the yeast to start dissolving. Add the egg, flour, sugar, salt and butter and mix on a low speed with a dough hook until the mixture forms a ball. Continue to knead with the dough hook on a low-medium speed until the dough becomes smooth, around 3 minutes.
Leave the dough in the bowl, cover with clingfilm and leave to prove for at least an hour in a warm place. The dough should double in size.
Meanwhile, make the filling by combining the marzipan, butter, poppy seeds and sugar together until a gritty paste forms. I chilled mine in the fridge a little to firm up. The marzipan will melt into lumps if the butter is still pretty hot but this will roll into the dough anyway.
Once the dough has doubled in size, upturn onto a well floured work surface and roll out into a 30 cm long rectangle. Scoop the filling onto the dough and spread with a palette knife leaving a half inch gap around the edges. Fold the dough in half length ways and roll once again to seal the filling in the dough, up to 60cm in length.
If there are any gaps where the filling hasn't spread, trim the edges. Score even lengths of dough before slicing with a palette knife.
To shape, take each length and gently twist and twizzle a few times before knotting and tucking the ends underneath. None of my buns ever end up being the same size or uniform at this stage!
Place each on a lined baking tray leaving plenty of space between each bun. Leave to prove once again in a warm place for 30-45 minutes.
Heat the oven to 180 degrees.
Brush the buns with the beaten egg and bake in the oven for 15-20 minutes, until golden on top.

These buns are definitely best served fresh and warm straight from the oven but can be gently reheated over the next few days if necessary.