Appley Village Buns

Let's Cook

1. Step 1.

   In a large bowl, mix the warm milk and fresh yeast together until the yeast dissolves. Add the flour, sugar, softened butter, salt, and about half of the beaten egg. Knead the mixture until you have a smooth and stretchy dough, about 8–10 minutes. Cover the bowl with a damp cloth or plastic wrap and leave the dough to rise at room temperature for 4–5 hours, or in the refrigerator overnight, until doubled in size.

2. Step 2.

   Turn the risen dough out onto a lightly floured surface, shape it into a ball, cover it, and let it rest while you make the custard. In a large bowl, whisk together the cornflour, egg yolks, and sugar until smooth. Heat the milk in a saucepan until it just reaches boiling point, then slowly pour the hot milk into the egg mixture, whisking continuously to prevent curdling. Return the mixture to the saucepan and cook over moderate heat, whisking gently, until the custard thickens enough to coat the back of a spoon, about 3–5 minutes. Be careful not to let it scramble. Remove from the heat, stir in the butter and vanilla extract, then set aside to cool completely.

3. Step 3.

   Lightly flour a work surface and rolling pin. Roll the rested dough out into a rectangle about 50x30cm (20x12 inches). Spread the cooled custard evenly over the dough, right up to the edges. Dot the surface with the soaked and drained chopped dried apricots, orange zest, and grated nutmeg.

4. Step 4.

   Line a 20cm (8-inch) square baking tin with non-stick baking parchment. Starting from one long edge, roll the dough up tightly like a Swiss roll. Using a sharp knife, cut the roll into 9 equal slices. Arrange the slices cut side up in the prepared tin in three rows of three. Cover the tin with a cloth and leave the buns to rise at room temperature for about 1 hour, until puffy.

5. Step 5.

   While the buns are rising, preheat the oven to 190°C (170°C fan)/375°F/gas 5. Once risen, brush the tops of the buns lightly with the remaining beaten egg. Sprinkle the flaked almonds evenly over the tops. Bake for 20 minutes, or until the buns are golden brown. Transfer the tin to a wire cooling rack and let the buns cool slightly while you make the icing.

6. Step 6.

   In a small bowl, mix icing sugar with enough orange juice to form a thick ribbon of icing that drizzles slowly from a spoon. Transfer the icing to a piping bag or a small plastic bag with the tip snipped off. Pipe the icing in a lattice pattern over the warm buns. Serve the buns warm or at room temperature.