Blåbärsbullar (Blueberry Buns)
These blueberry buns are sweet, fluffy, fresh, and just so delicious. The vanilla pastry cream on top adds an amazing creaminess and these are a great alternative to cinnamon or chocolate pastries!
Ingredients
DOUGH
- 150 ml milk
- 2 tsp instant yeast (2.25 tsp active dry yeast, 17.5g fresh yeast)
- 1 large egg
- 1 egg yolk
- 50 grams sugar
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract (or vaniljesukker, if you happen to have it!)
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 375 grams all-purpose flour
- 57 grams unsalted butter, softened
- 1 egg for egg wash
FILLING
- 150 grams fresh blueberries
- 75 grams granulated sugar
- Lemon zest
- Pinch of salt
- 57 grams unsalted butter
TOPPING
- 36 blueberries (3 per pastry)
- 1 portion kagecreme (our recipe will make too much, so you can cut it in half to make just enough for this recipe!)
Instructions
- Make kagecreme ahead of time and chill in the fridge until ready to use.
- Heat up the milk, either in the microwave or in a saucepan, until it is “fingervarm” (finger warm), meaning it should feel warm to the touch but not hot. You don’t want to kill the yeast! Add the yeast and stir to dissolve. Let it rest 5-10 minutes until it begins to froth and bubble a little bit. (If your yeast doesn’t do anything, it may be expired. Check the expiration date on the package and start over with new yeast!)
- Combine the egg, egg yolk, sugar, vanilla extract, and salt in a large bowl. Mix well.
- Add the milk and yeast mixture to the egg mixture and whisk to combine.
- Add the flour and softened butter, stirring with a wooden spoon. Once the dough starts to come together, you can start kneading.
- Knead until smooth and elastic, probably around 10-12 minutes. Add a bit of flour if the dough sticks to your hands or the surface. If you prefer not to get your hands messy, feel free to use a stand mixer for this step. The texture of your dough before its first rise should be soft and smooth, not sticky and not too dry.
- Cover and let your dough rise for about 45 minutes, or until doubled in size.
- While the dough is rising, prepare the blueberry filling. Add your blueberries, sugar, butter, and a pinch of salt to a small pot on the stove.
- Cook over medium low heat, until the blueberries have reduced and released the majority of their liquid. It should be quite jammy by the end. If it's still quite runny after about 15 minutes, dissolve a few teaspoons of cornstarch in some water and add to the berries, letting it come to a boil to thicken fully. Set the berry mixture aside to cool, and make sure to put this in the fridge to let it set up even more!
- Once your dough has doubled in size, roll it out into a rectangle that is about a quarter of an inch (0.5cm) thick, or 12in wide (30cm) by 17in (43cm) long.
- Spread your filling evenly on top.
- Grate lemon zest over the filling layer.
- Roll it up into a log. You’ll want to roll from the shorter edge of the rectangle, so that your buns have more swirls.
- Cut the log into 1 inch (~2.5cm) thick pieces (12 pieces). Don't be too worried if it's messy at this stage, just try to keep the swirls mostly intact!
- Place on two baking sheets and cover the buns loosely with cling film or a clean dishtowel and let them rise another 45 minutes or until they . It may be messy while you cut the buns, but don't worry too much about the shape - when the buns rise, they will look more like swirls! In the meantime, preheat your oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
- When the buns are done rising, egg wash them.
- Gently press down the center to create a space for the pastry cream. This helps prevent it from sliding off!
- Add 1-2 tablespoons of pastry cream to the top of each bun.
- Top with three blueberries each.
- Bake for about 15 minutes or until the edges are golden brown - you can check the bottom as well, which should be evenly browned. Set aside to cool slightly on a cooling rack - they're great enjoyed slightly warm!
