Not bad for a first attempt at baking something bready!
After my attempt to make bread a few months back was fairly successful, I returned to The Big Book of Bread to find a finger bun recipe. They didn’t have one, so I used the one for “Devonshire splits”, figuring that a sweet bun recipe is just that and I could roll the dough into long shapes rather than rounds.
All-in-all I was pleased with the results although, when I make these again, I think I’ll leave the dough to prove for even longer because I’d like the end result to be a little lighter.
Ingredients (makes 10-12 finger buns depending on how big you make them)
- 350 g / 12 oz strong plain white flour
- 0.5 tsp salt
- 40 g / 1.5 oz butter, diced
- 1.5 tsp easy-blend dried yeast
- 40g / 1.5 oz caster sugar
- About 200 ml / 7 fl oz warm milk (I gave it 40 seconds in the microwave. “Warm” means tepid)
- Icing sugar, water and food colouring for the glaze
Method
Grease two baking trays and put to one side. You won’t need them for ages, but it’s good to get this stage out of the way.
Sift the flour and salt into a large bowl. Rub in the butter. Mix in the yeast and caster sugar. Make a well in the centre of the dry ingredients and add enough milk so that by mixing you get a soft dough. The original recipe is deliberately vague as to what “enough” means. I used 180 ml, but I’d suggest starting at 150 ml, mixing it through and then adding a little more if you need to.
I did the mixing by hand and found it quite easy. You can also use the dough attachment of an electric mixer.
Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth and elastic. I kneaded the dough for about 5 minutes. You can also let your mixer do this stage too if you have a dough hook.
Roll your dough into a ball and put it in a lightly oiled bowl, cover and then leave to rise in a warm place (or at least room temperature, tucked away from any cold breezes) until it’s doubled in size. I left the dough for a bit more than 2 hours and if I made these again I think I’d leave it a little longer.
Now “knock back” the dough. Use you fist to press the dough down into the bowl, knocking the air out of it. Turn it out onto a floured surface and knead again for a few minutes. Divide it into however may portions you want for your finger buns and roll into finger shapes (try to get them a bit more regular than mine if you can!). Put the dough fingers on your baking sheets, cover them and leave them to rise again until doubled in size.
I left mine for 45 minutes but, again, when I make these again I’m going to leave more time to let them rise further before baking. While they’re rising, pre-heat your oven to 220 degrees C (200 fan) / Gas Mark 7 / 425 degrees F. Now, this is where my mantra of “know your oven” becomes crucial. I have a fan oven and put it at 190 degrees. I put the timer on for 8 minutes thinking there was no way they would over-bake in that time… Hmn. Check out what happened in 8 minutes:
The finger buns are slightly browner in places than I would have liked. I turned the oven off at 8 minutes and left them in there for another 8, just to make sure they were baked through to the centre. If they’re done they should feel soft and sound hollow if you tap them underneath. I was quite pleased with the internal texture of mine, and they were certainly baked thoroughly:
Put the finger buns on a wire rack to cool completely. When they’re cold you can make the icing. It’s a simple mix of icing sugar and a small amount of water. Add the water very gradually, starting with a teaspoon, because you want the icing to be thick so it won’t simply run off the finger buns. If your icing is too thin, just add more icing sugar to thicken it up. Add a few drops of whatever colouring you like. Use a teaspoon to drop the icing onto the buns and the back of the spoon to spread it.
These keep well in an airtight container for a couple of days but are best eaten as quickly as possible!
And here’s the evidence I made bread before!
Claire Huston / Art and Soul
Just what I need right now! They look yummy! I just copied the recipe so we shall see if I can turn out something edible!
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I hope you can get a better rise than I did and they turn out really well. I think next time I’m going to put the dough in the airing cupboard which is nice and warm. “Room temperature” at the moment isn’t really warm enough to get a good rise! 🙂
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I’m going to try! They just look so good!
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So far it’s rising nicely.💚
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oh boy 🙂 these look spectacular x
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They were very nice, even if I didn’t get the rise I really wanted. But good for a first try! 🙂
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They look so good!!! I might give it a try 🙂
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Thank you!
I just had a sudden craving for them 🙂 I used to have them a lot when I was little but hadn’t had any for ages!
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I love that pink color. So spring-like!
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It had to be white and pink. I considered other colours, but the pink is weirdly appetising!! 🙂
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These remind me of buns I used to get as a kid! Will have to attempt them 🙂
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Me too! My mum always used to treat me to one when I was off school because I was poorly. So they’re only associated with treats and feeling better for me! 🙂
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I love these! I remember buying them
from the bakery when I was little as a treat. Such nostalgia! xx
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For me too 🙂 I don’t think I’ve had one for years and years. Hopefully they’ll get better and more like the ones from the bakery with practice! xx
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Oh I could go for one or five of those with a big glass of milk . I love anything with pink icing 💕
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I had one or two at a time! 🙂
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These remind me of my childhood, though they were always shop bought then not homemade.
Amanda.
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Same for me! My mum used to get some from the local baker’s for a treat 🙂
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Oh, wow, this brings back memories of the primary school canteen! I’ve actually got dried yeast in the pantry at the moment as my partner has started baking pretzels, so I might have to try these!
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I wish they’d had these in the canteen at my school! I remember them as a treat from the local baker’s 🙂 I hope you have warmer weather than we do to get a nice rise during the proving stage (or a nice warm cupboard to put the dough in!).
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Wow so nice!
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Thank you 🙂 I don’t think I’ve had one of these since I was a little girl and I got a sudden craving for them! x
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Love the colours!!!
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It couldn’t be anything else than pink and white – they’re the cutest 🙂
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Please feel free to visit our blog😊😊
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