Belgian Buns

This recipe produces a small batch of 6 Belgian Buns. They are iced, topped with a glacé cherry and contain sultanas with a lemony background flavour.

Ingredients

Makes 6 buns	Continued...
225 gm strong white flour	80 ml milk
½ of 7 gm packet fast-action yeast - 1¼ tspn (see note 1)	2 - 4 tspn lemon curd (to taste)
½ tspn salt	40 gm sultanas (or more to taste)
25 gm caster sugar	80 gm icing sugar - or as required
30 gm butter	hot water as required
1 medium egg	6 glacé cherries

Preparation

Melt the butter and allow to cool.
Beat the egg (if kept in the fridge ensure it is at room temperature).
Slightly warm the milk.
Add the flour, yeast, salt and caster sugar to a large bowl and mix thoroughly.
Add the melted butter, beaten egg and milk and mix until the dough is smooth.
Vigorously knead the dough on a floured surface for about 10 - 15 min.
Place the dough into an oiled bowl, cover, and set aside in a warm place for 1 hour minimum. Allow the dough to double in size rather that be limited by exact timing as the room temperature will make a big difference.
Roll the dough into a rectangle the size of an A4 sheet of paper. Try to ensure the dough is rolled with an even thickness otherwise the buns will be different sizes.
Sprinkle on the sultanas.
Starting from the narrow side, roll the dough into a sausage shape - not too tight. The 'joint' can be brushed with a little milk and stretched to help prevent uncurling.
Cut the dough into 6 equal pieces and place on a greased baking sheet.
Cover with oiled cling film and set aside in a warm place for 30 minutes.
If the curls tend to open up, stretch the dough ends and press together - tooth picks can also be used to help prevent this.
Pre-heat the oven to 190° C.

Cooking

Bake in the oven for 15 min.
When done, flatten the buns if needed by pushing down the central part that may have 'lifted'.
Spread some lemon curd on top of the hot buns and allow to cool - more can be added just before icing.
Mix the icing sugar with warm water a little at a time to make a thick paste that can be spread over the buns.
After spreading the buns with the icing top with a glacé cherry.

Notes

(1) 7 gm packets of fast-action yeast can be purchased, in pairs, at most supermarkets. A 7 gm packet contains about 2½ tspn.

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