Sweet Fruity Buns

Sweet tooti-frooti buns…. I just love them. Lot of childhood memories associated with it. But since Neha and hubby are not fond of such sweet bakes, I had never tried it till now. You can just eat 1-2 buns or dunk it in milk and simply devour it. My brother in law likes these sweet buns and so this time when my sister and family visited us, I had decided to bake this. My sister too likes mostly savoury bakes. So whenever she comes I end up baking pizza, garlic bread, burgers and pull aparts (which is her favourite). If you like more sweeter buns, please do increase the amount of sugar in the dough. You can slice the bun into half and fill it with vanilla flavoured sweet cream or chocolate cream and serve it. I was really amazed at the texture of the buns, it was unbelievably soft and fluffy. Since these days I bake most of the stuffs with whole wheat flour and however good it turns out, but maida is maida, though not healthy, but the texture is amazing. So indulgence once in a while is ok. Anyways being home made, it is free of any kind or improvers or chemicals or preservatives.

Ingredients:

• All purpose flour 200 gm
• Salt a pinch
• Sugar 2-3 tbsp
• Milk powder 2 tbsp (20 gm)
• Instant yeast 1/2 tsp
• Butter 1-2 tbsp
• Milk ~ 125 ml
• Tooti frooti 1-2 tbsp
• Black currant, cranberries, raisins 1-2 tbsp
• Cherry pieces for garnish (optional)

Method:

• Mix maida, milk powder, sugar, salt and instant yeast. Add milk-water mixture to the dry ingredients and combine well.
• Add butter and knead into a smooth and soft elastic dough for 10-12 minutes. Allow it to rise in an oiled bowl covered with cling film for an hour, or till it doubles in volume.
• Gently punch the dough and knead for 1-2 minutes on a lightly floured surface.
• Cut the dough into 7 pieces of approximately 50 gms in weight, using a sharp knife or a scrapper. Or you can roll it into a bread loaf or make many small small balls with it. But make sure all the pieces are almost similar in weight, which will help in uniform baking.
• Take a ball, roll it into a disk with 2-3 inch diameter and fill it with the tooti-frooti and cranberries, raisins and black currants or any dehydrated fruits or dry fruits and roll it tightly into a bun. Roll it by cupping the bun in your palm and smoothen it on a floured surface, ensuring that the top of the bun looks smooth  without any cracks.
• Arrange these pieces in an oiled cake pan or bread tin or tray with the seam side down and leaving some space in between the buns to allow it to rise. I have used an 8 inch cake tray. Place a piece of cherry on top for a prettier look 🙂

• Apply milk wash on the top to prevent it from drying. Cover it with a big lid and allow it to proof again for 25-30 minutes till it puffs up and all the gaps between the buns are almost filled up.
• Meanwhile preheat the oven for 10-12 minutes at 180 degree celsius.
• Bake the rolls for  20-22 minutes. Now apply milk wash again on top and increase the temp to 200-210 degree celsius and bake for another 2-3 minutes till the crust is golden in colour. Do not over bake. Incase the top gets too brown, cover with an aluminium foil after 10-12 minutes and remove it towards the end of the bake.
• Remove from oven and allow it to cool on a wire rack for 5-8 minutes. Apply a thin later of butter on top. Serve these mildly sweet buns with tea or milk or slice it and apply jam or nutella and serve.