Despite my little bio thing claiming that I like to bake, you are yet to see any evidence of this allusive hobby, so I thought I'd better do something about this great travesty.

Have you ever had an iced bun from a bakery, such as one that rhymes with Timmons?  If you have, then you'll probably agree with me when I say that although they're rather scrummy, they tend to be a little dry, especially around the edges.  Well, fret no more: the solution comes in the form of a recipe for the most delicious iced buns, which I have adapted slightly from Paul Hollywood's Iced fingers recipe.

They take a couple of hours to prepare, as you have to leave the dough to prove, but you can get on with something else while this happens, so you're actually only baking for about half an hour.  It's probably best to make these the day you intend to eat them, because then they're lovely and fresh (although they're still more than fine the next day).

Ingredients for the dough:

• 500g strong white flour, sieved
• 50g caster sugar
• 40g unsalted butter, softened (either be really prepared and take it out the fridge well in advance, or just do what I do and microwave it for 10 seconds at a time until it's soft enough)
• 2 eggs (be good and use free-range)
• 2 x 7g sachets instant yeast
• 150ml warm milk (microwave for about 60 seconds)
• 140ml water

Ingredients for icing and decorating:

• 200g icing sugar
• 5 teaspoons cold water
• Glacé cherries (optional)
• Sprinkles of your choice (optional) 

Making the buns:

1. Put all your ingredients for the dough into a large bowl, remembering to sieve the flour, but keep back roughly a quarter of the water.  Make sure your hands are clean, then roll up your sleeves and stir the mixture using your hands, before adding the remaining water.  I found that my dough was very very sticky, so it was difficult to deal with at this stage.  Nevertheless, try to knead it in the bowl for a few minutes, perhaps adding a little flour to make it a bit easier.
2. Wipe down the surface, dry it and then sprinkle some flour over it.  (Make sure you're still using the strong white flour when you do this).  Now you have to knead the dough for about 10 minutes, until it is smooth and looks a little more dough-like. Because mine was so sticky, I had to add a lot of flour as I went along, but they still turned out well so this didn't seem to matter.  Once nice and stretchy, place your dough back in the bowl and cover it with a damp tea towel.  Then, leave it to rise in a warm room for 1 hour.  I put an electric heater in the utility room and shut the door, which seemed to work well, but you could also stick it in the airing cupboard, or in a small room with a radiator. 
3. After an hour is up, take your risen dough and divide it into about 12 balls.  If you want finger buns, elongate them, but if you want round ones, then just shape them a little.  
4. Grease a baking tray and place the buns on top, making sure you leave enough room for the dough to grow a bit more.  Now put them back in the warm room for 40 minutes.  Go and pre-heat your oven to 220C (if you're using a fan oven then you might want to use a lower temperature, or just bake them for a shorter period).
5. After 40 minutes they should now have finished all their rising, so you're ready to bake!  Place them in your pre-heated oven for 10 minutes.  Personally, I'd advise setting the timer to 5 or 6 minutes then checking them, as after 7 minutes at 220C in a fan oven mine were rather browned! 
6. While they're cooking, you could quickly make the icing.  Just sieve the icing sugar into a bowl, add the water and mix until you have a thick paste.  
7. Once the buns are lightly golden, remove them from the oven and set them on a cooling rack.  Although it's tempting to ice them straight away, you must wait, as the icing will run if the buns are still warm.
8. When they are completely cool, take a palette knife (or just an ordinary knife) and smooth a blob of icing over the top to create an effect that pleases you. Decorate with glacé cherries, sprinkles, or just leave them nice and simple.
9. Finally, stick the kettle on and invite your family and friends to come and marvel at your culinary skills! 

So there you have it, a plate of AMAZING iced buns, perfect for a get-together or a treat with your afternoon cuppa.




Happy baking!

Harriet x