Ingredients

Yields 24 buns 

Sponge

1 cup milk
1/3 tsp. malt syrup
1 1/3 cups bread flour
1 T dried yeast

Mixed Fruit

1/4 cup candied orange peel
1/4 cup candied lemon peel
1 cup dried currants
3 T dark rum

Dough


1 jumbo egg
1/3 cup butter
3/4 T honey
2 cups bread flour
1/3 cup sugar
1/2 cup salt
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/8 tsp. nutmeg
1/8 tsp. allspice

Cross Piping

1 cup sugar
1 1/3 cups butter (warm and melted)
1 egg
1 1/3 T vanilla

Orange Syrup


2/3 cup water
1/2 cup plus 1/3 cup sugar
1/2 tsp. orange blossom water

Equipment needed


1 Stand mixer with bowl, paddle attachment, and a hook attachment
1 Cookie sheet pan with rim

Directions

Mixed Fruit

Combine all dried fruit and the rum into a bowl. Pour enough warm water into the bowl just until it covers all of the fruit. Cover bowl with cling film and allow it to rest at room temperature overnight.

Sponge

In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, mix all of the sponge ingredients together on low speed for 5 minutes. Place in a bowl that has been lightly sprayed with nonstick spray. Cover bowl with cling film and allow the sponge to rest at room temperature for approximately 1 hour, or until doubled in size.

Dough

After the sponge has rested for 1 hour, transfer it to the bowl of a stand mixer. Into the bowl, also add all of the remaining dough ingredients. Place bowl on stand mixer fitted with a dough hook and mix on low speed for 5 minutes.

After mixing dough for 5 minutes on low, increase mixer to medium speed and mix for an additional 10 minutes.

After the additional 10 minutes of mixing, drain the soaked fruit and add to the dough. Mix on low speed for 4 minutes, or until just incorporated.

Transfer the dough into a bowl that has been sprayed with nonstick spray. Cover bowl with cling wrap and allow the dough to rest at room temperature for approximately one hour, or until doubled in size.

After 1 hour, punch dough down to remove the excess air that has developed in the dough. Cover the dough again with cling wrap and place in the refrigerator to thoroughly chill, approximately 1 hour.

Once the dough is chilled through, divide the dough into 24 equal-size pieces. Each piece should weigh approximately 2 ounces. Once the dough has been divided into 24 pieces, round each piece into a ball. Line the cookie sheet with parchment paper and spray it with nonstick spray. Place the pieces of dough 6 x 4 on the pan and ensure they are equally spaced to allow room for them to proof.

Place pan in a warm place and proof the buns for 1 to 2 hours. The buns should double in size.

Cross Piping

In a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, place all of the ingredients in the mixer bowl and paddle till well combined.

Syrup

Place the sugar and water in a small pot.
Bring sugar and water to a full boil and the remove from heat.
After removed from heat, whisk in orange blossom water and reserve to the side to cool to room temperature.

Baking

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

Once buns are fully proofed, pipe the cross over the buns prior to baking. Bake at 350 degrees for 15 to 18 minutes. Buns should be a light golden brown.

Once buns are baked, remove from oven and brush with the orange blossom simple syrup. Allow to cool before removing from the pan.

 

Formulation courtesy of Bouchon Bakery