Blueberry Buns

Every time I visited my parents at their house in Toronto, it was a must to stop by their local Jewish bakery and pick up some fresh blueberry buns.

They’re packed with a thick blueberry sauce and not ridiculously sweet.

I decided to try making them at home, with good results!

I made these as part of the showstopper challenge from the great British bake-off, season 1, episode 3. The task was to make a bread basket with 3 kinds of sweet rolls and 3 kinds of savory rolls.

The theme I chose was “favorite family flavors”: chocolate babka, blueberry buns, sweet coconut rolls, mini pizzas, chana curry buns, and pesto-feta swirls. The other recipes are here if you want to give them a try.

I LOVE making bread, so this was my happiest challenge so far.

I made about a dozen of each and then picked the best ones for the pictures.

Sooo we will be eating bread for quite a while…. 

Great British Bakeoff Vegan: Season 1, Episode 3, Showstopper

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Ingredients

Buns

• 1 Tbsp active dry yeast
• 1 tsp coconut sugar
• ½ cup hot water
• 3 cups flour
• ¼ cup coconut sugar
• 1 tsp salt
• 3 Tbsp coconut oil
• 7 Tbsp soy milk
• ½ tsp vanilla extract

Filling

• 2 cups frozen blueberries
• ½ cup sugar or monkfruit
• 1 Tbsp cornstarch dissolved in 1/4 cup warm water
• ¼ tsp salt

Topping

• ¼ cup maple syrup to brush over cooked buns
• Crystal sugar to sprinkle on top (optional)

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Directions

Make the dough
In a small non-metal bowl, dissolve the yeast and 1 tsp coconut sugar in the hot tap water. Let it sit for 5 minutes to bloom and form a thick foam on top.

In a large metal bowl, mix the flour, 1/4 cup coconut sugar and salt, then add the yeast mixture to the flour mixture along with the coconut oil, soy milk, and vanilla.

Mix together well until it forms a ball of dough. Knead briefly and set aside.

Make the blueberry filling
In a medium pot, heat the blueberries, brown sugar, dissolved cornstarch, and salt over medium heat.

Bring to a boil, stirring occasionally, then turn the heat down once it boils and stir continuously until it’s nice and thick.

Pour onto a plate to cool it off before filling the buns.

Assemble and bake
On a floured board, roll out the dough to about 18×18″ square. Cut out squares roughly 5 or 6 inches wide, and put about a tablespoon of blueberry filling in the middle of each square.

Pick up the top and bottom sides and pinch them together, then pinch all the way along each edge until the sides are sealed too. For an extra secure seal and a nice pattern, fold the pinched edge over on itself to make a little crimped lip.

Bake at 375F for 16-20 minutes until golden brown on top. Remove from the oven, brush with maple syrup and dust with crystal sugar. Enjoy! Leftovers freeze well in an airtight container.