Lemon Poppy Seed Buns

Soft, pillowy poppy seed buns with layers of sweet lemon and topped with a smooth cream cheese frosting.

Absolutely marvellous.

Soft poppy seed buns with a cream cheese frosting

Buns in all its forms are always a good time, that's just facts. The biggest drawback for me when it comes to these kind of baked goods is the fact that it needs rising/proofing time. In an ideal world, you could just whip these up in the morning, into the oven and there you go. Of course it can be done the night before and proof in the fridge too. It's these tedious but obviously necessary steps which sets proofed buns aside from, let's say, pancakes. Don't get me wrong, there's a time and place for pancakes, but they're in a different league. My point is, few things compare to your entire kitchen being filled with the smell of yeasty baked goods, a celebration of 5 or 6 individual ingredients coming together to make you say "ugh, LOVE this for me". No pretences, just a quick sensory travel to a place where a simple bun is everything a satisfying moment can be.

Okay lets get back to these bad boys: lemon poppy seeds buns with a cream cheese frosting. Light in texture and flavour, and devious enough to make you have another because it's not teeth achingly sweet (hate that). If you happen to have any leftovers the next day, 20 seconds in the microwave revives this bun to its original glory. I will make the bold statement of saying that these buns will transport you to the picture perfect spring Sunday morning. I'm talking warm sun rays filling the plant-filled lounge on the second floor, 60s funk playlist in the background and knowing that the next day is a public holiday. I also 100% have Dakota Johnsons's apartment in How to be Single (2016) in my head when picturing this. Anyhoo, here's the recipe I hope you'll love too :)

Ingredients

for the dough:

• 118g water

• 10g yeast

• 123g milk

• 50g sugar

• 1 egg

• 75g butter

• 435g flour

• 2 tbsp poppy seeds

• 1 tsp salt

for the filling:

• 100g butter

• 113g sugar

• zest of 2 lemons

• 1 tsp ground ginger (optional)

for the glaze:

• 16g icing sugar, sifted

• 10g milk

for the frosting:

• 125g cream cheese, room temp

• 24g icing sugar, sifted

• 15g milk

Method

1. Add warm water, milk and sugar in a heatproof bowl. Add your yeast, cover and let it become frothy. Make sure your water is not hot as this will kill your yeast. It should just be warm enough to feed a baby.

2. In the bowl of a standing mixer, add the flour, salt and poppy seeds

3. Add your yeast mixture, melted butter, and egg to the dry mix

4. Using your dough hook, knead your dough for about 5 minutes or until smooth

5. Close your bowl with cling wrap/cloth and place in a warm spot for 2 hours or until it's doubled in size. You can also place it in a preheated warm oven that's switched off, no hotter than 21C (Keep this cling wrap for a step later on)

6. While your dough is rising, make your filling by mixing soft butter, sugar, lemon zest and ground ginger spice.

7. Make on your frosting by whipping your cream cheese by hand until smooth, adding the icing sugar and milk until a thick and smooth consistency and no lumps remain.

8. After 2 hours and once your dough has doubled in size, transfer the dough to a floured surface and roll it out into a rectangle, roughly 50cm x 25cm. Make 100% sure that your dough does not stick to the surface.

9. Spread your filling generously across the dough and begin rolling your dough lengthwise into a log. Once you get to the end, pinch the dough to close the seam. That way the roll won't open up once baked.

10. Using a very sharp knife, cut your dough into equal parts. Alternatively, use floss or a piece of cotton to cut the dough into rounds without damaging the shape. You can see how to do this here, this is my preferred method. For the best shape, you should get 12 or 13 rounds out of this dough.

11. Place your buns into a deep oven tray and making sure that they do not touch. Cover with the cling wrap from step 5 and let it proof for a further 30-40 minutes.

12. Preheat your oven on 180C and make your glaze by mixing icing sugar and milk. There should be no lumps and the consistency should not be too runny.

13. Once proofed, place into a preheated oven on 180C and bake for 20-25 minutes. After the initial 10 minutes, rotate your tray and carry on baking. If your buns are golden brown after 20 minutes, you can take it out.

14. Once your buns are out of the oven, glaze them and wait about 3-5 minutes before you smooth your cream cheese frosting so that it doesn't melt.

15. Sit in the sun and enjoy your well deserved lemon poppy seed bun :)