The first week of the school holidays is flying by! We have been sleeping in, playing lots of board games, Sarah has learnt to crochet, and we have been spending lots of time in the kitchen baking. Sarah tried her hand at baking finger buns and they were absolutely delicious. What I love about these buns is that the bread itself was not overly sweet – the sweetness was contained to the icing. Β They are basically a bread studded with sultanas and covered in a soft icing sprinkled with coconut. They were amazing fresh from the oven with a cup of tea. The brought back memories of family holidays and trips to country bakeries for a freshly baked treat.
- 1¼ cups milk, lukewarm
- 2 tsp dried yeast
- 2 tbsp caster sugar (superfine)
- 3 cups plain flour (all purpose)
- 60 g (1/2 stick) butter, melted and cooled
- ⅓ cup sultanas (raisins)
- ICING
- 11/4 cup icing sugar (confectioners sugar)
- 20 g soft butter (1 tablespoon)
- ½ tsp vanilla extract
- 1 tablespoon boiling water
- 2 tbsp desiccated coconut
- Combine milk, yeast and pinch of caster sugar in a jug and set aside in a warm place for around 5 minutes. until it starts to become frothy. Sift the flour and remaining sugar into a large bowl and make a well in the centre.
- Pour the milk mixture and butter into the flour. Use a wooden spoon and then your hands to mix to a soft dough. Turn out onto a lightly floured surface and knead for around 8 minutes, until smooth and elastic. Press the dough out flat and sprinkle the sultanas over. Fold over and knead again briefly to incorporate the sultanas.
- Place into a bowl that has been lightly oiled and cover with a clean cloth. Stand in a warm place for around 1 hour until the dough has doubled in size. Turn out the dough and punch it down to expel the air. Knead for a further minute until smooth.
- Preheat the oven to moderately hot (190 deg C, 375 deg F). Line two baking trays with baking paper. Divide the dough into 12 equal portions and shape into logs. Place onto prepared trays and cover with a clean cloth. Stand in a warm place for a further 10 minutes.
- Bake for 15 minutes, until golden. Transfer onto a wire rack and cool.
- To make the icing, sift the icing sugar into a bowl. Add the butter and vanilla, and pour the hot water over the butter. Stir until smooth. Spread over the finger buns and sprinkle with coconut. Allow icing to set before eating.
Fingerbuns recipe was adapted from Merle’s Country Show Baking and Other Favourites, which is a lovely cook book Β full of wonderful home style baked goods. If you enjoyed this, check out some of our other bread and pastries recipes here.
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Sigi G says
This looks DELICIOUS – can’t wait to try!
A Spoonful of Sugar says
They are so good Sigi:)
Shez says
awesome Sarah,thankyou for sharing.xx
Lisa says
They look good! Your holidays sound great so far!
Jane says
Your icing looks perfect, really makes a nice presentation. I also learned a new word sultanas (raisins) π
Thea says
These sound great! Never had them before but I might just have to try my hand. thanks for sharing the recipe.
A Spoonful of Sugar says
You will enjoy them Thea = they didn’t last long here:)
Lindsay says
Yum, these look so delicious! I love the sprinkling of coconut!
A Spoonful of Sugar says
Thanks Lindsay – they are so delicious!
dina says
they look lovely!
Nell says
I am so glad you include American measurements…otherwise it would really be a challenge for me to try your recipes. Everything looks so yummy.
Lily says
Love these. Taste amazing π