Sweet Buns (Apple Swirl)
Soft, moist, and full of apple flavor, these glazed Apple Sweet Buns are the perfect cozy fall breakfast or dessert.
Servings 30 buns
Ingredients
For the Batter:
- 3 tbsp. warm water
- 1 tbsp. sugar
- 1 tsp. dry yeast
- 1.5 cups boiled milk cooled
- 4 oz. unsalted butter
- 2 tbsp. mayonnaise
- 5 eggs large
- 1 cup sugar
- ¼ tsp. sea salt
- 1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
- 7 cups all-purpose flour
For the Filling:
- 5 apples Jonagold variety, large
For Brushing and Sprinkling:
- 2 eggs large
- 2 tbsp. water
- 2 tbsp. aw organic cane sugar
Instructions
How to Prepare the Dough
- First, I prepare everything for the dough. Start by proofing the yeast. Sprinkle sugar into a glass of warm water. Stir just until nearly dissolved, and add the yeast. Stir until all is dissolved and well combined. Set aside to proof (it takes about 30 minutes before it’s ready for you).
- Place butter into a small saucepan and melt it over a hot burner. Set aside to cool until just barely warm.
- After the butter has cooled to a warm add mayonnaise and stir to combine well. Set aside until ready for use.
- Pour the milk into a separate small saucepan. Bring it to a boil. Set aside to cool just until barely warm. After the milk cools, add the proofed yeast mixture to the milk. Stir it well and set aside until ready for use.
- Beat eggs and sugar for 5 minutes on high. Reduce the speed to low and add the salt, vanilla, milk, yeast/milk mixture, and melted butter/mayonnaise mixture.
- Switch to the dough hook attachment and gradually add sifted flour, one cup at a time. Then continue adding ½ cup of flour thereafter, scraping down the sides of the bowl with each flour addition. The dough should be soft and not sticky to a rubber spatula.
- Cover the bowl of dough with plastic food wrap. Puncture about 5 small holes in the plastic wrap with a knife for the dough to breathe (while preventing hardening on the top), then place a clean kitchen towel over the plastic wrap. Place the bowl in a warm place for the dough to rise for about 2 hours.
- After the dough rises, transfer it onto a floured work surface.
- Rinse, peel, and grate 2 apples using a carrot grater. (Grate 2 apples at a time to prevent them from darkening.)
How to Assemble
- Split the dough into 3 chunks. Cover 2 of them with plastic food wrap. Divide the first chunk into 3 oz. balls. (Cover the rest of the dough pieces with plastic wrap to prevent them from drying.) Using a rolling pin, roll out about a 5 X 13-inch rectangular shape.
- Place ¾ cup of grated apples on one edge of the length. Roll it into a log and pinch the ends carefully.
- Hold one end of the log up and swirl it into a circle to create the bun. Fold the other end under the bun. Then tuck in the top edges to make the cute-looking rose bun. It will be about 3 inches (7.6 cm) in diameter before proofing.
- Preheat the oven to 350 F (180 C). Place buns onto a lined parchment paper 16 X 22 baking sheet. Cover the pan with a dry and clean kitchen towel and allow them to proof for 20 minutes. While the buns are rising, make the egg wash. Combine the egg with water and beat it with a fork. (TIP: I make a separate egg wash for each pan because the egg wash gets old by the time you're done assembling all the buns.)
- Brush proofed buns with egg wash and sprinkle with raw organic cake sugar.
How to Bake
- Bake the buns for 40 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from the oven and let them cool to room temperature before removing the buns from the parchment paper.
- While the buns are baking, repeat the same steps with the rest of the dough, apple shredding, and egg wash.
- Enjoy them warm with a cup of coffee, tea or cold milk.
Notes
- Proof the yeast in warm water with a little sugar to activate it. It should become frothy, which means it's ready to use.
- When melting the butter for the dough, make sure to let it cool until just barely warm. Hot butter can kill the yeast, so it's important to let it cool before adding it to the other ingredients.
- When adding the flour to the dough, do it gradually and mix well. This will help you achieve a soft, non-sticky dough that's perfect for your buns.