Cherry, Berry and Coconut Iced Buns

In my eyes, there are few things in the baking world better than an iced bun. However, this version most definitely rivals the classic as it has a surprise filling of some sweet and sticky jam (who doesn't love a bit of jam?!). My top tip to ensure that they are as full as possible is to ensure you have made a big enough hole through the bun before starting to fill it. To do this you'll need to wiggle a skewer inside it down the whole length and you should feel it pushing the dough to the sides to open up the centre. Spending a few minutes doing this really is worth it as it maximises the amount of space for that wonderful jam filling. 

Recipe - Makes 10

For the buns:

• 350g strong white bread flour
• 10g fast action dried yeast
• 7g salt
• 35g caster sugar
• 35g margarine, cubed
• 120ml oat milk or other dairy-free milk, warmed
• 120ml water

For the filling and icing:

• 150g berry and cherry jam
• 250g icing sugar
• 1 tsp berry and cherry jam, sieved
• 3-4 tbsp water
• Desiccated coconut, to sprinkle

Start by making the dough. To do this, put the flour into a large mixing bowl and tip the yeast to one side and salt and sugar to the other. Add the margarine, followed by the milk, then enough water to bring the mixture together to a slightly sticky dough. Transfer onto a work surface and knead for 10 minutes or until smooth and elastic. Place into a lightly oiled bowl and leave to rise in a warm place for 1 to 1 1/2 hours or until doubled in size.

Tip the risen dough onto a lightly floured work surface and knead gently to knock back. Divide the dough into 10 even sized pieces and roll into a ball then make into a 10-12cm sausage shape. Place on a baking tray lined with baking paper in two rows of 5, about 2-3 cm apart. Cover with a tea towel and leave to rise for another 30-45 minutes until the dough springs back gently when the sides of the buns are pressed. Bake for 10 minutes or until lightly browned. Remove and transfer to a wire rack to cool. 

When cooled, take each bun and make a hole in it for the jam by inserting a wooden or metal skewer into one of the ends and pushing it gently until it reaches the other end (almost but not quite coming out). Wiggle the skewer whilst gently pulling it back out the bun to open up the hole. Repeat for each of the buns. Following this, take an icing syringe and attach the longest nozzle (or use a piping bag with a 0.5cm plain nozzle attached, and fill with jam. Insert the nozzle into the hole of the bun and push as far in as possible. Gently squeeze the syringe to push through the jam whilst pulling the nozzle slowly out of the bun at the same time. This allows the jam to fill the hole all the way to the top. Let any excess jam seep out and wipe the end to remove any overspill. Repeat to fill all the buns with jam. 

Finally, prepare the icing by tipping the icing sugar in a bowl and gradually stirring in the water until a fairly stick but spreadable paste forms. Mix through the tsp of jam to form a light pink colour. Using a palatte knife, spread the icing over the top of each of the buns. Sprinkle over the desiccated coconut and leave to set before eating.