Sour Cherry Curd Iced Buns

 

We seem to have acquired a selection of flavoured curds from National Trust properties recently and have been trying to come up with incentive ways to use them. We then thought, what could be better than an iced bun filled with the sour cherry curd?! This is a bake that will give you a sense of nostalgia combined with a sweet and tangy taste from the curd. If you don't have any 'posh' curds on hand, feel free to use lemon curd or jam instead. 

Recipe - Makes 10

For the dough:

• 350g strong white bread flour
• 10g fast action dried yeast
• 7g salt
• 35g caster sugar
• 35g margarine, cubed
• 125ml milk, warmed
• 125ml water

For the filling and icing:

• 150g sour cherry curd
• 200g icing sugar
• 2-3 tbsp water
• Dessicated 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. Place on a baking tray lined with baking paper spaced 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 at 200C 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 the side and wiggling it around to open up the inside of the bun. Repeat for each of the buns. Take an icing syringe and attach the longest nozzle (or use a piping bag with a 0.5cm plain nozzle attached and fill with the chrd. Insert the nozzle into the hole of the bun and push as far in as possible. Gently squeeze the syringe to push through the curd whilst pulling the nozzle slowly out of the bun at the same time. This allows the curd to fill the hole fully. Let any excess curd seep out and wipe the end to remove any overspill. Repeat to fill all the buns with curd. 

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. 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.