Strawberry Buns

Sweet sticky buns filled with sweet Strawberry pieces. I'm telling you, that this is a perfect summer treat for breakfast, brunch, and even dessert and better than cinnamon rolls.

Yes, I said that, but you'll understand when you try it.

Makes About: 10-12 Rolls

Takes About: 3 hours

Difficulty: 2 out of 5 (the only difficult part is the rolling)

Prep:

Butter a large baking pan (10inch by 6inch) and also a large baking pan (10inch by 14 inch) and set aside.

Ingredients:

Dough

1 cup (150 grams) milk

1/3 cup (76 grams) unsalted butter

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup (120 grams) granulated sugar

4 cups (650 grams) all-purpose flour, plus 1/2 cup (75 grams) flour for dusting

2 1/4 teaspoon (1 packet) yeast

2 eggs

Filling

1 pound (1 kilogram) fresh strawberries

1/4 cup - 1/2 cup (60-120 grams) granulated sugar

2 teaspoons cornstarch

Glaze

About 1 cup of powdered sugar

4-6 tablespoons strawberry juice from the filling

Instructions:

Step 1 - Warm up milk and Melt Butter

In a small pot, add the 1 cup of milk, 1/3 cup of unsalted butter, 1 teaspoon of salt, and 1/2 cup of granulated sugar and place it on low-medium heat until the butter is just melted, but not hot.

Step 2 - Mix Flour and Yeast

In a large bowl, mix together the yeast and flour.

Step 3 - Check Butter and Milk Temperature Once the butter has melted, check the temperature of the mixture. It should be between 81-100 degrees F (27-37 degrees C) and if it is too hot, just let it rest until it cools down to the correct temperature. Step 4 - Mix All Dough Ingredients Together

Once your butter and milk has come to temperature, add it to the flour mixture and also your eggs. You don't want the milk and butter mixture too hot because it could kill your yeast and it could cook your eggs. So make sure your milk and butter and is at the right temperature.

Step 5 - Kneading

You can start kneading your dough in the bowl until it comes together, then you can dump it out onto a floured counter and knead it until it becomes smooth. If it seems too sticky, add a little of the excess flour and if it feels dry, try to not add too much of your excess flour.

Once your dough has come together, add it do a buttered bowl and cover it for at least an hour or until it has doubled in size.

Step 6 - Prepare Your Strawberries

As your dough is rising, cut the tops off your 1 pound of strawberries and but them into small pieces. Once you have them all cut, place them in a large bowl and sprinkle the 1/4 cup of sugar over top. I recommend tasting the strawberries and then adding more of the reserved sugar if you would like it sweeter.

Once you are happy with the sweetness levels, add the two teaspoons of cornstarch and mix it in until completely combined.

Once done, set aside until needed.

Step 7 - Roll Out the Dough

Once your dough has doubled in size, roll it out into a 15 inch by 25 inch (40cm by 64cm) rectangle that is between 1/4 and a 1/8 of an inch thick. It does not have to be exact, just around that size.

I used a French Rolling Pin to do this, because these rolling pins give you more control over the shape you are rolling out.

Step 8 - Fill the Roll

Once your dough is rolled out, use a slotted spoon (something with holes) to transfer your strawberries onto the roll. Our goal here is to transfer the strawberries to the roll, but leave as much juice in the bowl (but do not discard the juice, we want to keep that).

Once you have transferred all the strawberries to the roll, spread the strawberries out until the roll is completely covered other than the inch around the edge. Step 9 - Start to Roll Starting from the bottom long side of the roll, start rolling the dough slowly. Do not squeeze the roll because we don't want to push the strawberries out, we want to keep them in every spot. I had mentioned this is the hardest part, but if you just work slowly, it will be good, I promise. Once you get the roll to the top use that extra inch at the top to pull over the top. Step 10 - Cut and Place

Now that we have the roll rolled, we are going to cut it. I recommend instead of starting from one side, make small cuts on the top at the half way mark, the quarter mark, and then cut each quarter into quarters. The rolls should be about 1 inch to 1 1/2 inches thick. Once cut, pick them up carefully and place them in your prepared baking dishes. They should sit about 1 inch apart. Step 11 - Rise 2 Once the rolls are all laying in the baking dish, place a towel over top of them and let them rest of at least an hour or until the have doubled in size. Once they have grown, preheat your oven to 400 degrees F (205 degrees C).

Step 12 - Bake! When you oven is preheated, pop the rolls in the oven for about 30 minutes or until they are golden brown. Step 13 - Glaze

Once the rolls have finished baking, place them to the side to cool while you make the glaze, and that is where the excess juice from the strawberries come in.

Place about 1 cup of powdered sugar into a small bowl and then just add the juice from the strawberries until you have reached a consistency you like.

I like when I can draw a number 8 into the glaze and it will disappear after a few seconds.

Once your glaze is done, spoon at much as you like over top your warm buns. Step 14 - Enjoy! And that is it! You have successfully made Strawberry Buns!

I hope you enjoy!