Best 3 Belgian Buns Mary Berry Recipes

BELGIAN BUNS

Steps:

• In a small pan warm the milk until it's lukewarm. Set aside.
• Sift the flour into a large bowl and add the yeast. Make a well in the middle and add the butter, sugar, milk and egg. Mix to combine.
• Using a dough hook, beat on a medium speed until you have a soft dough - about 10 minutes. (If you are not using a mixer you can knead the dough by hand for this step).
• Transfer the dough to a lightly floured surface and knead it by hand for 1 minute. Form the dough into a ball and transfer into a lightly greased bowl and cover loosely with a piece of lightly greased cling film. Leave to rise in a draught-free place until it has doubled in size (around 1 to 2 hours, or overnight in the fridge for a slow-rise).
• Generously grease a tray with butter. Set aside.
• Once your dough has doubled in size, turn it out onto a lightly floured surface and using a rolling pin, roll it into a rectangle about 10" by 14". It's important to make sure your dough is of even thickness all over to ensure you have nice neat buns.
• Spread the lemon curd from edge-to-edge of the dough and sprinkle the sultanas evenly over.
• Roll the dough tightly to create a sausage. Cut the sausage into 6 buns - I tend to cut in half, then thirds to ensure even buns. Arrange the rolls in your pre-greased tray and cover loosely with a piece of lightly greased cling film.
• Leave to rise in a draught-free place for 1-2 hours until they look light and puffy.
• After your buns have gone through their second rise, remove the cling film and place the tray in a pre-heated oven at 180°c (160°c for fan assisted ovens) and bake for around 10-15 minutes until golden brown. Transfer to a wire rack when cool enough to touch and leave to cool completely.

MARY BERRY'S RELIGIEUSES

Steps:

• Start by making the choux pastry. Heat your oven to 220°C/200°C fan/425°F/Gas 7. Draw eight 5cm circles and eight 2.5cm circles on the paper lining the baking sheet.
• Put the butter and water into a heavy pan and heat over a medium heat until the butter has completely melted, then bring the mixture to the boil, taking care not to burn the butter. Remove from the heat and tip in the flour. Stir vigorously with a wooden spoon until the mixture forms a soft ball. Set the pan back on a low heat and cook for 3-5 minutes, stirring constantly, to dry out the dough. Remove from the heat and leave to cool slightly. Gradually add the eggs, beating well after each addition, to make a smooth, shiny paste.
• Spoon the choux dough into a piping bag fitted with a 1.5cm plain tube. Pipe discs inside the drawn circles on the baking sheet. Dip your finger in water and gently smooth the top of each disc. Place in the heated oven and bake for 10 minutes, then reduce the oven temperature to 190°C/170°C fan/375°F/Gas 5 and bake for a further 10-15 minutes until a good golden brown.
• Remove the baking sheet from the oven and pierce each bun with a skewer to allow the steam to escape. Return the choux buns to the oven and bake for 4-5 minutes so they dry out. Transfer the buns to a wire rack and leave to cool.
• Meanwhile, make the crème patissiere. Pour the milk into a heavy-based medium pan. Using the tip of a small knife, scrape out the vanilla seeds from the split pod and add to the milk. Slowly bring to the boil, then remove the pan from the heat and set aside. Put the egg yolks and sugar into a heatproof mixing bowl and whisk together until pale, then add the cornflour and flour and whisk in. Continue to whisk as you pour on the hot milk in a thin steady stream. Pour the mixture back into the pan. Set over a medium heat and bring to the boil, whisking constantly. Cook for 1 minute until smooth and thick. Pour into a bowl and cover the surface of the crème patissiere with clingfilm (this prevents a skin from forming). Leave to cool, then chill.
• For the chocolate ganache, bring the cream to the boil in a small pan, then remove from the heat. Add the pieces of chocolate and stir until melted and the mixture is smooth and shiny. Transfer to a bowl and leave to cool, then cover and chill until the ganache has a thick coating consistency.
• To assemble the religieuses, spoon the crème patissiere into a piping bag fitted with a long thin tube (or use a jam or icing syringe) and fill the choux buns through the 'steam hole' made earlier. Dip the tops of the filled buns into the chocolate ganache to coat them halfway up the sides. Set a small bun on top of each large bun.
• Whip the cream until it stands in peaks. Spoon into a clean piping bag fitted with a star tube. Pipe a line of cream around the join where the two buns meet to form a white collar. Serve as soon as possible after assembling.

PAUL HOLLYWOOD'S BELGIAN BUNS

Steps:

• Make the dough. Place the flour, sugar and salt into a large mixing bowl and stir until thoroughly combined. Make a well in the centre and tip in the yeast.
• Warm the butter and milk with 120ml of water in a small saucepan until the butter is melted and the mixture is lukewarm. Pour this into the flour mixture, and stir thoroughly until the contents of the bowl come together as a soft dough.
• Tip out the dough onto a lightly floured work surface and knead well for 5 minutes, until the dough is smooth and elastic. Place the dough into an oiled bowl, cover and leave it to rise, for 1 hour, or until doubled in size.
• Make the curd. Put the lemon juice and zest, sugar and butter into a heatproof bowl. Sit the bowl over a pan of gently simmering water, making sure the water is not touching the bottom of the bowl. Stir the mixture every now and again until all the butter has melted.
• Lightly whisk the egg and egg yolk together in a bowl and then stir them into the lemon mixture. Whisk until all the ingredients are well combined, then leave the mixture to cook for 8-10 minutes, stirring every now and again, until the mixture is creamy and thick enough to coat the back of a spoon. Remove the lemon curd from the heat and leave it to cool, then chill it until set.
• Tip out the dough onto a lightly floured work surface and roll it out into a rectangle measuring about 30 x 40cm with a short end closest you. Tack down this end by pressing it down onto the work surface with your thumb.
• Spread the lemon curd over the dough and sprinkle it with the sultanas. Starting at the short end furthest away from you, roll the rough towards you quite tightly until the roll is complete. Using a sharp knife, cut the dough roll into 12 thick rounds.
• Arrange the bun on the prepared baking sheets, spacing them well apart. Place each baking sheet into a proving bag and leave the buns to rise for 45 minutes, until doubled in size.
• Heat the oven to 200°C/180°C fan/400°F/Gas 6. Brush the buns with a little egg wash. Bake the buns for 10 minutes, then reduce the oven to 180°C/160°C fan/350°F/Gas 4 and cook them for a further 10 minutes, until golden brown. Remove the buns from the oven, leave them to cool slightly then transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely.
• Make the decoration. Mix together the icing sugar, lemon zest and about 2 tablespoons of water to make a stiff, but pourable icing. Dip the buns in the icing, then allow any excess to drip off. Top with half a glacé cherry and leave to set before serving.