Scottish Cream Buns are a lovely treat (think a lighter version of brioche) filled with clouds of unsweetened whipped cream. Perfect for afternoon tea or dessert!Adapted from Christina's Cucina
1/3cupbutterunsalted, melted, see Recipe Notes (2-2/3 oz, 75g)
1large eggslightly beaten
4cupsall-purpose flourplus more as needed to get desired consistency (17 oz, 480g)
1/3cupgranulated sugar(2-1/3 oz, 66g)
1tspkosher salt
For Simple Syrup Glaze
½cupgranulated sugar(3½ oz, 100g)
½cupwater
Topping and Filling
powdered sugar
whipped creamunsweetened
Instructions
Make the dough: In the bowl of a stand mixer, place the lukewarm water, yeast and 1/2 tsp of sugar. Allow the yeast to rest for a few minutes, until it begins to foam (called “proofing the yeast”).
In a 2-cup measuring cup, whisk the milk, melted butter and the beaten egg together. Add to the yeast mixture.
In a medium bowl, whisk the flour, 1/3 cup (2½ oz, 66g) sugar and salt together. Add to the milk mixture.
Combine and knead the dough with the mixer fitted with a dough hook until it’s smooth and slightly sticky. Roll the dough into a ball, then place in a covered bowl and let rise on the counter (or in a cool oven with the light turned on) until doubled in size, about 90 minutes.
Shape the dough: After the dough has risen, punch it down and let it rest for 5 minutes on a lightly floured surface.
Divide the dough into 12 or 18 pieces (see Recipe Notes), either by eyeballing it or by weighing the dough and dividing by 12 or 18 (my preferred method, but I’m a sucker for precision). Shape each piece into a round ball, and place onto a half sheet baking pan lined with a Silpat or parchment paper.
Place the baking sheet in the oven (don’t turn it on yet) to rise for about 30 minutes, or until doubled in size. You can put a large cup of boiling water in the oven to keep the buns from developing a hard crust. Once doubled, remove the buns from the oven and preheat it to 350ºF (175ºC).
Bake the buns: Bake for approximately 20 minutes, or until golden brown.
Meanwhile, prepare the simple syrup glaze by combining equal amounts of sugar and water in a small saucepan and cook just until it starts to boil and the sugar is dissolved. Remove from heat. (see Recipe Notes)
Remove the buns from the oven and brush them with the glaze while they are still hot. Place on a rack to cool completely.
When cool, cut bun almost all the way through at an angle, fill with unsweetened whipped cream and dust with confectioner's sugar.
Serve and enjoy!
Notes
I used 1% milk, but you can use whatever you have on hand.Weigh the butter before melting it.Instead of a stand mixture, you can make the dough using a bread machine set to the “dough” cycle, or just combine the dough in a large bowl, then knead by hand on a lightly floured surface.The original recipe didn’t say how large the buns were...the yield said 18, but only 12 were pictured. I decided to make mine larger, so I separated the dough into 12 (~75g) balls. For smaller buns, you can divide the dough into 18 (~50g) balls.The buns freeze well in an airtight plastic bag…defrost them on the counter for a bit (maybe an hour, or in the microwave for about a minute if you’re in a hurry). You can re-glaze them if you'd like, then split, fill, and serve.Did you make this recipe? Please share your pictures with the world on your social media…tag @outlandercast (on Instagram and Twitter) and use the hashtag #howtheymadeitoutlander. I can’t wait to see your creations!You'll be making more simple syrup than you need. It can be refrigerated and used to sweeten tea, cocktails, or to glaze more Scottish Cream Buns!