As summer arrives, wild blueberries come into season. And that can only mean one thing: perfectly soft blueberry buns filled to the brim with fresh fruits, topped with a crunchy crumble! These delicious sweet buns are now available in every trendy café, and what's more, most of them are competing in terms of size, amount of filling, and quantity of crumble. Which I don’t mind at all – it means there's plenty to choose from. :) So, what do you say to baking these seasonal beauties at home? Baking brings me great joy, so I don't need much convincing. Here’s the recipe for the best blueberry buns.
Contrary to what you might think, blueberry buns are super easy to make. All you need are blueberries and a few basic ingredients that you probably already have at home. However, the yeast dough does require some time to rise, so set aside a free evening.
Can I make blueberry buns with frozen blueberries?
Yes! Blueberry buns can successfully be made using frozen blueberries. This is great news because it means we can enjoy them all year round. I’ve baked both versions and found no difference in taste.
I didn’t defrost the berries, instead, I added a teaspoon of potato starch to them and allowed the prepared buns to rise a bit longer before baking. They didn’t rise as nicely as those made with fresh berries (the frozen berries cooled the dough), but they quickly caught up during baking in the oven. Once baked, they looked identical. So don’t worry if you can’t get fresh blueberries, frozen ones are available in most large stores.
How to keep blueberry buns from being dry?
- Knead the dough until it is smooth and elastic. It should be quite loose and sticky. If necessary, you can add a little flour but do so sparingly.
- Add plenty of fruit. The right amount of blueberries in each bun will ensure they are moist inside.
- Allow enough time for the dough to rise. Well-risen dough will be fluffier and softer. Ideally, it should double in size.
- Do not bake the blueberry buns for too long. Check them after 15 minutes, and if they are too pale, continue baking, checking every few minutes. The buns should be lightly browned on top, and the crumble should be crispy.
How about some more ideas for tried-and-tested summer bakes?
- Lemon courgette cake | Wholemeal
- Rhubarb & custard tart
- Easy cake with plums and crumble
- Chocolate courgette cake | Easy recipe
Wild blueberry buns with crumble
Ingredients
Yeast dough
- 400 g wheat flour
- 2 eggs
- 60 g butter
- 60 g sugar
- 150 ml milk
- 20 g fresh yeast
- salt to taste
Crumble
- 100 g wheat flour
- 70 g butter
- 60 g sugar
Additional
- 450 g wild blueberries
- 2 tbsp sugar
- 1 egg for brushing
Instructions
- Prepare the yeast starter. To the warm (make sure it’s not hot) milk, add 1 tbsp of plain flour, 1 tbsp of sugar, and the yeast. Mix thoroughly and set aside for 20 minutes in a warm place.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, add the plain flour, sugar, eggs, a pinch of salt, and the prepared yeast starter. Stir briefly with a spoon. After a moment, add the melted butter (make sure it’s not hot). Using the dough hook attachment, knead until the dough is smooth and elastic. It should be quite loose and may stick to your hands. It will firm up slightly after rising.
- Place the kneaded dough into a large bowl dusted with flour. Set aside to rise for about 1.5 hours.
- In the meantime, prepare the crumble topping. In a bowl, combine the flour, cold butter cut into pieces, and sugar. Mix with your hands until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs.
- Thoroughly wash and dry the blueberries. Mix them with the sugar and set aside.
- Preheat the oven to 180°C.
- Place the risen dough on a floured surface and knead briefly (dust your hands with flour to prevent sticking). Then, divide the dough into 10 equal parts.
- From each part, form a flat disc with your fingers. Place a portion of blueberries in the centre of each disc, then pinch the edges of the dough together to seal. Gently shape the filled dough into a bun with your hands.
- Place the prepared buns on a baking tray lined with parchment paper. Brush each bun with the beaten egg and sprinkle with the crumble topping. Set aside to rise again for about 20 minutes.
- Bake the risen buns for about 17-20 minutes. Check after 15 minutes, if they are too pale, continue baking, checking every few minutes. The buns should be lightly browned on top, and the crumble should be crispy. Enjoy!
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