Sweet Cherry Buns

 

Cold, rainy months here in Vancouver provide an endless excuse to look forward to afternoon chai time with my family. This special time of day spent together is made better, typically on the weekends, when it feels like the day is elongated, and chai time becomes its own simple but elaborate meal, full with sweets and crispy, moreish snacks.

While this part of day has always been dear to me, it has become more so now as I have spent the last several months tapping into recipes that overflow with nostalgia and most certainly whisk me away to my childhood here, and to memories — whether real or imagined — of home, in India.

 

 

One very humble snack that is associated with chai time for my family, and I’m sure many others, is sweet Indian buns. For mom, her ultimate are sweet cherry buns — soft clouds filled with bits of red and green candied (or glacé) cherries; in India this is called tutti frutti and can be comprised of other fruits. So, of course I’ve heard ‘sweet cherry buns’ a bunch in our home, and it most definitely has been requested a bunch, too. As we can’t always find *just the right* ones here, I took up the task of making them during the first lockdown in the spring of 2020. That version was delicious and I definitely made it a few times over, but I always felt it could be tweaked.

 

 

One of my aims for this recipe was that I wanted it to be eggless, as any simple and widespread food in India would be due to dietary restrictions for many — vegetarian for Indians will often mean no eggs. However, I so badly wanted for it to be rich and doughy the way a brioche would be. And thus, I present my Sweet Cherry Buns, so perfect in texture from the luscious butter and milk. This is, essentially, my version of an eggless, sweet enriched dough. And I am, no doubt, already looking forward to other variations for eggless brioche burger buns, and smaller pavs to scoop up buttery bhaji. But sticking to this one for now, I would suggest adding some orange zest along with the cherries, because of the added flavour it brings. The candied cherries I used had mixed peel already in it, so it was perfect. Also, the sweetness in this recipe is adjustable. You may use 100mLs of white sugar for a decent level of sweetness, which I quite like. But mom prefers it sweeter as that is more reminiscent of her childhood, and so you can add about a total of half a cup. Lastly, these Sweet Cherry Buns are great served warm on their own, but even better served with fresh salted butter that has had some (heavy) cream whipped into it for an added lusciousness. The smearing of butter is essential in Mumbai’s Irani cafés for their famous bun maska — how badly I wish to experience this in person, you have no idea. And, of course, be sure to dip in some piping hot masala chai. Enjoy this delicious afternoon!

 

 

Sweet Cherry Buns

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup whole milk, warm
• 1/2 cup water, warm
• 1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted
• 100 mL white sugar, or up to about 125 mL (1/2 cup) for a sweeter bun
• 2 TSP instant yeast
• 2 1/2 to 3 cups of all-purpose flour, as needed, plus more for dusting
• 1/2 TSP and a pinch more of salt
• 1/2 cup of candied (glacé) cherries/mixed fruits (aka tutti frutti), finely chopped
• Milk, for brushing on top
• Melted butter, for brushing on top

Directions:

• In a small bowl, mix the warm milk and water, melted butter, sugar and yeast. Let sit until foamy.
• In a large bowl (or stand mixer with a dough hook), mix the salt and 2 1/2 cups of flour to begin with.
• Add the wet mixture to the flour and knead for about 6 minutes until everything comes together nicely and you have a soft dough. If doing by hand, use the stretch and tear method to develop the gluten (it will be messy but trust the process). Add more flour as needed throughout so that you are left with a dough that is just slightly sticky yet workable. I used about 3 cups of flour in total.
• Add your chopped candied fruit (tutti frutti) of choice and knead until well-incorporated.
• Cover with a thin, damp cloth and let rest in a warm place until doubled in size. I found that in the oven with the light on for about an hour did the trick.
• Once doubled in size, punch down slightly and transfer to a lightly-floured work surface. Make into a ball, then divide into 8 equal pieces.
• With your hands cupping one piece at a time, shape each into a ball, tightening it a bit through circular motions so that it retains shape while proving once more and baking.
• Place all dough balls on a parchment-lined baking tray (I put 4 each on 2 trays for good measure). Cover with a thin, damp cloth and let proof in a warm spot until doubled again, about 30 minutes.
• Preheat oven to 350° F. Brush the tops of the buns generously with milk, and bake for 20-25 minutes until deeply golden brown.
• Once out of the oven, brush each bun with melted butter for a shiny finish.
• Eat warm, served with butter (salted and whipped with some added cream if you like) and piping hot masala chai, of course!