There’s no getting away from it, Sticky Simnel buns are very sticky, sticky buns!
Made from an enriched dough, they’re extra festive, especially with the addition of marzipan and a white chocolate ganache icing.
Sweet dough buns have been around for centuries, from the hot cross bun of the Middle Ages to the fashionable 18th century Chelsea bun. In most countries, the sweet, yeasted dough bun is associated with seasonal celebrations.
Dairy-free (so I can enjoy them too) they’re perfect for Mother’s Day, Easter or any time you fancy something a little stickily different to tear ‘n’ share.
A dairy free ganache can be a bit of a challenge, because the mixture does not combine easily, but with a little patience and a little more blending you’ll get there.
So this is a tricky sticky bun – but well worth the extra effort.
You can use a dairy free cream or coconut cream to make the ganache, but as we only had Alpro Greek Style yoghurt, we tried that. It worked well, and we liked the slightly acidic tang.
Simnel buns
Ingredients
- 50 g dairyfree butter Vegan Flora is our preference
- 200 mls dairyfree milk We used almond milk
- 500 g strong bread flour
- 7 g dried yeast
- 50 g caster sugar
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 egg beaten
For the filling
- 50 g vegan butter, softened
- 454 g marzipan
- 200 g sultanas
- 100 g caster or light brown sugar
- 100 g chopped glacé cherries
For the icing
- 200 g vegan white chocolate
- 100 g vegan yoghurt or non-dairy cream we choose Alpro Greek style
- 12 whole glacé cherries for decoration
- toasted almonds for decoration
Instructions
- Melt the butter in a small pan then remove from the heat
- Add the milk and leave to stand
- Combine the flour, yeast, sugar and salt in a bowl
- Make a well in the middle of the dry ingredients and slowly add the beaten egg and the milk and butter mixture and combine well to make a soft dough
- Knead the dough for about 10 minutes, cover and leave until doubled in size – about 2 hours
- Roll out the marzipan to a rectangle approximately 32 cm x 45 cm
- Knock back the dough then roll it out to a large rectangle – 34 cm x 48 cm
- Spread the dough with the butter, leaving a margin clear along the long edge
- Mix the sugar, sultanas and chopped cherries together and scatter evenly over the dough
- Lay the marzipan over the fruit-covered dough, pressing down lightly.
- Dampen the long border and the marzipan with a little water then roll up like a swiss roll, pinch the seams closed and trim the ends.
- Divide into 12 slices
- Grease and line a 20 cm x 30 cm baking tray and add the buns, leaving about 1 cm gap between each
- Cover and leave to prove in a warm place for around 45 minutes
- Pre heat the oven to 180 deg C/gas mark 4
- Bake the buns for about 25 minutes
For the icing
- Melt the vegan white chocolate and yoghurt in a bowl over a small saucepan of water or double boiler, making sure the bowl does not touch the water, stir well as the chocolate melts.
- When the mixture is well blended, remove from the heat and pour over the buns while they are still warm.
- Add cherries and almonds as decoration.
- Can be eaten warm straight from the oven or left to cool.
Other recipes you may like
• Simnel cake
• Hot cross buns
• Eton Mess cake