Sweet Breakfast Buns

It’s my favorite time again: recipe testing time for a new How to Bake Breads class! Since the pandemic, home cooks have really taken to learning how to make their own bread at home. We offer two different styles of breads classes at The Chopping Block in order for you to get a better understanding of the art of making bread.

One class is called simply How to Bake Bread. It is a shorter format class that focuses on everyday types of doughs that are straight forward in execution in order to get the student comfortable with all the techniques involved with making simple breads.

The other is a longer format six hour Artisanal Breads Boot Camp. In this type of class, the chef instructor goes through many different types of doughs, shaping, how to use a starter, and all the nuances of bread baking. We try and switch up the classes seasonally when possible in order for guests to keep coming back to learn new breads.

We just wrapped up working on a new Spring breads class that will be available in April. I always like to have at least one sweet dough on the menu for variation. I am replacing the popular Cinnamon Rolls in our previous class for these Cream Cheese and Jam-Filled Breakfast Buns. The flavors remind me of Danishes but typical Danish dough is laminated. This is more of an enriched sweet bread that is shaped and filled before baking. I adapted this recipe from a Food and Wine recipe I stumbled upon and made some changes to fit into our class format.

Vanilla Cream Cheese and Jam-Filled Breakfast Buns

Yield: 12 buns

Prep time: 25 minutes

Bake time: 20 minutes

Inactive time: 2 hours

Total time: 2 hours, 45 minutes

For the dough:

3 cups all-purpose flour

1/3 cup granulated sugar 

1 tablespoon active dry yeast

1 cup whole milk, 110° to 115°

1 stick unsalted butter, melted

3 egg yolks

1 teaspoon salt

For the cream cheese filling:

8 ounces cream cheese, room temperature

2 tablespoons powdered sugar

1 egg yolk

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

For the streusel topping:

2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

2 tablespoons granulated sugar 

1 tablespoon unsalted butter, melted

Pinch of salt

For the egg wash:

1 large egg yolk

1 tablespoon whole milk

3/4 cup your favorite jam

1. In a large bowl, measure together 1 cup of flour, the sugar and yeast. Whisk to combine.

2. Add the warm milk and whisk until combined. Allow to sit until the surface becomes bubbly, about 5 minutes.

3. In a separate bowl, whisk together the melted butter, egg yolks and salt.

4. Using a wooden spoon, stir the butter-yolk mixture into the yeast-milk mixture. Add the remaining 2 cups of flour, 1 cup at a time. Stir until you have a shaggy dough.

5. Transfer the shaggy dough to your work surface, and knead until smooth and elastic, 5 to 6 minutes. The dough should be quite tacky, but it it’s too sticky, sprinkle with a small amount of flour.

6. Spray a large bowl with pan spray, and place the kneaded dough in the bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and allow to proof until doubled in size, 1 to 1 1/2 hours.

7. While the dough is proofing, prepare the streusel. In a small bowl, mix together the flour, sugar, butter and salt until crumbly. Set aside.

8. To prepare the cream cheese filling, measure together the cream cheese, powdered sugar, egg yolk and vanilla extract in a large bowl. Using an electric mixer, beat until smooth, about 1 minute. Transfer to a piping bag.

9. Once the dough has doubled in size, gently punch it down and divide into 12 equal portions.

10. Roll the portions into balls, and place on a parchment-lined sheet tray. Lightly spray the tops with pan spray and cover with plastic wrap. Allow to rise until doubled in size, 30 to 45 minutes.

11. Preheat the oven to 375°.

12. Using your fingertips. Form 2-inch-wide wells in the middle of each dough ball. Using a fork, dock the bottom of the well 2 to 3 times.

13. To prepare the egg wash, whisk together the egg yolk and milk in a small bowl.

14. Brush the outer edges and sides of the dough with the egg wash.

15. Pipe about 1 tablespoon of the cream cheese filling into each well.

16. Using a small spoon, make a smaller well in the center of the cream cheese and top with your favorite jam.

17. Restir the streusel topping to create fine crumbs.

18. Sprinkle the tops with the streusel.

19. Bake until the buns are a light golden brown, about 20 minutes.

20. Allow to cool before enjoying.

This recipe may seem like it has a lot of components, but they really come together very easily. You can use any premade or store bought jams or preserves or even keep it simple and have a sweetened cheese breakfast bun. This is the perfect complement to your cup of tea. I found out after testing that this is a very common pastry in eastern Europe and it’s called Kolache.

If bread baking is your cup of tea, don't miss this new How to Bake Bread class on Saturday, April 12 at 11am which features these delicious buns plus:

• Focaccia with Basil Pesto
• Carrot-Rosemary Braided Whole Wheat Loaves