Blackcurrant Twist Buns

Name: Blackcurrant Twist Buns
Prep time: 120 min
Cook time: 16 min
Total time: 136 min
Ingredients: 1 cup milk; ¼ cup salted butter; 4 cup flour; 1 packet yeast (0.25 oz); ⅓ cup granulated sugar; ¼ cup cool water; 1 large egg; 1½ cup blackcurrant (fresh or frozen (defrosted)); 1 lemon (juiced); ¼ cup granulated sugar; 1 tbsp cornstarch; 1 tbsp water; 2 tbsp unsalted butter (melted); ¼ cup granulated sugar; ¼ cup brown sugar; 1 tbsp cinnamon; 1 egg; 2 tbsp water; ¼ cup turbinado sugar

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So, without further ado… what are these cute little buns you see here? I figured since we can’t do too much traveling right now, why not travel via your kitchen? This recipe is a fun take on cinnamon rolls, with a twist (literally! Sorry, had to add that pun in) that come from Norway. They’re a take on Kanelsnurrer, and are usually made with cinnamon and sugar. I was able to get my hands on some fresh blackcurrant, so of course I had to add that in too! These come out pillowy on the inside, crisp on the outside – and not too sweet, a little tang from the blackcurrant (which you can totally sub with blackberries or blueberries – just remember this will make it a bit sweeter), and make a perfect weekend breakfast or light dessert pastry.

What You’ll Need . . .

for the Dough:

milk (I used 2%, you can use that or whole if you prefer)

salted butter

flour (you may need extra for sticky dough)

1 package yeast (.25 oz)

granulated sugar

water

egg

Blackcurrant Jam + filling:

blackcurrant, fresh or frozen (can replace with blueberries or blackberries)

juice of 1 lemon

granulated sugar

1 tbsp cornstarch

1 tbsp room temperature water

granulated sugar

brown sugar

cinnamon

unsalted butter

egg+2 tbsp water for eggwash

turbinado sugar for sprinkling

Heat your milk in a saucepan until it just boils. Quickly turn it off and remove from heat. Add in the butter. Mix until melted in. Let cool while you prepare the other ingredients. In your stand mixer, mix together the flour yeast and sugar. Next add in the milk/butter, water, and egg. Keep mixing for a couple minutes, even though it is pretty sticky. Next you will switch to your dough hook. Continue to knead the dough for 5-10 minutes, until it is not sticky to the touch any longer. If it is still pretty sticky, you can add 1/2 tbsp of flour at a time. Leave the dough in the bowl of your stand mixer and cover with plastic wrap. Let the dough rise for one hour. While it is rising, make your filling.

To make your filling, first, mix together the 1/4 cup of each each sugar and 1 tbsp cinnamon and set aside. Next, in a saucepan, combine your blackcurrant, remaining sugar, and lemon juice. Cook on medium heat until it begins to thicken. Some of the blackcurrants will pop, and you will start to get a beautiful reddish-purple color. In a glass, mix together your water and cornstarch, and then add this to your saucepan. Mix together another few minutes while it thickens, then remove from heat and let cool.

Now roll out your dough on a floured surface – I used my counter, as it is pretty large, – a rectangle of about 1.5 feet in size. Melt your butter, and then spread it over the whole dough – do not leave any areas without butter. Next, sprinkle the cinnamon sugar mixture throughout. Lastly, spread your blackcurrant jam over the whole dough surface. Do not worry if it is uneven. The next step is to fold the long side of your rectangle opposite from you, towards yourself, lengthwise, to the middle of the dough. Now take the long side closest to you and fold over all the way to the end of the other long side. Carefully use your rolling pin to flatten this 3 layer dough a bit and spread it out. Some of the jam may start to come out, but that is okay – stick it back together and try as best you can to get the largest rectangle you can. It will be about 1.5 ft in length, but now only about 6-8 inches in width. Slice the dough on the long side (so you get more slices, into short 1- 1.5 inch wide strips. I was able to get 14 wide-ish strips. If you want smaller rolls, just cut thinner strips.

Take one strip, and hold on either end, stretch it out a bit, then twist. You should get a pretty pattern with the purplish jam. Then twist together into a knot and place on a parchment paper lined baking sheet. Repeat for all knots. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise another 15-20 minutes. Preheat oven to 375F. Next mix the egg and water together and brush over all exposed areas of knots. Sprinkle with turbinado sugar. Bake for 16 minutes total, turning pans in oven at 8 minutes. Remove and let cool on cooling rack for 15-20 minutes. Enjoy!

Notes:

if you use blueberries or blackberries instead of blackcurrant, make sure to crush them a bit while cooking down the jam, as they are bigger and would be difficult to spread on the dough whole.
The Blackcurrant jam is a beautiful bright color – that will stain easily – so please be careful, and clean your counters and light colored things right away.
You can totally make this without the jam as well if you would like to leave out that step and make this with cinnamon sugar only.
Mine keep well covered on the counter for a couple days (and are usually all gone by then!). They are best warm – so you can reheat them in the oven at 350F for a few minutes before serving if you do not eat the same day.

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