Baking bread (or buns) may seem a little intimidating with kneading and proofing, but it doesn’t have to be! These Baking Therapy lemon poppy seed buns come together really easily — in less than two hours. They’re soft, fluffy and filled with a sweet coconut filling. Similar to making cinnamon rolls, but the dough is knotted, so you get lemon, poppy seed and coconut in every single bite. Yum yum!
Like Sabrina’s lemon poppy seed coconut buns? Try her key lime pie cupcakes or her Vietnamese coffee cake.
ingredients
Lemon Poppy Seed Buns
Coconut Filling
Egg Wash
Lemon Glaze
directions
In the bowl of a stand mixer, add the flour, sugar, instant yeast, salt, poppy seeds and lemon zest. Whisk to combine. Add the warm milk, butter, egg and give it a quick mix with a fork to get the dough going. Attach the dough hook and mix for about 5 minutes until the dough is smooth and elastic. Transfer to a clean, large bowl, cover with plastic wrap and set aside to proof for 35-45 minutes, until doubled in size.
Prepare the filling: in a bowl, mix together the coconut, cornstarch, sugar, salt, lemon juice, egg yolk and vanilla. Mix to combine and set aside.
Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
Related: Healthy Baking Recipes for When You’re Bored at Home
Transfer the dough to a lightly floured surface. Roll the dough into a rectangle, about 16 x 14 inches. Spread the filling evenly over top. Fold the dough over onto itself, you should have roughly 8 x 14-inch rectangle. With the folded edge closest to you, cut the dough into 8 equal portions, using a knife, pizza or pastry cutter. Grab one strip of dough, hold the ends and twist them in opposite directions.
Then, tie the strips into a knot. Place the knotted buns 2-inches apart on baking sheets.
Cover with plastic and let rise for 20-30 minutes until doubled in size. Preheat oven to 350°F.
Whisk 1 egg and brush the tops of the buns. Bake for 20-25 minutes until golden brown. Remove from the oven and transfer to a wire rack to cool.
Prepare the glaze: whisk together the icing sugar, lemon juice, vanilla and lemon zest. Drizzle over top and enjoy!
