Finger Buns

Finger buns take me right back to my childhood.  Once a week, my mum would take us to the "confectioners" as she called it.  It was actually a bakery, and the best in town.  She would let us choose a treat from the windows filled with vanilla slices, jam doughnuts, biscuits, scones, apple turnovers, Lamingtons, New Yorkers and, of course, finger buns.  No prizes for guessing which was my choice.  

Finger Buns

slightly adapted from here

Makes 12

For the Dough:

500g bakers flour

50g caster sugar

40g unsalted butter, at room temperature

2 eggs

2 x 7g sachets of dried yeast

2 teaspoons fine sea salt

150ml lukewarm full cream milk

140ml water

For the Icing:

200g icing sugar

5 teaspoons cold water

For the Filling:

200ml whipping cream, whipped to firm peaks

100g jam (I used homemade raspberry jam)

Make the Dough:

Put all the dough ingredients into the bowl of an electric mixer and mix on low for about 10 minutes. Once the dough is smooth and elastic, cover the bowl with plastic wrap and set aside in a warm spot for about an hour, until doubled in bulk.

Preheat the oven to 220C.  Grease a large baking tray and set it aside.

Divide the dough into 12 x approx 70g - 85g pieces, roll into balls and shape them into fingers about 13cm long. Place them onto the prepared baking tray, leaving some room between for them to double in size and set aside for about 40 minutes.  They should just touch each other when risen.  Bake for 10 minutes and then remove them to a wire rack to cool.

Ice the Buns:

Pour the icing sugar and the water into a bowl and stir until smooth.  Dip the top of the buns into the icing and smooth with your finger.  Put them back on the wire rack to set for a few minutes.

Fill the Buns:

Slice the buns horizontally, leaving one long edge intact.  Pipe in the cream and then pipe in a line of jam.