Buns by Louise Hurst: Part 1
Cook the Books - Issue #7
sweet and simple bakes
To me, nothing captures the quintessence of baking more than a freshly baked bun. Whatever their shape, texture or flavour (and there are many!), they all promise the same thing - comfort. A balm for the soul.
Buns: Sweet and Simple Bakes by
is a collection of beautiful recipes that showcase how a handful of everyday ingredients can be coaxed into something ‘truly delicious’.With just flour, yeast, sugar and butter, you’ll be creating glossy knots, sugar crusted spirals and golden rolls in no time - all of which seem almost too pretty to tear apart. Almost.
One of the first things you’ll notice about this book is the photography - each image is as mouth-wateringly stunning as the next. Flicking through, you might expect the recipes behind them to be complex, but they’re relatively straightforward and wonderfully written.
The book is split into essentially two parts: Dough and Buns. The Dough section walks you through how to make the foundations: a basic enriched dough, Tangzhong method dough and then their vegan counterparts. The Buns section is the main collection of recipes that put those doughs to delicious use.
Louise writes that this is a book for both the seasoned baker and the curious beginner, and I couldn’t agree with this more. Follow the recipe, trust the process and don’t rush (more on that later…).
Credits
Photographer: kimlightbody_photo
Food stylist: tamara_vos / georgiasrudd
Prop stylist: wilko_anna
Design: emilylapworth
Art director: clairehrochford
Publisher: quadrillebooks
Here’s how Cook the Books works: I’ll be baking a handful of recipes, split across two posts. I make the recipes, shoot some (hopefully) aesthetic photos, and share my thoughts on how they turned out.
Right, let’s get started shall we!
American-Style Cinnamon Rolls (p.47)
These are the sort of rolls that make you grin the moment they come out of the oven - squidgy, warm and sticky with spice. The first bite is all soft dough and sweet cinnamon sugar and silky cream-cheese frosting… the kind that elicits an involuntary mmmmmm. Because they’re just so bloody good!
They’re made with the basic enriched dough, which I found surprisingly easy to bring together. Soft, supple and forgiving, it felt like the perfect entry point into the book’s doughs. Rolling it out, lathering on the cinnamon sugar-laced butter, then slicing into pudgy little spirals was deeply satisfying.
Once baked, I then slathered the buns with an obscene amount of sweetened cream cheese frosting, which transformed them into something else entirely. (As if they weren’t indulgent enough!)
Proof, if any were needed, of just how irresistible these rolls are - and if the rest of the bakes are anywhere near this good, I might just end up making every single bun in the book.
Blackberry Oat Crumble (p.54)
This was the one recipe I spotted and knew instantly I had to try. I’ve seen endless versions of it floating around bakeries and social media. They always look rustic, beautiful and homely. To me, the humble blackberry oat crumble bun is a quintessential bakery item, the kind I’ve long admired but never attempted.
So, imagine me giddy-clapping around the kitchen with glee when mine came out of the oven looking every bit as good! I can’t lie… I am so so chuffed with them. They’re easily one of my favourite things I’ve baked, and I’m beyond pleased with how the photos turned out too.
These buns are made using the Tangzhong method dough, which starts with stirring flour and milk together until, in the space of just a few seconds it seems, it transforms from seemingly nothing into a thick paste. It’s such a simple addition to the process, but it completely changes the dough - making it so soft and pillowy.
The buns themselves are a joy - buttery crumble that actually stays tender rather than dry (which is my usual downfall with crumbles), a tangy compote using blackberries raided from the garden hedgerows and a luscious custard-like filling made with cream cheese and sour cream.
The balance of tart fruit, rich filling and pillowy dough was utter perfection.
Again, I couldn’t be more proud of how these turned out - both in taste and in the photos. They’re the kind of bake that makes you pause and think, ‘Did I really make that?’. Yes Mark, you did!
In all seriousness though, pulling off a bake I’ve admired from afar for so long feels like such a win. A real boost of confidence and a testament to just how great these recipes are.
Cardamom Buns (p.73)
Bake number three had to be the cardamom buns. This recipe is by far the most requested, and for good reason. They’re a Scandinavian classic known as kardemummabullar - and one I’d somehow never tried before.
They are made with the basic enriched dough, but the magic here is all in the spice: cardamom. These buns are warm, sweet and spicy - with a hint of floral and also… mint? I don’t think cardamom itself knows what it wants to taste like, but whatever it is, I’m completely sold.
It’s the flavour that epitomises Scandinavian baking, and working with it has me dreaming up all the ways I want to bake with it.
I didn’t have a spice grinder, so I took the more old-fashioned route and crushed the seeds by hand with a mortar and pestle. A little more time consuming, but the fragrance released was incredible.
This was actually my second attempt at making these buns. The first time around I was rushing and accidentally left the dough proofing in a patch of sunlight. Big mistake!
By the time I checked on them, the butter had all but melted out - forming a puddle under each bun. Lesson quickly learned.
I did still bake them and they did still taste delicious, if just a little flatter.
On my second try, everything came together beautifully. The dough held its shape and proofed nicely, the spirals twisted into charming, if not perfectly uniform, knots and the kitchen filled with the scent of sugar and spice.
Rustic and deliciously irresistible.
These buns felt like the very essence of comfort… hygge in a bun! Pulled fresh from the oven and eaten still warm, they were everything I’d hoped for and more.
And dare I say it - I think I may prefer these to cinnamon buns now?
Three bakes in and I already feel like I’ve kneaded, rolled and twisted my way into a whole new level of confidence with dough. Which was exactly what I wanted to glean from working my way through this book.
Next week, I’ll be baking a Praline & Double Espresso Bun (recommended by Louise herself) School Buns and… one more still to be decided. I’ve yet to choose that final bake - perhaps you could help me choose?
See you next time, friends
-Mark
Your photos and descriptions make for the best testimonial any author could wish for. Didn't know Louise's book before this post, but on the evidence of these bakes, it looks like a winner. (And that really is an obscene amount of cream cheese frosting!)
Oh I love these ones too :-) Your photos from the previous post made bake the Tuscan Grape Bread....:-) You are really inspiring with your journey :-)