Dutch Currant Buns

I have no idea whether it is the Great British Bake off or our visit to Rotterdam this spring, but something had got me all Danish which is why I made these Dutch currant buns.

Going Dutch

A few months ago I made Dutch apple cake (yet to be added to the blog!) and I have since been feeling all inspired.  Not only because our new favourite Friday meal is vegan Kapsalon!  If I had my way (right now, anyway) I’d be moving me, Jit, the six furries and the fish over to Rotterdam and learning Dutch while riding my sit up and beg bike!  I can dream anyway!

For now though, I’ll stick to making Dutch classics.

For some reason, when I’m feeling a bit run down I like to bake.  (not when I’m so run down and snotty that I would fill things with germs, but when my energy is low – just to clarify!  Otherwise it would be a Dutch currant bun with snot and sneeze… TMI?)

Anyway, I find that it keeps me distracted and something else to focus on which boosts my mood and helps me lift my energy with a purpose.  I guess baking is like my version of self-care. I get to make it and usually watch other people enjoy it.  Not this time, though.  I had some all to myself to enjoy and I’ll definitely be making them again.

Not a quick bake

These are certainly not the quick kind of baking as they go through a double rise taking an hour each time – but they are certainly worth the wait and the effort as you’ll be rewarded by the most glorious smell while they cook and a delicious snack too.  (ah ha!  My need to make these has come from walking past the industrial bakers down the road near our home – the smell sometimes even wafts up to our house!  So tempting!)

Did you know that the Dutch may even have some Gouda with their currant buns?  Something I’ll be trying soon I think as one of our hiking snacks.

Dutch Currant Buns

Ingredients:

500 g strong white bread flour

75 g sugar

7 g fast acting yeast

50 g softened margarine (not melted!)

1 free-range egg, beaten

250 ml soya milk (or milk of your choosing), warmed

125 g currants

1/4 tsp ground cinnamon

Method:

In a large bowl mix together the flour, sugar, yeast, cinnamon and margarine, then add the egg and mix through

Warm the milk to a warm but not hot temperature – enough for your finger to be warmed but not burn

Slowly add the milk to the mixture and stir to combine

Once all the milk is combined, add the currants and mix through

Tip the dough onto a floured surface and knead for about 8 minutes, making sure to add the wayward currants back into the dough

Lightly oil a large bowl and place the dough into it (rubbing the dough ball with oil too) and place in a warm place to rise for about an hour (or until doubled in size)

After the hour, remove the dough and cut into 12 even(ish) pieces and roll in your hands to form balls

Place on a grease proof baking tray with enough room between to allow for them to spread in the next rise

Cover and place in a warm place to rise for a further hour

Heat the oven to 200 C

Bake on the middle shelf for 20-25 minutes until nicely golden and cooked through

If they start to brown too quickly, cover them with foil and return for the remaining time

I think the other thing that excited me about making these is that I discovered that my oven as a rise setting on it!  So all those times I watched the Great British Bake Off in envy of the proving drawers, I had one all along.  These new ovens really are worth their weight in gold  price tag.

These are so good that I took a box of them down for my parents on my visit this week and even though we were full from lunch out at a garden centre, we still managed to get some Dutch currant bun into us with our afternoon tea.  Just a smearing of marg’ and you’re sorted with your brew.

It might not be a recipe that you run up regularly, but the satisfaction you get from baking, kneading and rising is amazing – especially when you get to eat the produce too.  To be honest, it is worth it just for the smell in the house!

So if you have some free time this weekend, I’d say get your bake on and make some of these.  It doesn’t have to be Easter to make currant buns because these are Dutch currant buns and can be eaten any time!

I can’t think of any way better than spending a rainy day snuggled at home with a film on and some baking on the go – well, other than a bit of hiking afterwards too!

Here’s to getting your bake on and going Dutch.

How do you like your currant buns?  With marg’, butter or icing?  Plain?  Maybe with Gouda like the Dutch do sometimes?

Share in the comments below!