Buttery Almond Stuffed Morning Buns
I wrote this post as part of the Plugrá Butter Brigade. Thanks, Plugrá, for sponsoring this post and for making my favorite butter!
Mike and I accidentally celebrated our 5-month wedding “anniversary” yesterday. You may wonder how it’s possible to accidentally celebrate an anniversary. Allow me to regale you with a tale of intrigue and fondue (okay, or incompetence and fondue.)
Mike and I have always been bad at anniversaries. It’s not because we don’t love each other or whatever. It’s just because dates and times and calendars and schedules are hard and stupid and I hate them. And apparently I’m a sullen 5-year-old about it. So there.
I have trouble knowing what day of the week or month it is at any given time (I’ve even surrendered the job of writing the date on the board in my classroom to my students’ more capable hands). So year after year while dating, we let our anniversary pass us by (and we had around 14 of those before getting married!)
When we got married, I was pretty sure this phenomenon of forgetting anniversaries would end. In fact, we were so honeymoonish and in love and gross that I was pretty sure we were going to start celebrating monthly anniversaries like those cloying couples on Facebook. YOU KNOW THE ONES.
Then we missed the first one. And the second. BUT I WAS BUSY. We were up to our ears in moving boxes! Whatever! It would happen.
Three months, four months. Every now and then I’d count up how long we’d been married and be shocked. Time goes so fast! Who has time to celebrate? We were still unpacking!
Another thing we were similarly lame about was using the awesome fondue set my parents had given us for our wedding. I kept promising Mike (who was for some reason really adorably excited about fondue?) we would set it up and have fondue when we were finally “settled in.” You know, SETTLED IN: boxes recycled, apartment assembled, some semblance of normalcy achieved. Only we never seemed to get there. Who can clean when you’re planning 3 entirely new English curricula plus two other preps and trying to keep up with Dance Moms?
Finally, winter break came and we were able to fully clean the apartment for the first time since we’d moved in. I was shocked my vacuum cleaner still worked. I hadn’t seen my feather duster in months. I found I’d grown kind of sentimental about the pile of unsorted mail towering on the bookshelf. Stop looking at me like that.
One night we were sitting in our newly cleaned living room and I realized I finally felt home. It was time to celebrate! Mike and I decided to have a New Year’s celebration with (drumroll) THE FONDUE SET. We couldn’t manage it on New Year’s Eve, though (midweek and all that), so we moved it to the weekend.
YOU KNOW, THE WEEKEND. JANUARY 4. OUR FIVE-MONTH ANNIVERSARY. And that’s the story of how, with no actual planning or intention, we managed to finally, accidentally celebrate our flippin’ anniversary. Now someone please set an alarm for August 4. And hire someone to clean my apartment. Thanks.
It was pretty snazzy accidental celebration if I do say so myself! The fondue was fancy-schmancy and delicious (we made a traditional Swiss fondue with Gruyère and Chardonnay). We watched the finale of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, because we’re nerds and we do that sort of thing. And for dessert, we had these incredible Buttery Almond Stuffed Morning Buns.
These buns are definitely a special occasion treat. They’re the best yeast rolls, soaked with butter (using my favorite Plugrá Butter), stuffed with an indulgent almond mixture, and drizzled with a sweet almond glaze. Basically, they’re insane. If you’re an almond croissant fan like me, you’ve gotta try them! Maybe it’ll accidentally be your anniversary? You never know . . .
One year ago: Boozy Icebox Cake
Two years ago: Healthy Roasted Tomato and Onion Bread Soup
Three years ago: Two Exquisite Tea Sandwiches
Four years ago: Pumpkin Cheesecake Bread Pudding
Buttery Almond Stuffed Morning Buns
Recipe by: Willow Bird Baking
Yield: 24 buns
If you love yeast rolls and almond croissants, you’re going to adore these incredible Buttery Almond Stuffed Morning Buns. The buttery texture and incredible almond flavor make these my new favorite breakfast item!
Roll Ingredients:
1/4 cup warm water (100-110 degrees F)
1 package (2 1/4 teaspoons) active dry yeast
2 tablespoons white vinegar
2 cups milk minus 2 tablespoons, room temperature
5 cups flour
3 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
2/3 cup cold shortening
2 tablespoons butter, melted, for after baking
Filling Ingredients:
1 pound butter, softened (I use Plugrá Butter)
1 1/4 cups granulated sugar
2 cups almond paste (this is about two 8-ounce cans)
1 teaspoon almond extract
2 eggs
dash of salt
1 1/2 cups sliced almonds, divided
Glaze Ingredients:
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1 tablespoon milk
1/8 teaspoon almond extract
Directions:
Note: I don’t recommend halving yeast recipes; instead, if you don’t want 24 rolls at once, consider freezing some for later. To freeze some of the unbaked rolls, just wrap them well before the second rise and freeze them. Once frozen, pop them out of the pan all together and store in the freezer, wrapped in plastic wrap and in a zip top bag or wrapped in foil. When you want to bake them, stick them back in a greased pan, thaw them in the fridge overnight, proof for the instructed amount of time, and bake like usual. I also love making a full dough recipe and using half to make savory buns (like these or these) and half to make sweet buns for dessert. If you do this, just half the filling recipes and roll out the dough half at a time.
Make the yeast dough: Mix the warm water and yeast in a medium bowl and let the yeast foam for about 10 minutes. Put 2 tablespoons white vinegar in a measuring cup and then add milk up to the 2 cup line. Set this aside. In a separate large bowl (or the bowl of a mixer fitted with a dough hook), whisk together flour, sugar, salt, baking soda, and baking powder and cut the shortening into the mixture with two knives or a pastry cutter until the shortening looks like small peas. Stir yeast mixture and milk mixture into the dry ingredients and mix well, kneading just a few turns. Transfer the dough to a bowl lightly sprayed with cooking spray, cover tightly with plastic wrap, and store in refrigerator overnight.
Make the filling: The next morning, in a large bowl, cream together softened butter and sugar until pale, fluffy, and smooth. Add in almond paste, dash of salt, and almond extract and mix until well combined — it’ll be a little lumpy, and that’s okay. Beat in egg.
Roll out the dough: Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F and lightly spray a 9 x 13-inch baking dish (or two smaller baking dishes) with cooking spray. Turn the chilled dough out onto a well-floured surface and roll it into a large rectangle about 1/8-inch thick (I carefully cut the dough in half and worked with half at a time to make it more manageable; if you do this, just spread on half of the filling ingredients for each half you roll). Spread the almond paste mixture gently and evenly all over the dough and sprinkle on about half of your sliced almonds. Gently roll the dough up into a spiral and cut it into rolls, placing them close together in your prepared baking dish (at this point, you could wrap and freeze the rolls for later if you wanted).
Proof the rolls, bake, and glaze: Cover the rolls with a clean dish cloth and let them rise in a warm spot (I set them on my oven’s heat vent) until they’ve nearly doubled, about 2 hours. Bake them for about 15-20 minutes or until browned on top (if you take them out at just lightly golden brown, they may still be doughy in the center). Brush with 2 tablespoons melted butter and return to the oven for 1 more minute. Whisk together ingredients for the glaze and drizzle it over the rolls. Sprinkle with remaining sliced almonds. Serve immediately.
Sarah Toasty
January 5, 2014 at 9:08 pm (11 years ago)Always keep up with Dance Moms!
These look wonderful, will have to try!
Mom
January 6, 2014 at 12:04 am (11 years ago)They look delicious!! I love anything almond!
Vickie
January 6, 2014 at 8:40 am (11 years ago)Good lord! It’s a shame the way work interferes with baking.
Katrina @ Warm Vanilla Sugar
January 6, 2014 at 9:58 am (11 years ago)I want these so bad!! They sound perfect!
Stephanie @ Girl Versus Dough
January 6, 2014 at 12:24 pm (11 years ago)We tend to go all out and get fancy on off-peak times, too, and then settle in for delivered pizza on our actual anniversary. We just don’t like being boxed into the specific dates! I think our next impromptu celebration calls for summa these buns.
barnchic
January 6, 2014 at 12:45 pm (11 years ago)These morning buns look absolutely wonderful . . . but neither my son nor my husband are great fans of almonds and almond paste. I was wondering how to, instead, make a raspberry jam filling. Would it be possible to simply substitute 2 Cups of raspberry jam instead of the almond paste? If I used 2 Cups raspberry jam, would I still need to combine that with 1# butter and 1 1/4 Cup sugar and 2 eggs?
Julie Ruble
January 6, 2014 at 12:50 pm (11 years ago)I would actually use a different recipe to sub in the jam. I would use this one: http://willowbirdbaking.com/2013/02/12/lemon-cheesecake-morning-buns/ and add jam (with fresh raspberries if you have them!) instead of or in addition to the lemon in the filling. Personally, I’d whip up the cheesecake filling as usual without the lemon (if omitting) and spread it on my rolls, spreading on a layer of raspberry jam over top. Roll it up, and voila! Raspberry cheesecake buns 🙂 Maybe I’ll make these to test the recipe for you. Let me know how it goes if you get it made first!
Julie Ruble
January 13, 2014 at 8:12 am (11 years ago)Here you go! http://willowbirdbaking.com/2014/01/12/raspberry-cheesecake-morning-buns/
Amanda @ Once Upon a Recipe
January 6, 2014 at 3:48 pm (11 years ago)You and your delicious buns strike again! I’m going to have a difficult time sticking to my resolution of more healthy cooking and baking now that these have caught my eye.
PS. You and Mike are totes adorbs.
pj
January 7, 2014 at 11:05 am (11 years ago)I love the Lemon Cheesecake Morning Buns. But for these Almond Buns–does the dough have to be refrigerated overnight? Can’t they be made like the Lemon Rolls–assembled the day before–then baked in the morning?
Julie Ruble
January 7, 2014 at 11:09 am (11 years ago)Hi PJ — Both buns have 2 proofs. The Lemon Cheesecake bun dough proofs on the oven the first day, is assembled, proofs overnight, and is baked. This arrangement limits the amount of time the cream cheese mixture has to sit out at room temperature.
These almond buns use the “default” way I prepare rolls: proofing overnight in the fridge, assembly, proof on the oven, baking.
The important thing is that there are 2 proofs, but you should theoretically be able to arrange the proofs either way depending on your preference.
pj
January 8, 2014 at 11:31 am (11 years ago)We made these yesterday afternoon–our taste buds couldn’t wait. We made the dough, chilled in the fridge for a couple of hours, then made the filling, rolled up the dough (forgetting the sliced almonds, so we just sprinkled them on top after it was baked and glazed), let rise for two hours and baked. It was an instant hit. Even my picky middle daughter, had one last night, another this morning and took one to work for a friend. She had one minor complaint–she thought the dough in some places was too mushy, but I explained to her that was the almond paste. The only thing that would make this better is Nutella swirled in, but as is, it is quite delicious.
pj
January 8, 2014 at 11:33 am (11 years ago)One more thing: I have never been disappointed with anything I’ve made from this site. I didn’t think you could top the Lemon Cheesecake Morning Buns, but these Almond Buns give me pause.
Gunn Iren Müller
January 8, 2014 at 2:09 pm (11 years ago)Do you have a recipe for making your own almond paste please? That’s not something I can get here in Norway, but I would really like to try this recipe.
Julie Ruble
January 8, 2014 at 2:10 pm (11 years ago)Hi Gunn! I haven’t tried this one, but it looks perfect! I hope this helps! http://candy.about.com/od/nutcandyrecipes/r/Easy-Almond-Paste.htm
Gunn Iren Müller
January 13, 2014 at 2:10 am (11 years ago)Thank you so much! I will be sure to give it a try. 🙂
Sorry for the late reply.
Joshua Hampton
January 9, 2014 at 10:24 am (11 years ago)Fondue for two always sounds romantic. Congratulations on the anniversary, and thanks for the wonderful morning bun recipe.
Barbara @ Barbara Bakes
January 9, 2014 at 11:14 am (11 years ago)These buns sound amazing. Pinned!
Jenny @ BAKE
January 11, 2014 at 11:05 am (11 years ago)That sounds like a perfect anniversary to me! even if it was slightly accidental! These buns look delicious!
A_Boleyn
January 12, 2014 at 11:40 pm (11 years ago)Congratulations on the 5th month anniversary. You know you’re going to have to celebrate once a year like the rest of the world at some point. 🙂
Your sweet (pastry) buns are so tempting that one day I know I’ll cave. I’ve begun a love affair with almonds and this is another tasty way of using them.
Conny
January 13, 2014 at 3:46 pm (11 years ago)There’s no such thing as shortening where I live and I do not use lard. Can I just substitute butter? (Like that recipe needs more butter….:-))
Julie Ruble
January 13, 2014 at 3:47 pm (11 years ago)I’ve never tried the recipe with just butter. They will probably have a different texture but should work. Let me know how it goes!
Abbie @ Needs Salt
January 14, 2014 at 9:48 am (11 years ago)Oh my gosh these buns look so delicious. I could totally go for one right now with my tea.
Beautiful photos!
Pinned.
Emm
February 17, 2014 at 1:35 pm (11 years ago)I’m dying to try this recipe, buns look delish! I am curious though, what is the purpose of including baking soda and baking powder in a yeast dough? I’ve yet to encounter this in my baking experience.
Julie Ruble
February 17, 2014 at 1:45 pm (11 years ago)Hope you enjoy 🙂 It’s all about the lift at various stages in the process. Yeast and baking soda both react when exposed to moisture, but the former is slow acting and the latter is fast acting. Baking powder reacts with both moisture and heat, so it’s the only one that the heat of the oven helps along. I haven’t seen it very often, either, but in these rolls, the result is a light and pluffy dough!
jgaddis
January 8, 2016 at 3:56 pm (9 years ago)tried the Butter Almond stuffed Morning Buns(twice) this Christmas. 1st batch very delicious, 2nd a little over baked!
But Loved Them ! I like that I can make 2 flavors with 1 batch of dough. The lemon Cheese ones, the filling very runny, hard to keep inside the dough as I rolled them..
Thanks. I’m sure I’ll try other recipes..