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Strawberry bun

Strawberry and Rhubarb sweet bun

Soft, fluffy homemade yeast buns filled with creamy cheese, juicy strawberries, and tangy rhubarb, finished with a buttery crumble topping. The perfect treat for spring and summer!
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Ingredients Method

Ingredients
  

For the yeast dough
  • 450 g all-purpose flour
  • 250 ml lukewarm milk
  • 25 g fresh yeast (or 7 g instant dry yeast)
  • 50 g unsalted butter (melted and cooled)
  • 50 g caster sugar
  • 1 tsp vanilla sugar (or 1 tsp vanilla extract)
  • 1 egg
  • Pinch of salt
Filling
  • 200 g strawberries
  • 150 g rhubarb stalks
  • 250 g smooth cream cheese (ricotta or quark)
  • 1 tbsp icing sugar
  • 1 egg
Crumble topping
  • 90 g all-purpose flour
  • 60 g caster sugar
  • 60 g cold butter (cubed)
Egg wash
  • 1 egg yolk
  • 2 tbsp milk

Method
 

Prepare the yeast starter
  1. In a bowl, crumble the fresh yeast and mix it with 1 teaspoon of sugar until it dissolves. Add 1 teaspoon of flour and the lukewarm milk. Stir well and leave in a warm place for about 20 minutes, until the mixture becomes bubbly and doubles or triples in size. (You can skip this step if you are using instant dry yeast)
Make the dough
  1. In a large bowl, combine the flour, sugar, vanilla sugar, and salt. Add the risen yeast starter (or instant dry yeast) and the egg.
  2. Mix until the ingredients come together, then knead for 10–15 minutes by hand or using a stand mixer with a dough hook. Gradually add the melted butter and continue kneading for another 5–10 minutes until the dough is smooth and elastic.
  3. Cover the bowl with a clean kitchen towel or plastic foil and let the dough rise in a warm place for about 1½ hours, or until doubled in size.
Prepare the fruit
  1. Wash and dry the strawberries. Hull them and cut larger berries into halves or quarters.
  2. Wash the rhubarb, trim both ends, and slice it into pieces about 1–2 cm thick. There is no need to peel young rhubarb.
Make the cheese filling
  1. Whisk together the smooth cream cheese, icing sugar, and egg until smooth.
Prepare the crumble
  1. Combine the flour, sugar, and cold butter. Rub everything together with your fingertips until coarse crumbs form.
Shape the buns
  1. Transfer the risen dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead briefly.
  2. Divide it into 8–10 equal pieces. Shape each piece into a ball, then flatten into a disc about 7 cm wide and 1 cm thick.
  3. Arrange them on a baking tray lined with parchment paper, leaving space between each bun. Cover and let rise for another 25 minutes.
Fill the buns
  1. Using the bottom of a small glass, gently press a deep indentation into the center of each bun.
  2. Fill each with about 2 teaspoons of the cheese mixture. Top with strawberries and rhubarb.
  3. Brush the edges with the egg wash and sprinkle generously with the crumble topping.
Bake
  1. Bake in a preheated oven at 180°C (350°F) using conventional top and bottom heat for 15–18 minutes, until beautifully golden.
  2. Allow the buns to cool slightly before serving. They taste wonderful while still slightly warm.