Strawberry Cream Buns

 Strawberry Cream Buns

Soft bread filled with a sweet strawberry cream cheese filling, You will love these Strawberry Cream Buns for a sweet bread treat anytime.

 Ingredients

• 1/4 cup warm water 105-115 F
• 2 and 1/4 tsp active dry yeast
• 3/4 cup warm milk 105-115 F
• 1 large egg
• 1/4 cup unsalted butter softened
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1 tsp salt
• 3 and 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 large egg for egg wash
• For the Strawberry Cream Filling
• 1 block (225 grams) cream cheese softened
• 4 tbsp strawberry jam
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Instructions

In a large mixing bowl, combine yeast and warm water. Let the mixture sit for about 5 minutes until it is foamy. Add the warm milk, softened butter, egg, sugar and salt. Stir everything with a wooden spoon until incorporated.

Add 3 cups of flour, one cup at a time, and stir well after each addition. Add the remaining flour about 1/8 cup at a time and stir well. Continue adding the flour just until the dough gathers into a shaggy mass in the center of the bowl. You may not need all of the remaining flour.

Turn the dough onto a floured board and knead until it is smooth, elastic and has lost a lot of stickiness. As you knead, sprinkle just a little amount of flour to help with the stickiness of the dough. Note that over flouring may result in dry bread. Gather the dough into a ball and place it in a bowl. Cover it with a clean kitchen towel and let it rise for 1 and 1/2 hours, or until doubled in size.

Meanwhile, make the cream filling. Briefly beat together softened cream cheese, strawberry jam and vanilla extract until combined. This is a chunky, a little bit soupy mixture. Chill it in the fridge until you are ready to use it.

After the dough has risen, gently deflate it and divide it into 8 equal portions. Flatten each portion and roll it with a rolling pin to form an oval or rectangular dough that is about 1/4-1/8 inch thick. Approximate measurements will be 8x4 inches but they do not need to be exact. The goal is for the dough to be a little larger than your hands.

Spoon about 1 to 1 and 1/2 tablespoon of the filling into the upper center part of the dough ( see pictures above). Fold the upper third of the dough over to cover the filling and seal it well around the edges. Slice the lower third of the dough into thin strips or flaps. Fold the flaps upwards to cover the upper part of the dough. Repeat with the remaining portions.

Arrange the buns on a large baking pan that is lined with parchment paper. Cover them loosely with a clean kitchen towel. Let them rise for 1 hour or so until they are doubled in size. 

Preheat oven to 350 F. Brush the top of the risen buns with beaten egg. Bake at 350 F for 15-20 minutes, or until the buns are golden. The filling will be hot. Serve warm.