This is a family recipe, a classic European bun.
When Ann was growing up, her Great Oma Hamm (Oma Rille’s mom) would make Paska bread for Easter. When Great Oma passed away, her recipes disappeared with her as she never wrote anything down. She had her recipes memorized and the measurements were done with her hands. I miss the family traditions of holiday baking and am hoping this recipe brings back some nostalgia.
Buns
- 2 tbsp instant dry yeast
- 1 cup room-temperature water
- 1 tsp white sugar
- 7–7½ cups all-purpose flour
- ¾ tsp salt
- 1 lemon
- 1 orange
- 1¼ cups milk, at room temperature
- ½ cup butter, melted
- 2 eggs
- ¾ cup sugar
Combine the yeast, water, and 1 tsp sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook (or a large bowl and a hand mixer with dough hooks). Let stand until foamy, about 5 minutes.
Add 6 cups of the flour and the salt. Zest the lemon and orange into the bowl.
Peel the lemon and orange, remove the seeds, and put the flesh in a blender. Add the milk, melted butter, eggs, and ¾ cup sugar, and blend on high until smooth.
Pour the blender contents into the mixer bowl and mix on low until a sticky dough forms. With the mixer kneading, add the remaining 1–1½ cups flour, ½ cup at a time, until the dough is less sticky but still soft.
Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let rise for 90 minutes.
Divide the dough into 30 equal pieces and roll each into a round bun. Set them on parchment-lined baking sheets. Cover with a kitchen towel and let rise about 20 minutes. Heat the oven to 165°C (325°F) while they rise.
Bake until light golden brown on top, about 18 minutes. Cool completely on the baking sheets.
Frosting
- 250 g (8 oz) full-fat cream cheese, at room temperature
- ½ cup butter, at room temperature
- 2 cups icing sugar
- A few drops of milk
- Sprinkles (optional)
Beat the cream cheese and butter together with a hand mixer or wooden spoon until smooth. Add the icing sugar ½ cup at a time, mixing well and scraping down the bowl after each addition. Add a few drops of milk if needed to make it spreadable.
Spread a little frosting over each cooled bun and top with sprinkles.
Notes
- Store unfrosted buns in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days; the fridge dries them out.
- Frost only the buns you’ll eat that day. Frosted buns go in the fridge, since cream cheese frosting shouldn’t sit out more than a few hours.