Apple Buns

The recipe for these delicious buns comes from the cookbook, A Passion for Baking by Marcy Goldman. Ingredients:

Dough

1 1/2 cups warm water (100 degrees F to 110 degrees F)

5 tsp. rapid rise yeast

5-7 cups all purpose flour

1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened

1 cup sugar

2 tsp. vanilla

3 large eggs

1 tsp. salt

Filling

6-8 McIntosh apples, peeled and thinly sliced

2 large unpeeled Granny Smith apples, shredded

1 cup unsalted butter, softened and cut into small pieces

1/2 cup generous cup sugar

1 tsp. cinnamon

Finishing Touches

2 large eggs

pinch sugar

Cinnamon Fondant

1 1/2 cups icing sugar

1 tsp. vanilla

1/4 - 3/4 tsp. cinnamon

water, as required, to make a thick glaze

In a mixer bowl, hand-whisk water and yeast together and let stand 2 - 3 minutes to dissolve yeast.

Add 1 cup flour and blend.

Then add butter,

sugar,

vanilla,

eggs,

salt and then most of remaining flour.

Mix and then knead with dough hook on lowest speed 5-8 minutes, adding more flour as necessary to make a soft dough.

This is what it should look like when you have added enough flour.

Remove dough hook and spray dough with nonstick cooking spray

Cover entire bowl with a large clear plastic bag (or plastic wrap). Let dough rise about 40-50 minutes or until almost doubled.

Meanwhile, prepare apples and have other filling ingredients nearby.

Grate apples

Whisk eggs and pinch of sugar in a small bowl for egg wash

sugar and cinnamon for apple filling

This is what the risen dough will look like

Turn out dough onto a lightly floured work surface and gently deflate

Roll out to a 22 -inch circle

I set the rolling pin there to give you some perspective. This is one big piece of dough!

Deposit pieces of butter all over dough's surface

Scatter sliced apples over dough and sprinkle with sugar and cinnamon

Scatter shredded apple on top

Cut into 12-16 wedges (this will be messy, but it will be fine)

Stretching each wedge slightly, roll up each wedge into a crescent, starting at wide end. If apples leak out, just stuff them back in.

Place on parchment covered baking sheets

Brush each crescent bun with egg wash

Cover loosely with plastic wrap and let rise 30-45 minutes or until almost doubled.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees f. Bake until golden brown, 35 - 45 minutes.

For Cinnamon Fondant, whisk ingredients in a small bowl until smooth and soft. Smear fondant on buns with a flat spatula, skimming away excess.

Cook's Notes: Next time I would divide the dough into two pieces, so the crescents would end up being smaller.