Blueberry Jam Rose Buns

These beautiful Blueberry Jam Rolls are shaped like roses, and not only

are they delicious, but they are so easy to make!

It has been quite some time since I have worked with yeast.  It isn't something that I have a lot of experience with, so I make mistakes, but I enjoy it anyway.  For me, there has always been something very comforting about working with a yeasted dough.  The feeling of it in your hands, the fact that it is alive and will become what you make it, that first warm bite fresh from the oven.  Even eating the misshapen mistakes brings delight and the challenge to try again.

I was a member of Twelve Loaves bread baking group before it dissolved. I liked the group because there were some seriously talented bread bakers who very generously shared their knowledge.  Everyone was so friendly, and there was no such thing as a stupid question. Since that time there hasn't been a monthly commitment that I had to bake bread. I really need to remedy that, and make my own commitment to making a variety of breads, rolls, sweet breads, coffee cakes, pizza, pretzels, etc. Practice makes perfect after all ☺️.  And a quick trip to Costco this afternoon has me well stocked with Red Star Yeast for future endeavors - I am not affiliated with this brand, but it is the one that I feel confident with and it gives me great results.

These rolls were such a joy to make (and eat). At first you look at them and think how am I going to get them to look like a rose?  It turns out it that it isn't as difficult as you think.  I took some quick photos as I shaped my first roll so that you could see step-by-step how it is done. So that I could easily roll out all of the dough balls to the same size, I simply drew a circle on a piece of parchment and then turned it over so that the dough did not touch the ink.  Having the dough on the parchment also made it easier to turn the dough as I was making the cuts.  My shaping isn't perfect, and I need a little more practice, but it wasn't a bad first attempt. The jam I used for the center was Wild Blueberry Preserve by Bonne Maman. I like the simple ingredients in this jam, the taste, and it holds its shape well.

These rolls were soft, sweet, and moreish. As in you can't stop at just one. I really should have made a double batch, and that is my advice to you - make a double batch to avoid the disappointment of seeing an empty plate when you go looking for one. Yes, this come from experience.

Blueberry Jam Rose Buns 
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Ingredients

• 350g all-purpose flour (2½ cups), as needed
• 60g sugar (5 tablespoons)
• 1 tsp fine salt
• 160g milk (⅔ cup)
• 8g (2¼ teaspoons) instant or active dry yeast
• 1 large egg
• 75g butter (5 tablespoons), at room temperature
• 5g (1 teaspoon) vanilla bean paste
• 160g (½ cup) blueberry jam for filling
• 1 egg, beaten with 1 teaspoon water

Preparation

1. To the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a kneading hook, add 250g (2 cups) of the flour, the sugar and salt, and mix to combine.
2. Heat milk in a saucepan or the microwave until lukewarm, about 40℃ (109℉).
3. Add yeast, stir and allow to stand for 5 minutes, until frothy. 
4. Add yeast mixture to flour mixture, along with 1 egg, the butter and the vanilla, and mix to combine. Begin adding additional flour, starting with 30g (¼ cup) increment, then in tablespoon increments, until you have a smooth, moist dough.
5. Remove dough and place in a greased bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and place in a warm area and allow to rise until doubled, about 60-90 minutes.
6. Grease 10 muffin cups and set aside.
7. When dough has risen, remove to a floured work surface.
8. Divide dough into 10 equal portions and form into a ball (about 60g each, if you have a scale).
9. Cover dough balls with a clean kitchen towel and let rest for 10 minutes.
10. On a piece of parchment paper draw a circle about 14 cm (5½-inches), then turn the parchment over.
11. With a rolling pin, roll each ball into to the size of the drawn circle.
12. Using a sharp knife, cut 4 slits into the dough (see photos).
13. Place 1 tablespoon of jam into the centre and continue shaping into rose (see photos), by working your way around the circle and wrapping each of the "petals" up and around each other, pinching as necessary to hold them together and place into one of the greased muffin cups.
14. Repeat with remaining dough, and when all buns have been shaped, cover with greased plastic wrap and allow to rise until puffy, about 30-45 minutes.
15. Preheat oven to 180℃ (350° F).
16. When buns are ready to bake, beat the egg with 1 teaspoon of water, and brush the buns with egg wash. 
17. Fill any empty muffin cups ½ full with water before baking.
18. Bake in preheated oven for about 20-25 minutes, or until golden and they sound hollow when tapped.
19. Remove from oven and allow to cool in muffin tin on cooling rack for 15-20 minutes, then remove from muffin tins to cool on the rack. 
20. When cool and before serving, dust generously with powdered sugar.

Recipe inspired by Seasons & Suppers