Star crossed, double crossed, criss crossed - beer, butter, vanilla and mild spices in a bun, glazed with the stickiest maple on top.

I created this bun for those who celebrate Easter and also those who don’t. A pretty festive bun for everyone to enjoy.

Also it has no fruit, no chocolate, and is designed to be a pure, white, fluffy delight of a bun flavoured with fruity yeast beer, butter, vanilla bean and gentle spices including nutmeg and coriander. The glaze is particularly thick and almost crisp. So yummy. Enjoy.

Ingredients:

650-700g Tipo 00 flour
1 tsp malted barley flour (optional)
12 g instant dry yeast
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
2 tsp coriander seeds, crushed and sieved
300ml yeast beer (lukewarm) - any beer will work, this is the fruity cloudy type.
80g raw caster sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla bean paste
3 eggs, at room temperature
100g unsalted butter, softened
Warm milk for brushing

For the bun crosses:

100g plain flour
cold water to make a thick paste (about 100-120ml)

Bun glaze:

100g caster sugar
50ml water
1 tsp vanilla bean paste
2 tablespoons maple syrup

Instructions:

Mix flour, malted barley flour, salt, yeast and spices in a bowl.
Make a well and add the beer, beaten eggs and sugar.
Beat using a dough hook until smooth and elastic, if the dough is too sticky add extra flour until dough comes away cleanly from the bowl. I start with the lesser amount of flour and add more as needed.
Beat in the softened butter until incorporated and smooth.
Cover the dough and allow it to rise until double in a warm place. (about one hour)
Divide the dough into 16 - 80 g pieces and roll into balls.
Place the dough balls in a deep, greased and paper lined roasting tin, leaving a small gap between them for expansion.
Allow to rise until almost double (around 30 minutes)
Brush the buns with milk.
Mix cross mixture until smooth and free from lumps. Empty into a piping bag with small hole tip on the end. I use a disposable bag and cut the tip. You can cut a little at a time until you squeeze out a line at the thickness you are happy with. Make sure it is not too thick for these stars.
Pipe stars (double crosses) onto the buns.

Bake at 175 C FF for around 30 minutes until risen and golden.
For the Glaze:
Bring water, sugar and vanilla to boil and stir until dissolved. Stir in maple syrup and take off the heat.
Brush liberally over the hot buns as soon as they are out of the oven.

Enjoy these buns with extra butter..