Apricot Almond Morning Buns

This post is sponsored by Bonne Maman. As always, all thoughts and opinions are 100% my own. Thank you for supporting the brands that help make Browned Butter Blondie possible. 

Is it just me or did those first few months of 2019 fly right by? Like, as in lighting fast speed. Goodness, it’ll be Thanksgiving again before I blink an eye. But let’s not get ahead of ourselves. Easter Sunday is literally hours away {cue the happy dance for my F-A-V-E holiday ever!!} and if you are still on the fence about what to bake for brunch, I’m here for you.

My little party of five and I just spent an incredible week in Paris eating all the carbs {not kidding, I ate every one of them} and I have since become obsessed with all things dough and yeast. We ate the most incredible French pastries, enjoyed the flakiest, buttery croissants and got our sweet tooth fix eating all the fancy macarons in the prettiest little shoppes in all of Paris. It was a dream. More on that later…but first, let’s chat about these buns.

One afternoon we made our own croissants in a quaint little kitchen in the 5th Quarter. Our teacher was ever so patient with us as we rolled and folded, rolled and folded the dough over and over {and over}. Did you know it takes six hours to make croissants from scratch! And it’s worth EVERY minute!! Somehow we managed to turn out the most delectable, light as air croissants on the first try. If I’m being honest, I’ve always been a bit intimidated by anything requiring yeast. It requires soooo many steps and seems a bit too temperamental for my taste. Not to mention I’m not a very patient baker. But that day in Paris changed my perspective and I picked up so many tips and tidbits from our friendly French baker that I’m newly inspired to tackle yeasted doughs.

No time like the present they always say! I haven’t even been home for forty eight hours and I already baked these Apricot Almond Morning Buns. That’s jet lag at its finest my friends. While I don’t recommend baking at 2 a.m. if you can’t sleep, I do highly recommend these sweet buns for your Easter brunch.

The dough is your standard yeasted dough, made sweet with a healthy dose of sugar and dried apricots. Sprinkled with almonds and glazed with Apricot Preserves from Bonne Maman, these Apricot Almond Morning Buns will be the centerpiece of your Easter brunch. Just look at that shiny apricot glaze…the perfect fruity finish to top off these golden brown twists. The best part is you can make these the day before and they will keep beautifully. Just pop them in the oven before serving to warm slightly and brush with a bit of extra Apricot Preserves from Bonne Maman to keep that glossy shine.  Mmmm….your kitchen will smell like a Parisian bakery!

Speaking of Paris, these cute-as-can-be gingham topped jars are all over the city. I just love how recognizable their brand is. Bonne Maman is a family owned company located in the heart of southwestern France. Their preserves are made from simple, all natural ingredients that promise a delicious, homemade taste generation after generation. Their preserves are made with just four (yes, your heard me right – only FOUR!) ingredients…nothing you wouldn’t find in your grandmother’s pantry.

I’m a big fan of Bonne Maman and their products are truly a tradition meant to be shared. I think you’ll love these Apricot Almond Morning Buns topped with Bonne Maman Apricot Preserves and I can’t wait to share these with my family this Easter Sunday. Something tells me there won’t be a single crumb left over.

If you make these Apricot Almond Morning Buns, or any other recipe from the blog, be sure to tag @brownedbutterblondie on Instagram. I love to see what you’re baking up in your kitchens! And be sure to follow along on Pinterest for all the latest recipe details straight from the blog. To save this recipe to your own Pinterest board, simply click on the red “SAVE” button on any photo in this post.

Happy baking!

Apricot Almond Morning Buns

5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star 4.5 from 2 reviews

• Author: Browned Butter Blondie
• Prep Time: 2 hours 30 mins
• Cook Time: 20 mins
• Total Time: 2 hours 50 mins
• Yield: 12 1x
• Category: Breads

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Description

These sweet little morning buns are baked from scratch with a dash of sugar and a handful of dried apricots, sprinkled with sliced almonds and glazed with the prettiest apricot preserves. They can be made ahead and are everything your Easter brunch needs.

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Ingredients

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For Morning Buns

• 3 3/4 cups all purpose flour
• 1 tsp kosher salt
• 2 1/4 tsp (one packet) fast acting yeast
• 1 cup whole milk, warmed to 120-130 degrees F
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1/3 cup unsalted butter, melted
• 1/4 cup sour cream or full fat yogurt
• 1 large egg, room temperature
• 1 tsp vanilla

For Apricot Almond Filling

• 1 1/4 cups dried apricots, cut in half
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 2 TBSP unsalted butter
• 2/3 cup sliced almonds

For Glaze

• 1/2 cup Bonne Maman Apricot Preserves, gently stirred

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Instructions

For Morning Buns

1. In a medium bowl, combine yeast and warm milk.
2. Melt butter in a microwave safe bowl and set aside to cool slightly.
3. In a large bowl, whisk together flour and salt. Set aside.
4. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine sugar, yogurt, egg, melted butter and vanilla extract.
5. With mixer on low speed, add half of the flour mixture.
6. Add the yeast and milk mixture and beat until just incorporated.
7. Add the remaining flour mixture and mix on low until barely combined.
8. Switch from the paddle attachment to the dough hook attachment and knead dough on medium speed until smooth, about 5 minutes.
9. Dough should be elastic but not sticky. If dough feels tacky, add more flour one tablespoon at at time and continue to knead.
10. Spray the bottom and sides of a large bowl with nonstick cooking spray.
11. Place dough in bowl and turn over one time to coat both sides.
12. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place until doubled in size. This should take about an hour.
13. Once dough has risen, lightly punch down center of dough. Cover with a dish towel and let it rest for 5 minutes.
14. Meanwhile, line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
15. Place dough onto a lightly floured surface and roll the dough into a 13 x 21″ rectangle, being careful that dough is even throughout.
16. With a spatula, gently spread cooled apricot almond mixture onto the dough, leaving a 1 inch border at the edges.
17. From the short end, fold over one third of the dough from the right side towards the center, followed by the left side. You now have a 7 x 13″ rectangle. Gently roll to flatten down and seal the new edges.
18. Using a pizza or dough cutter, trim off very edges of the short end to make even.
19. Then cut rectangle into 12 1-inch strips.
20. Take each strip, one by one and twist it gently. Then tie a loose knot with the dough and tuck ends underneath.
21. Place buns on baking sheet and cover with a dish towel. Let rise in a warm place until double in size. About 30 minutes.
22. While buns are rising, preheat oven to 350 degrees.
23. Bake buns on center rack of oven, one sheet at a time until golden brown for 18-20 minutes. A toothpick inserted in the center should come out clean.
24. If buns are browning too quickly, lightly cover with a piece of foil.
25. Remove from oven and brush with Bonne Maman Apricot Preserves. Let cool on baking sheets for 10 minutes before serving.

Apricot Almond Filling

1. Slice dried apricots in half and place in a small saucepan. Fill saucepan with just enough water to cover the apricots by 1 inch.
2. Bring to a boil.
3. Reduce heat to a low simmer and cook about 20-25 minutes until apricots are soft.
4. Drain the apricots reserving 2 TBSP of the liquid from the saucepan.
5. Place the apricots, reserved liquid, sugar and butter in a food processor.
6. Pulse about 12 times until the mixture combines well and has the texture of preserves.
7. Place the mixture in a bowl and gently stir in sliced almonds.
8. Chill in refrigerator until ready to use.

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Notes

Store leftover buns in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
To reheat buns, place in a warm oven for 8-10 minutes and brush again with preserves before serving.
Apricot filling can be made 4-5 days in advance.

Recipe inspired by The Bake Feed and Tutti Dulci