Paris Buns
A cross between a scone and a rock cake, sugar crystal topped Paris Buns are super easy to make and the perfect accompaniment to a cup of tea.
Servings: 6 buns
Calories:
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Alter quantities (metric only) 6 buns
Here's what you'll need...
- Fork or wooden spoon
Ingredients you'll need...
Paris Buns
- 250 g Plain (all-purpose) flour (1 Cup and 12 tablespoon)
- 1½ teaspoon Baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon Fine salt
- 60 g Unsalted butter cold and cut into small chunks (⅓ Cup)
- 1 Egg yolk from a large egg
- 60 g Demerara sugar (⅓ Cup)
- 100 ml Buttermilk (7 tablespoons)
- 20 ml Milk (2 tablespoons)
- 50 g Currants (⅓ Cups)
Paris Buns Topping
- 1 Egg yolk
- 1 tablespoon Milk
- 2 tablespoon Pearl sugar aka nibbed sugar
Here's what we do...
Paris Buns
- Preheat your oven to 170°C Fan/190°C/375°F/Gas mark 5.
- Take your large baking sheet and cover the base with a sheet of greaseproof (parchment) paper (or grease with some extra butter and then sprinkle over some extra flour).
- Sift your flour, baking powder and salt into your large mixing bowl.
- Dot over your chopped cold butter and rub it into the flour with your fingertips holding it up high and letting it fall as you do so, to keep it full of air. Stop once the mixture becomes sand-like. To double check that there are no large lumps of butter left, give the bowl a shake to bring any large pieces to the surface.
- Add your egg yolk and rub that in too, in the same way.
- Mix your buttermilk and milk together.
- Make a well (dent) in the centre of your flour mixture and pour in half of your buttermilk/milk mixture. Mix and combine using a fork, until some large lumps are formed but there is still plenty of dry mixture left.
- Mix in your demerara sugar, until evenly distributed.
- Make a well in the middle again and add the rest of your buttermilk and milk mixture and your currants.
- Mix with your fork again and keep mixing until all of the dry mixture has been combined, then go in with your hands and pull it all together into a ball. If you find the mixture is not easily coming together and is a bit dry, add another 1-2 teaspoons of milk or buttermilk, the mixture should not be sticky but should be pliable and bind together. Do not knead it though as this will affect the texture of your Paris Buns.
- Place the ball onto your work surface and flatten it a little so that the surface area is level. Cut it down the centre and then each side into 3 equal pieces, then roll each piece into a rough ball. Push any protruding currants into the buns, to stop them from burning.
- Place balls onto your lined baking tray, flattening them slightly and ensuring a gap of an inch and a half apart.
Paris Buns Topping
- Mix together your egg yolk and milk and then paint over the top and sides of each bun using your pastry brush.
- Sprinkle over your pearl sugar.
- Bake in the centre of your oven for 15-20 minutes until just golden, don't be tempted to bake until really golden because they will become hard and dry inside.
- Remove and place on a cooling rack.
- Eat when slightly warm.
Supporting Notes
To check that no large lumps of butter remain when you've rubbed your butter into your flour, stand the bowl on a flat surface and give it a shake backwards and forwards, this will bring larger lumps to the surface which you can then rub into the flour.
Use a fork to bring the dough together as the mixture runs through the prongs rather than clumping around it, as it does with a spoon.
A dough scraper/chopper makes cutting your Paris Buns to the same size much easier because it cuts through the dough far better than a knife.
Don't overbake! Paris Buns should be just lightly golden when baked, otherwise, they will be dry.