sticky spiced buckwheat and orange buns

plush buns filled with crunchy buckwheat and coated in honey and orange caramel

if you know your way around a cardamom bun, you’ll hardly be surprised to hear that these soft, not too sweet, perfectly imperfect buckwheat buns were inspired by them. you probably already know i’m a big fan of buckwheat thanks to my recipes for salted banana buckwheat granola, crunchy buckwheat caramel roll cake, salty buckwheat brownie cookies and buckwheat and chocolate chunk breakfast muffins. so, when a craving to touch grass pliant, soft, enriched dough came around and cardamom buns popped into my head, i knew i had find a way to incorporate my beloved buckwheat.

naturally i wanted to use buckwheat flour in the dough, which presented a minor challenge as buckwheat flour does not form gluten like regular flour. i used the first two test batches to find the sweet spot where you could still sort of tell that buckwheat flour was there, flavor-wise, but there wasn’t so much of it as to affect the gluten formation in the dough and cause it to tear or have a different texture.

first test of these buns where the buckwheat flour was causing some tearing in the dough

then came the buckwheat groats, which i initially mixed into the filling. when it came time to spread the filling over the dough, the groats made it difficult to spread, sort of sticking into and even tearing the dough in some places. i also wanted to include some groats in the dry topping, but these only ended up rolling off the buns eventually. so, in the end, i ended up sprinkling the groats over the filling after it’s spread on the dough for even coverage, no tearing, and fewer rollaways. some filling and groats do leak out of the buns as they bake, but you can eat those crunchy, caramelized little wings, so it’s in no way a loss.

if you have a stand mixer with a dough hook, you can certainly use it to make the dough. i didn’t in this case for multiple “personal” reasons, the main one being that i have a kitchen aid stand mixer from the 80s which did not come with a dough hook, the dough hook i bought for it doesn’t fit and i haven’t bought a new one. i also like to knead dough by hand, especially enriched doughs like this one, so i wrote the recipe accordingly.

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this time last year:

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sticky spiced buckwheat and orange buns

makes 15 large buns

for the dough

250 milliliters milk

65 grams muscovado sugar (substitute throughout the recipe: brown sugar)

7 grams active dry yeast

320 grams all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting

80 grams buckwheat flour

1 teaspoon table salt

75 grams cubed unsalted butter, room temperature

for the filling

115 grams unsalted butter, room temperature

100 grams muscovado sugar

zest from half an orange (about 1 teaspoon)

2 teaspoons ground cardamom

2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon ground ginger

1/2 teaspoon table salt

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

3 tablespoons toasted buckwheat groats

for the sticky topping

35 grams unsalted butter

1 tablespoon muscovado sugar

1 tablespoon orange juice

45 grams heavy cream

1 tablespoon honey

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon table salt

for the orange topping

1 1/2 teaspoon granulated sugar

zest from half an orange (about 1 teaspoon)

pinch flaky salt

1. heat 250 ml milk in a small pot (i love a butter warmer for this) over low heat, just until warmed through, about 37°C/100°F. measure out the muscovado for the dough in a separate large bowl, then add 7 g yeast and 1 tsp of the muscovado to the warm milk and stir to combine. set a timer for 10 minutes. in the meantime, add 320 g all-purpose flour, 80 g buckwheat flour and 1 teaspoon table salt to the large bowl of muscovado sugar and stir to combine.

2. once the timer goes off, add the milk mixture to the flour mixture and mix by hand until a dough comes together. transfer to a clean work surface and begin to knead, adding 75 g cubed, room temp butter a few cubes at a time as you go, waiting until the added butter is completely mixed in until you add more. once all the butter has been added, continue to knead for another 8 minutes. after kneading, stretch a small section of dough out with both hands. it should stretch thin into a piece you can see through without tearing, aka it should pass the window pane test. shape kneaded dough into a large round and invert the bowl you originally mixed it in over the top. let rise for at least 40 minutes or until about doubled in size.

3. in the meantime, make the filling. add 115 g room temperature butter, 100 g muscovado sugar, 1 tsp orange zest and spices (2 tsp ground cardamom and ground cinnamon, 1 teaspoon ground ginger, 1/2 teaspoon table salt and freshly ground black pepper) to a medium bowl. use a wooden spoon or electric hand mixer with beaters to beat together until fluffy and slightly paler in color, between 3 and 4 minutes. line two baking sheets with parchment paper.

4. once the dough is proofed, lightly flour it and the work surface it’s on, then use a rolling pin to roll it out into about a 40x40cm/16x16 inch square. gently spread the filling on the dough from edge to edge with an offset spatula. sprinkle evenly with 3 tbsp toasted buckwheat groats. use a knife or bench scraper to mark three equal sections on the left or right edge (about 14 cm/5 1/2 inches long), then fold the top side down to the middle and the bottom side over the top; don’t worry if it’s not perfect, just gently pull and adjust the dough to make it as even as possible. roll again with a rolling pin once or twice just to lengthen slightly and press the fold together. cut into approximately 3 cm/1 inch lengths, you should get about 15.

5. to shape the buns, take one strand and gently pull from both sides to lengthen, then twist and wrap, tucking the left end underneath and up into the center; it’s difficult to explain, so here’s a nice visual cue and the gif here, too. place on a lined baking sheet, then repeat with all the buns, leaving enough room between them on the baking sheets to expand during proofing and baking. cover with a clean kitchen towel and let rise for about 30 minutes. in the meantime, preheat the oven to 225°C/435°F.

6. to make the toppings, combine 35 g butter and 1 tbsp muscovado sugar in a small pot and heat over medium until bubbling. add 1 tbsp orange juice, 45 g heavy cream and 1 tbsp honey and whisk well to combine, then let simmer until slightly thickened, about 4 minutes, whisking often. remove from the heat and whisk in 1 tsp each of vanilla extract, ground cinnamon and salt and set aside. in a small bowl massage 2 tsp granulated sugar and 1 tsp orange zest until it’s the texture of wet sand, then set aside.

7. after the buns are proofed, bake for 7-8 minutes or until the tops are nicely golden brown. remove and immediately brush with the sticky topping and sprinkle with the dry topping and a little flaky salt, if desired. let cool for at least 3 minutes before enjoying. these buns are the best the day, or even within a few hours of baking, but if you have leftovers, keep them in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days, warming slightly in the oven or microwave before serving. you can also freeze the buns well wrapped in plastic and in a resealable plastic freezer bag, for up to 3 months. thaw in the fridge overnight, then warm through before serving.