Bake

Iced Blueberry Buns

August 17, 2018
4.4
7 Ratings
Photo by Julia Gartland
  • Prep time 1 hour 50 minutes
  • Cook time 35 minutes
  • Makes 8 large buns
Author Notes

These buns are filled with a hefty layer of blueberry filling. The process starts a bit like making classic cinnamon buns, where the dough is rolled into a large rectangle. Instead of rolling up into a log from the long side of the pastry, it is rolled from the shorter side, which means swirlier buns in the end, featuring more layers of the deep purple blueberry filling. —Erin Jeanne McDowell

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Ingredients
  • FOR THE DOUGH:
  • 1 cup (227 grams) whole milk
  • 3/4 cup (170 grams) unsalted butter, cut into 1 tablespoon/14 gram pieces
  • 1/2 cup (113 grams) cold water
  • 4 1/2 cups (542 grams) all purpose flour
  • 1/3 cup (66 grams) granulated sugar
  • 2 1/4 teaspoons (7 grams) instant yeast
  • 3/4 teaspoon (3 grams) fine sea salt
  • 1 large (50 grams) egg
  • 1 splash egg wash, as needed for finishing
  • FOR THE FILLING:
  • 2 pints (680 grams) blueberries
  • 1/2 cup (99 grams) granulated sugar, divided
  • 1 vanilla bean, halved and scraped
  • 1/4 cup (28 grams) cornstarch
  • FOR THE ICING:
  • 1 1/2 cups (170 grams) powdered sugar
  • 2 to 3 tablespoons heavy cream
  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
Directions
  1. Make the dough: in a small pot, combine the milk and butter. Heat over medium heat, stirring, until the butter is just melted. Add the cold water to help cool the mixture – it should be just warm to the touch (about 85-95°F) before you begin to mix the dough.
  2. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the dough hook attachment, mix the flour, sugar, yeast, salt, the warm milk mixture, and egg on low speed for 3 minutes. Raise speed to medium and mix for 3 minutes more. Transfer to a greased bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Let rise for 1-1 ½ hours – the dough will look noticeably puffy, but it may not fully double in size.
  3. While the dough rises, make the filling. In a medium pot, combine the blueberries, ¼ cup (50 grams sugar), and the vanilla bean and its seeds. Heat over medium heat until the berries become soft and begin to break down. Transfer the mixture to a food processor or blender (or use an immersion blender right in the pot) to puree the mixture – vanilla bean and all - until it’s relatively smooth.
  4. Return the blueberry mixture to the pot. In a small bowl, stir together the remaining ¼ cup (49 grams) sugar with the cornstarch. Add this mixture to the blueberries and whisk well to combine. Bring to a simmer over medium low heat, stirring constantly. When the mixture begins to bubble, remove it from the heat and spread into an even layer on a baking sheet or casserole dish (this will help it cool quickly).
  5. When the dough has risen and the filling has cooled to room temperature, you can assemble the rolls. On a lightly floured surface, roll out the dough into a rectangle about 15 x 22 inches. Spread the filling into an even layer all over the surface of the dough – all the way to the edges.
  6. Starting with one of the shorter sides, begin to roll up the dough into a tight-spiraled log. With a bench knife (or regular chef’s knife), cut the dough into eight even pieces. Instead of cutting straight down, cut the dough at a 45 degree angle to leave the sides angled to expose some of the swirled filling. Use your finger to press each roll down firmly on the top of each bun in the center to create a slight indent the surface.
  7. Transfer the rolls to a greased 9x13 inch pan – they should be just barely touching. Let rise for 30-45 minutes, until they’ve expanded slightly (they’ll definitely be touching now!) and look noticeably puffy. Towards the end of rise time, preheat the oven to 375°F. Brush the surface of the dough with egg wash, and bake until golden brown, 25-30 minutes.
  8. Let the buns cool for 10-15 minutes. While they cool, make the icing. In a medium bowl, whisk the powdered sugar, cream, and vanilla to combine. The mixture should be quite thick, because you’ll apply it while the buns are still warm, and it will soften and spread a bit.
  9. Drizzle the icing all over the warm buns, and serve immediately (they’re also good once they’ve cooled to room temperature, but warm – they simply can’t be beat)!

See what other Food52ers are saying.

I always have three kinds of hot sauce in my purse. I have a soft spot for making people their favorite dessert, especially if it's wrapped in a pastry crust. My newest cookbook, Savory Baking, came out in Fall of 2022 - is full of recipes to translate a love of baking into recipes for breakfast, dinner, and everything in between!

5 Reviews

crustncrumb July 2, 2019
Have made this recipe many times and never have a problem with the dough, it's always perfect. I followed the recipe exactly, and use Morbread flour by Grain Craft (which I swear by). To the blueberry filling I always add lemon juice to brighten the flavor. But my go-to is a blackberry filling (SO much better, imho). I LOVE this recipe, it's excellent!
Camille B. October 18, 2018
I found the blueberry filling to be bland. I ate one and gave the rest away. I would consider making the dough again with a different filling.
Naptown September 8, 2018
The dough is a very wet dough as the other comments noted. The first time I make a recipie I like to stick to it exactly and then fiddle with it if I make it again. The dough without any adjustments turned out wonderful. The filling was not my favorite. Much too sweet for my taste. I sprinkled on some cinnamon while eating it and the spice helped to cut the sweetness. It was a fun recipie to try but I will not make it again.
Sarah C. August 27, 2018
My buns are still in the oven (Ha!) but I have some suggestions for those who try this recipe. Like AJerusalemArtichoke noted, the dough is really soft. I had to add far more flour during kneading than I expected, and I'm usually very good with soft doughs. I would try it without the half cup of water next time. Also, this amount of yeast really should make an enthusiastic dough! Mine not only doubled but popped off its lid. :) Also, I'd love to see Erin's batch in the 9x13 pan. This is a lot of dough! The blueberry filling recipe is fantastic - I'm definitely going to use it again!
MattieK August 26, 2018
These were delicious, but the dough was way too soft to hold its shape, even after the second rise. I ended up baking them in muffin tins, which worked really well.