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Directions
To make the dough, whisk together the flour with the yeast, sugar and salt in the bowl of a stand mixer. Add the egg, warm milk and butter. Knead for 5-10 minutes on medium speed or until the dough passes the window pane test (i.e. the dough can be stretched so thin without ripping as to be almost translucent).
Cover the bowl with a kitchen towel and let the dough rise somewhere warm for 45 minutes to 1 hour or until the dough has doubled in size. If you want to make these buns for breakfast or brunch, you can make the dough the night before and place it in the fridge (in a covered container) overnight for the first proofing.
Punch the dough down. Next, roll the dough out into a 25x35cm rectangle on a floured surface, with one of the longer sides of the dough facing you.
If not already salted, season the labneh with a generous pinch of salt and stir in the cornflour. Spread the labneh evenly over the dough. Whisk together the za’atar with the olive oil and spread over the labneh.
Carefully fold the top ⅓ of the dough towards you. Then fold the bottom third (so the long side closest to you) on top of that.
Using a sharp knife, pastry cutter or bench knife, cut the dough into 6 strips approximately 2cm in width and 25cm in length.
To shape the buns take one strip of dough and, holding one end of a strip of dough between the top of your thumb and your index finger, wrap the dough a few times around the index finger and middle finger of the same hand, stretching the dough slightly as you go. When the remaining strip of dough is ca. 10 cm long carefully wrap the strip of dough around the middle of the loops of dough now resting on your index finger and middle finger (essentially the same way you might start a ball of yarn), tucking both ends of the strip of dough underneath the bun. Place the bun on a sheetpan lined with parchment paper and repeat this step with the remaining strips of dough. Izzy’s gif is great at showing how best to do this.
Cover and set aside to proof for a further 30-45 minutes or until visibly puffy and a small dent created with a finger leaves a visible mark and only disappears very slowly.
While the buns are proving, pre-heat the oven to 200 degrees Celsius.
Brush the buns with egg wash and bake for 15-20 minutes.
While the buns are still hot, brush with olive oil for a nice sheen.
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