Homemade Belgian Buns Recipe

Belgian Buns are a delicious sweet bun containing sultanas and lemon curd (most of the time) and are topped with icing and half a glace cherry. The idea of making these tasty treats may be a little daunting, but it’s actually a pretty simple recipe that’s easy to follow and will have you feeling like a pro baker in no time!

You might be wondering what exactly Belgian Buns have to do with Scottish Scran. Actually, there’s little to even link Belgian Buns to Belgium! Although they make a similar pastry called couque suisse, they have far less icing and slightly less bread-like and more pastry-like.

However, you will find Belgian Buns in bakeries all over the UK and definitely in Scotland! They’re a favourite of many and we think that homemade Belgian Buns deserve a spot here, especially for those of you not in the UK who may be missing this lovely classic.

Belgian Buns are also a bit like Chelsea Buns, but with the addition of icing and a cherry on top. The trick to a successful Belgian Bun is all in the roll. You want it tight but not TOO tight so the dough has room to expand but also stays together in the oven.

We’ve laid out all the details on how to make the perfect Belgian Buns below, including step by step photos of each part of the process to help you easily follow this Belgian Buns recipe and end up with a delicious treat you’ll feel proud to share!

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Things you’ll need to make Belgian Buns

• Heatproof Bowl
• Saucepan
• Whisk
• Large Bowl
• Two Baking Trays
• Baking Paper
• Cling Film or a Damp Tea Towel to cover the bowl of dough as it proves

Ingredients for this Homeade Belgian Buns Recipe

For the lemon curd:

• 3 tbsp unsalted butter
• 75g (1/3 cup) caster sugar
• 4 tbsp lemon juice
• 1 tsp lemon zest
• 1 large egg

For the buns:

• 475g strong white flour (3 2/3 cups)
• 7g dried instant yeast
• 60g caster sugar (1/3 cup)
• ¼ tsp salt
• 40g/3 tbsp unsalted butter (melted and cooled slightly)
• 100ml whole milk (1/3 cup + 1 tbsp)
• 100ml water (1/3 cup + 1 tbsp)
• 1 large egg (beaten)
• 150g sultanas (1 cup)

For the topping:

• 275g icing sugar (2 cups)
• 2-3 tbsp water
• 12 glace cherry halves

Lemon Curd

Not all Belgian Buns contain lemon curd, some are just made with sultanas and then iced. However, we really think the lemon curd adds to the flavour and cuts through the sweetness of the icing and the cherry, making these even more amazing, so would highly recommend it!

We’ve chosen to make our own lemon curd as part of the recipe, but if you want to simplify things you can skip that step and just use pre-made lemon curd. Once you realise how easy it is though we think you’ll be using this recipe to make lemon curd whenever you want too!

Instant Yeast

We chose to use Instant Yeast for ease, as we can get it in small packets that also store well if we don’t use it all. Active Dry Yeast must be dissolved and left to bloom before using and adds another step or complication to the recipe for those who aren’t used to baking with it.

If you want to use Active Dry Yeast instead you can add it to the warm milk alongside a spoonful of sugar (to speed up the process) and leave for 10-15 minutes then continue with the recipe.

How to make Homemade Belgian Buns – Step by step method

Make the lemon curd:

Place a heatproof bowl over a saucepan with a few cm of water in the bottom. Bring the water to a simmer and ensure the bowl isn’t touching the water.

Put the lemon juice, zest, sugar and butter in the bowl and stir until the butter has melted.
Whisk the egg in a separate jug or bowl, then very gradually pour this into the bowl with the lemon mixture, whisking constantly as you pour to prevent the egg from curdling.

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Let the mixture cook for about another 10 minutes until thickened, stirring frequently.

Leave to cool whilst you prepare the buns. You can also make this in advance and store in the fridge for up to a week.

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Make the buns:

Mix the flour, yeast, sugar and salt in a large bowl.

Heat the milk in the microwave until warm but not hot – about 40 seconds. It should be a comfortable temperature to hold your finger in the milk.

Make a well in the centre of the flour mixture. Pour in the warm milk, followed by the melted butter and beaten egg.

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Stir until everything comes together into a dough. It should be soft, slightly sticky but easy to handle. If it feels a little too sticky, add extra flour 1 tbsp at a time. If it feels too dry, add more warm milk 1 tbsp at a time.

Gather the dough into a ball with your hands and transfer to a lightly floured surface. Knead the dough for a few minutes until soft and elastic.

Place the dough into a large lightly oiled mixing bowl and cover with cling film. Leave in a warm place (approx. 25 degrees C) to prove for about 1 hour or until roughly doubled in size.

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Line two baking trays with baking paper.

Roll the dough out on a lightly floured surface. You want to create a rectangle shape roughly 30x40cm in size.

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Spread 6 tbsp of the lemon curd you prepared earlier all over the dough.

Sprinkle over the sultanas.

Starting from the shorter edges, tightly roll up the dough into a sausage shape.

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Slice into 12 pieces and place them onto the prepared baking trays, leaving enough space between each for them to expand.

Cover with cling film and leave to prove in a warm place (approx. 25 degrees C) for 45 minutes.

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Preheat the oven to 190C/170C fan.

If desired, you can lightly brush the tops of the buns with egg or milk for a shiny, golden finish.

Bake the buns for 10 minutes, then reduce the oven temperature to 170C/150C fan and bake for another 5-10 minutes.

Leave the buns to cool for at least an hour before adding the topping.

Make the icing:

Mix the icing sugar with 2-3 tbsp of water until you have a thick but spreadable icing.

Spoon the icing on top of each bun, or dip each bun into the icing.

Top with a glace cherry half.

And enjoy!

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Can you freeze Belgian Buns?

Yes, you can freeze Belgian Buns before icing them. They shouldn’t be frozen in a sealed bag with as much air pushed out as possible. To thaw, pop in the oven then glaze once they’re defrosted and warmed through.