Krentenbollen (Dutch Currant Buns)

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •Large mixing bowl
• •Baking tray
• •Clean tea towel
• •Bench scraper, useful but not required

Instructions

1. 1

   Soak the fruit

   Put the currants and raisins in a bowl and cover them with warm water for fifteen minutes. Drain well, then pat them dry in a clean tea towel. This small wait matters: dry fruit drinks from the dough while it bakes, and a thirsty krentenbol turns mean by lunchtime.

2. 2

   Make the dough

   Mix the flour, yeast, sugar, and salt in a large bowl. Add the lukewarm milk and egg, then knead until the dough begins to smooth out, about five minutes by machine or eight by hand. Add the softened butter in pieces and knead again until the dough is supple and pulls cleanly from the bowl.

3. 3

   Add the fruit

   Knead in the soaked currants and raisins, with the cinnamon and lemon zest if using. Work gently but firmly so the fruit spreads through the dough instead of gathering in one corner like a committee. The dough should feel soft, slightly tacky, and heavy with fruit.

4. 4

   Let it rise

   Cover the bowl and let the dough rise in a warm place until doubled, about one hour. Don't hurry it. Enriched dough rises more slowly because butter and fruit weigh it down, and that slower rise is what gives the bun its even, tender crumb.

   If your kitchen is cold, set the covered bowl near a warm radiator or in an unheated oven with only the light on. Warm, not hot. Yeast is a living worker, not a kettle.
5. 5

   Shape the buns

   Turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface and divide it into twelve equal pieces. Shape each piece into a round bun by tucking the edges underneath and rolling it under your palm. Set them on a lined baking tray with space between them, then cover and let them rise again for thirty to forty minutes, until puffy.

6. 6

   Bake until golden

   Heat the oven to 200C. Brush the buns lightly with milk and bake for sixteen to eighteen minutes, until deep golden brown and hollow-sounding when tapped underneath. Cool on a rack for at least ten minutes before splitting. Butter needs a little warmth, not impatience.

Chef Tips

• •Use real currants if you can find them. Raisins are sweeter and larger; good krentenbollen want the small dark fruit scattered through the crumb like ink dots on a page.
• •Soak and dry the fruit carefully. Wet fruit makes streaks and heavy patches, dry fruit robs the dough. The towel step is dull, which is how you know it is probably important.
• •Serve split with good butter. Jam is allowed, of course, but the Dutch answer is usually butter first, because the bun already brought its own sweetness.
• •These freeze well. Split them before freezing if you want quick breakfasts; they can go straight from freezer to toaster.

Advance Preparation

• •The shaped buns can be covered and refrigerated overnight after shaping; let them stand at room temperature until puffy before baking.
• •Baked krentenbollen keep two days in an airtight tin and freeze well for up to two months.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 95g)