Slovenian Easter Buns
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Enjoy this delicious Slovenian Easter tradition - warm buns with ground almonds and dried fruit! They are delicious, comforting and perfect for any time of the day!
Ingredients
Easter Buns
- 1 cup dates, roughly chopped
- 1 cup raisins
- ⅓ cup warm milk
- 2½ teaspoons active dry yeast (one packet)
- 2 teaspoons granulated sugar
- 2½ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 cup whole almond flour (or grind whole almonds in a food processor until it forms a fine texture)
- 1 teaspoon ground cardamom
- ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ½ teaspoon ground cloves
- ½ cup powdered sugar
- 6 Tablespoons butter, melted
- 1 teaspoon almond extract
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 small lemon (zested and juiced)
Egg Wash
- 1 egg yolk
- 1 teaspoon water
Instructions
- In a small bowl, cover the dates and raisins with hot water and let them soak. Set aside.
- In another small bowl, warm the milk in the microwave for about 30 to 60 seconds seconds, until it is the temperature of a warm bath. Stir in the yeast and granulated sugar. Let is sit for 10 minutes, until it is frothy on top.
- In a large mixing bowl, combine in the bubbly yeast mixture, all purpose flour, almond flour, cardamom, nutmeg, cloves, powdered sugar, melted butter, almond extract and salt. Mix it with a wooden spoon until it forms a soft dough.
- Drain the dates and raisins and mix them into the dough along with the juice and zest of one small lemon.
- Lightly dust a clean work surface with flour. Knead the dough for about 10 minutes until it's relatively smooth and elastic. (If the dough feels sticky, add an additional tablespoon of flour and knead it in. The dough should feel stretchy and firm, not sticky.)
- Form the dough into a ball and return it to the mixing bowl. Cover it with a clean kitchen towel, and let the dough rise at room temperature until it doubles in size, after about 4 hours.
- Once the dough has risen, preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Lightly flour a clean work surface and dump the dough ball out. Shape the dough into 10 equal-sized balls and place them on your baking sheet.
- Whisk the egg yolk with the teaspoon of water to make an egg wash. Brush the tops of the buns with the egg wash. Optional: top with sliced almonds.Bake for about 30 to 35 minutes, until the buns are golden. Enjoy!!
Notes
- Kneading: If the dough feels like it’s seizing up and becoming too hard to knead, let it rest for a few minutes so the gluten can relax. Then finish kneading the dough.
- Storing: Store cooled buns in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 4 days. You can reheat them in the microwave or an oven to soften them.
- Reheating: I like to reheat leftover buns in the microwave for about 15 seconds, which softens them.
Nutrition
Serving: 1 bunCalories: 367kcalCarbohydrates: 57gProtein: 7gFat: 14gSaturated Fat: 5gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 2gTrans Fat: 0.3gCholesterol: 38mgSodium: 297mgPotassium: 292mgFiber: 5gSugar: 17gVitamin A: 254IUVitamin C: 7mgCalcium: 57mgIron: 3mg
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