Sunshine Buns

If you’ve been here for a while, you’ll probably know me from the little orange bakery in Watlington.

I started baking because it helped me navigate a brain that felt very noisy. Making bread gave me something to come back to every day, and what began as a way of helping myself somehow turned into a bakery, a book, and an amazing community of people who discovered they loved baking too.

After I closed the bakery, I spent months travelling around Europe, messaging bakeries on Instagram asking if I could come and work with them. It was one of the best decisions I’ve made. Bakers are incredibly generous people, and somehow they kept saying yes.

I mixed dough before sunrise in tiny village bakeries, learnt recipes I’d never have found in a cookbook, and discovered that every baker has one tiny thing they do differently that they’re convinced is the only correct way. I came home with a notebook full of recipes, techniques, stories and a renewed love for bread.

These days I’m putting all of that into Breaducation, my not-for-profit, where we give free bread kits and classes to schools, food banks and community groups. And into this Substack.

Every week I’ll be sharing recipes from my 20-square-metre flat in London. They’re all small-batch recipes because that’s how I bake now. I’ve included mug measurements too, not American cups, just an ordinary mug, because I don’t think not owning scales should stop anyone from making awesome bakes.

Every recipe has a story behind it. A bakery, a baker, a place, or a moment from my travels that taught me something. I’ll share the recipes exactly as I make them now, along with all the little tricks I’ve picked up along the way.

Thanks for being here. I’m really excited to get baking with you.

Now onto the recipe.

Makes 4 buns

I first ate these in Sweden after an early morning spent baking in a tiny village bakery. Traditionally, solskensbullar (sunshine buns) are filled with vanilla custard, but this version feels a bit more like an English summer. Lemon and poppy seeds are folded into the dough and, if you have them, frozen blueberries burst into the custard as they bake. If not, leave them out, the lemon version is just as good.

• 150g strong white bread flour

• 25g caster sugar

• Pinch of salt

• 3g instant yeast (1 tsp)

• Optional: ¼ tsp ground cardamom

• Finely grated zest of ½ lemon

• 2 tsp poppy seeds

• 75ml whole milk, lukewarm

• 30g soft butter

• 75ml whole milk

• 1 egg yolk

• 20g caster sugar

• 1 tsp cornflour

• Finely grated zest of ½ lemon

• ½ tsp vanilla extract

• 10g butter

• 1 egg, beaten

• 1 tbsp melted butter

• 2 tbsp caster sugar

• 40g frozen blueberries

• 150g strong white bread flour = 1 level mug

• 15g caster sugar = 1 tbsp

• 75ml whole milk = ¼ mug + 1 tbsp

• 30g butter = 2 tbsp

• 75ml whole milk (for the custard) = ¼ mug + 1 tbsp

• 20g caster sugar = 1½ tbsp

• 1 tsp cornflour = 1 tsp

• 2 tsp poppy seeds = 2 tsp

• 40g frozen blueberries = a generous handful

Mix together the flour, sugar, salt, yeast and lemon zest. Give a little stir.

Add the milk and butter. Mix into a rough dough, then knead for 8–10 minutes, adding the poppyseeds half way through. For an extra buttery dough you can add another 10g (tsp) butter, optional, i just really love butter. Knead until smooth and elastic.

Cover and leave to rise until doubled in size, about 1 hour.

Heat the milk until just steaming.

Whisk together the egg yolk, sugar, cornflour and lemon zest. Slowly pour in the warm milk, whisking constantly.

Return everything to the pan and cook over a low heat, stirring continuously, until thick. Remove from the heat, stir in the vanilla and butter, then cover the surface and leave to cool.

Divide the dough into 4 equal pieces and roll into smooth balls.

Place on a lined baking tray, leaving room for them to spread. Cover and leave to prove for 30–45 minutes, until puffy.

Heat the oven to 220°C (200°C fan).

Press a deep well into the centre of each bun using the bottom of a small glass or your fingertips.

Fill each with a generous spoonful of lemon custard. For blueberry buns: Press a few frozen blueberries into the custard. Don’t defrost them first, they stay juicier and stop the custard becoming watery.

For lemon buns: Leave the custard as it is.

Bake for 10–12 minutes, until golden and the custard has just set.

While still warm, brush the edges with melted butter and roll or sprinkle with caster sugar.

Best eaten warm, ideally with a cup of tea :)