Parāoa pani reka

| Iced buns

My dad has always had a thing for iced buns. He’d munch through six of them for lunch as a hungry teenager at South Otago High School, and we always had them in the pantry for his smoko on the farm. While he prefers to eat them with a little butter, I love to eat them as baked cream doughnuts. Either way, they are absolutely delicious and perfect for sharing. These buns are best eaten the day they are made.

MAKES 15 ICED BUNS

INGREDIENTS

• Kia kotahi me te haurua kapu wai aromahana 1 ½ cups lukewarm water

• Kia hautoru kapu huka hāura

⅓ cup brown sugar

• Kia toru me te haurua kokoiti īhi

3 ½ teaspoons yeast (Surebake)

• Kia toru me te haurua kapu puehu parāoa

3 ½ cups flour (high grade)

• Kia kotahi kokoiti tote

1 teaspoon salt

• Kia 50 karamu pata, ōrite te mahana ki te rūma 50g butter, at room temperature

• Kia 15 karamu pata kua rewaina

15g melted butter

METHOD

1. Place the wai aromahana, huka hāura and īhi in a bowl and leave to activate for 10 minutes. Stir in the puehu parāoa and tote until a dough forms. Mā te mīhini whakaranu, mā ō ringaringa rānei, pokepokea te pokenga mō te 10 miniti. Using a stand mixer (fitted with a dough hook), or your hands, knead for 10 minutes. Now for the butter. If you’re using a mixer, keep the speed low and add it all in one go. If kneading by hand, stretch the dough out and ‘dot’ the butter on top. Knead for a further 3–5 minutes, until the butter is mixed in and the dough is shiny and springs back when pressed.

2. Place the dough in an oiled bowl. Cover and set aside for 1–1½ hours, until doubled in size. Whakamahanatia te umu kia 170 te pāmahana. Heat the oven to 170°C.

3. Tip the dough onto a lightly floured bench. Divide the dough in to 15 equal portions, each weighing about 55g. Roll into 15 sausages and line up on to a 40 x 30cm oiled tray.

4. Leave to rise again for 40–45 minutes. Bake for 20 minutes, rotating the tray halfway through baking so they cook evenly. Remove from the oven and brush with the melted butter. Leave to cool completely on a rack.