Sheep Buns:

Equipment: Small Rectangular Silicone Mold (30 holes, each one sized 4cm (l) x 2cm (h) x 1.8cm (w)

Recipe: 5 Buns

Raspberry Insert:

Yeasted Dough for Shaping (about 280g in total):

Lemon Glaze:

Preparation instructions:

Raspberry insert:

1. In a small saucepan, over low-medium heat, cook the raspberry puree with sugar and cornstarch until the sugar dissolves, and the mixture thickens, but still has some flow to it.
2. Transfer the mixture into a piping bag, and pipe into a silicone mold and freeze for at least 1-2 hours.

Dough:

1. In a large mixing bowl, add the flours, yeast, sugar and salt. Whisk them well to combine.
2. Add in the milk and water, and knead until a dough ball is formed.
3. Add in the butter and knead it into the dough. Keep kneading until the dough becomes smooth and elastic, and pass the window pane test (manual kneading of about 15-20 minutes).
4. Proof at room temperature for 1-2 hours before use (the dough should double its size), or overnight in the refrigerator.

Lemon Glaze:

1. It is recommended to make the glaze when you are about to decorate the buns, after they are baked. In addition, the more precise you are with your measurements, the more opaque the glaze will become after it is set on the pastry.
2. In a medium sized bowl, mix the powdered sugar with the lemon juice until it has formed a thick paste that has flow to it. Set it to the side until use.

Assembly:

General note:

Making these buns can be a little bit tricky if you are not prepared- the dough continues to proof while you are working, making it hard to keep up. Therefore, I’d recommend that as soon as one bun is fully shaped into a sheep, put it inside the freezer so it slows down the fermentation process.

1. Deflate the dough lightly, and divide it into 45g x 5 pieces. Round each piece into a smooth ball. The remaining dough will be used for the faces and wool of the sheep.
2. Flatten each dough ball with your hands to a rough disc shape, about 8cm in diameter, and fill it with one piece of raspberry filling. Close the dough on the filling and round the dough ball between your hands.
3. To 20g of dough, add the black cocoa powder (start with 1/2 tsp and adjust the color as needed) and knead it into the dough. Pinch out small dough balls and make the sheep faces. Apply a little bit of water to the bun, where you want the face to be glued.
4. Any remaining plain dough should be used to roll small dough balls (about 1-1.2cm) and set to the side, for the wool of the sheep. Using a pastry brush, apply a little bit of water to the bun and stud each one with the little dough balls.
5. Bake in preheated oven set to 180C (fan mode off), with a baking rack placed at the lowest level inside the oven, for 15 mins.
6. Allow the buns to cool down completely, before dipping the wool into the Lemon Glaze. Use some melted white and dark chocolate to draw the eyes.