The super soft butterfly buns, perfect for any occasion, are great for birthday parties but also when you simply want something delicious and cute to look at. They are really easy to make, you can find the step-by-step photo guide below in the recipe description, and the final effect will be really impressive. But now let’s see together how to prepare them in the recipe that follows.
- Difficulty: Very easy
- Cost: Very economical
- Rest time: 3 Hours 30 Minutes
- Preparation time: 15 Minutes
- Portions: 7-8
- Cooking methods: Electric oven
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: All seasons
Ingredients
- 4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 1 cup milk (lukewarm)
- 1/2 cup butter
- 0.35 oz fresh yeast
- 1 pinch salt
- 1 egg yolk (for brushing)
Tools
- 1 Stand mixer
You can also knead by hand.
Steps
Start preparing your butterfly buns by pouring the yeast with 1/2 cup of milk and 1/4 cup sugar into a bowl. Let the yeast dissolve well and then pour the flour and this mixture into the stand mixer and set it to medium speed. MAKE SURE to use the dough hook.
Continue by adding the remaining milk and the cubed butter while kneading. Finally, add the salt.
At this point, your dough will be smooth. Cover the bowl of the stand mixer and let the dough rise until it doubles in size. This will take about 1.5 hours.
Now divide the dough into balls of 3-3.5 oz each. Roll out the dough as if to form a flatbread, roll the flatbread onto itself and cut halfway the two ends leaving the center joined.
At this point, you’ll have 4 “stems” which you will wrap each outward, and in the end, you’ll have obtained butterfly buns.
Place all the buns on a baking sheet covered with parchment paper, cover with a cloth, and let them rise for at least an hour or until doubled.
Once your butterfly buns have risen well, preheat the oven to 392°F in static mode. Brush the buns with the beaten egg yolk; this step is optional but makes the buns shiny, so I recommend it. Bake for about 20 minutes. Depending on the power of your oven, it might take a few minutes more, so wait until the butterfly buns are well browned before taking them out.
If you also love making BUNS AT HOME, check out my many RECIPES HERE.
Saby recommends…
Butterfly buns are perfect for filling, but they are also suitable for buffets. In this case, I recommend making them smaller by decreasing the weight to 1.75 oz. Making them will be more labor-intensive, but the final effect will be adorable.
