Lemon Drizzle Buns — a plant-based British recipe by BOSH!
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Lemon Drizzle Buns

Lemon drizzle buns are one of those things we genuinely cannot stop making right now. You get all the zingy, sunny flavour of a classic lemon drizzle cake but in soft, pillowy bun form, and honestly it might be even better this way. The dough is rich and fluffy, the lemon hits you in the best possible way, and that drizzle soaks right in so every bite is sticky and sharp and sweet all at once. They take a bit of time and effort but trust us, the moment you pull these out of the oven the whole thing becomes completely worth it.

Cook: 165 min
Serves 12

Before You Start

  • Preheat oven to 180°C
  • Large mixing bowl
  • Saucepan
  • 12-hole muffin tin or 20cm square baking tin, lightly greased
  • Dough to rise until doubled in size (Step 1)
  • Dough to rise for 25-35 minutes after shaping (Step 2)

Ingredients

  • 150g plant-based butter
  • 2 tbsp caster sugar
  • 480ml sweetened almond milk
  • 2 x 7g sachet fast-action dried yeast
  • 680g plain flour
  • pinch of salt
  • 130g plant-based butter, very well softened at room temperature
  • 90g caster sugar
  • zest of 3 lemons
  • 130g icing sugar
  • Juice of 1 lemon
  • 1 tbsp white sesame seeds

Method

1

Make the dough

  • In a saucepan over a low heat, add the milk, butter and caster sugar. 
  • Heat until the butter has melted and the sugar has dissolved.
  • Once melted, set aside to cool for 10 minutes
  • Place the flour into a large mixing bowl and add the yeast and salt. 
  • Mix well to combine.
  • Check that the milk mixture has cooled to body temperature and then add to the dry ingredients, mixing quickly with a wooden spoon into a dough.
  • If it looks too wet add in a few more teaspoons of flour until it comes together into a loose dough - it will be very soft in texture‚ not like a bread dough.
  • Turn the mixture out onto a floured surface and give a few gentle kneads to bring together - you may find it easier to work by pulling and slapping the dough against the surface.   
  • Place the dough in a lightly oiled bowl, cover with lightly oiled cling film and put in a warm place to rise until it has doubled in size.
2

Form the buns

  • When the dough has risen, dust the work surface with flour and tip out the dough.
  • Knead it gently together, knocking the air out of it - it will be very soft and a little sticky, add a little more flour as you need to.
  • Roll out the dough into large rectangle shape.
  • Paddle the butter in a bowl with a fork to soften it to a smooth, spreading consistency, then spread the butter onto the dough and sprinkle over the lemon zest and sugar evenly on top.
  • Re-roll the dough into another rectangle and roll along the edge (lengthways) to create a tight log shape.
  • Cut the log into 12 equally sized slices to create the buns.
  • Arrange the slices in a lightly greased baking tin.
  • Cover with cling film and leave to rise for 25-35 minutes.
3

Bake the buns

  • Place the tin in the oven for 25-30 minutes until golden and delicious.
  • While the buns cool, make the glaze by mixing the icing sugar with the lemon juice until smooth.
  • Once they are completely cool, cover with the glaze and scatter over some sesame seeds.

Tips & Variations

  • Get the temperature right: We cannot stress this enough. Test the milk mixture on your wrist like you would baby formula. If it feels neither hot nor cold, you're good to go. This is the difference between buns that rise beautifully and ones that sit there doing nothing.
  • Be generous with the lemon: Henry always adds a bit of extra lemon zest into the dough itself as well as the drizzle. It makes the whole thing taste brighter and more lemony without being overpowering. Zest before you juice, obviously.
  • Give the dough time: We know 165 minutes feels like a long time, but don't rush the prove. A slow, patient prove gives you a much softer, more flavourful bun. If your kitchen is cold, pop the covered bowl in the oven with just the light on.

Why This Works

The trick here is letting the milk and butter mixture cool properly before it goes in with the flour and yeast. Too hot and you'll kill the yeast, too cold and it won't activate properly, so body temperature is your sweet spot. What really makes these sing is the drizzle going on while the buns are still warm, so it soaks in rather than just sitting on top.