I love these for breakfast, buttered and with my favorite forest berry jam and a good cup of coffee. It’s a slight departure from raisin bread. I like using oats, nuts and I used berries because I find them not as sweet as raisins but of course feel free to use raisins if you prefer.

Oat, Fruit & Nut Buns

INGREDIENTS

For the Dough

150g ground oats

350g strong white flour

8g easy blend yeast

½ tsp salt

25g butter, melted

1 egg, beaten

220ml whole milk, warmed to tepid

50ml agave syrup

80g mixed dried berries, e.g. cherries, cranberries

60g walnuts, chopped

To Glaze

1 egg

1 tbsp water

METHOD

Place the oats, flour, yeast and salt into the bowl of your stand mixer. In a jug, beat together the butter, egg, milk and agave syrup. Add the wet ingredients to the dry and with the dough hook attached, mix on a low speed until combined. Add the dried berries and walnuts and turn up the speed to medium and knead for 5 minutes until the dough is smooth and elastic. Cover with cling wrap (I use a shower cap) and leave in a warm place until at least doubled in size. This will take between 1 – 2 hours.

Line a large baking tray with baking parchment. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured worktop. Knead the dough lightly for a minute and divide into ten equal pieces. Roll each piece into a smooth ball and place onto the baking tray. Cover with oiled cling film or place into a large plastic bag and leave to rise in a warm place for 30 minutes.

During the last 10 minutes of rising preheat the oven to 200C/180C fan. In a small jug beat the egg with the water and brush over the buns. Bake the buns for 14 – 16 minutes until golden. The buns should sound hollow when tapped on the bottom. Leave to cool on a wire rack.