I'm not good in baking, my sister usually does all the baking but the baking contest really inspired me to give it a try. I've been searching for something easy to bake, but not cakes. At last, I decided to make bun, a braided bun.

Even for a beginner like me this recipe is quite easy.

This instructable will show how to make these braided buns in few easy steps :)

There you have it, your homemade braided buns are ready to enjoy! I hope you find this recipe easy to follow and that your buns turn out delicious. Happy baking! And don't forget to vote for me in the Baking contest if you liked this recipe! If you enjoy making buns, you may also like our Chicken Stuffed Buns Recipe.

Happy Baking!

Step 1: Ingredients

To make braided bun you'll need:

1) All purpose flour - 3 cups or enough to make a perfect smooth dough,
2) Sugar - 2 tbsp,
3) Salt - 1 tsp,
4) Yeast (dried) - 1 tbsp,
5) Milk (liquid) - 1 cup,
6) Butter - 1 tbsp,
7) Egg - 2,
8) Jam - for the filling.

Step 2: Making the Dough

Remember, making the dough is the most important step.

Add 1 cup of flour, 1 tbsp of sugar, 1 tsp of salt and 1 tbsp of dried yeast in a bowl. Mix them really well.

Take a pot and add 1 cup of liquid milk and 1 tbsp of butter. Boil the milk and butter mixture in medium heat for 5-6 minutes.

Take a small bowl and mix an egg with 1 tsp of flour (all purpose) in it.

Now, carefully pour the boiled milk and butter mixture into the flour mixed bowl (the first bowl). Also add the egg and flour mixture in it and beat until the mixture is smooth.

Start adding the rest of the flour, mix them and knead really well to make a smooth dough.

Sprinkle a little more flour while kneading and knead for 8-10 minutes to make sure the dough is smooth and not sticky.

Keep the dough in a warm place for at least 2 hours and wait till it doubles.

Step 3: The Filling and Braid

For the filling I used cherry jam. You can use any kind of jam.

Knead the dough again for 2-3 minutes,
Divide the dough into 2-3 portions and shape each portion into a ball,
Now roll each dough into a square shape and keep it at least half an inch thick.

Add 2-3 tsp of jam in a straight line right in the middle of the rolled square dough (see picture),

Use a knife and cut slightly angled stripes/ slits on both sides of the square dough.

Start from any one side and pull each stripe at a time. Pull the slit to the opposite side and gently press it on the dough. Now take the next slit of the opposite side and pull it similarly over the jam (to its opposite side) and gently press it. Keep doing the same until you complete the braid for the whole bun.
Place the braided buns on a tray, but first spread a little butter over the tray (oven tray).

Now, cover and keep them in a warm place for another 1-2 hours.

Step 4: Glaze and Sprinkle

You can add glaze and sprinkle if you want to, it's optional. If you're not applying glaze and sprinkle brush a little bit of butter over the braided buns.

For the glaze, mix an egg yolk with 2 tbsp of liquid milk. Apply the mixture over the braided bun with a brush.
For the sprinkle, mix 1 tbsp of flour (all purpose), 1 tbsp of sugar. Sprinkle them over the braided bun.

Remember, first the glaze, then the sprinkle.

Step 5: Baking

Set the oven to 180o C (350o F).

Bake the braided buns for 15-20 minutes, until they turn golden.

There! done :) They're really delicious, give it a try!

I hope you enjoy making them :)