SOY-FREE   EGG-FREE   CITRUS-FREE

Manuka Honey Buns

Makes 6 Preparation time 10 minutes Cooking time 40 minutes

olive oil, for greasing

2⅓ cups Bread Mix (see page 18)

½ cup almond meal

½ teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon baking soda

1 tablespoon active dry yeast

3 tablespoons manuka honey, plus extra for brushing

sesame seeds, for sprinkling

1 Preheat the oven to 400°F and lightly grease a 6-hole jumbo muffin pan with olive oil.

2 Put the bread mix, almond meal, salt, baking soda and yeast in a large mixing bowl and mix together thoroughly. Pour 1½ cups warm water into a jug, add the honey and stir together. Pour the liquid into the flour mixture and, using a wire whisk, beat vigorously 1 to 2 minutes to aerate the dough. Beat until the dough holds some shape, but is still soft enough to fall from the whisk, adding 1 or 2 extra tablespoons warm water if it feels too stiff.

3 Spoon the dough evenly into the molds of the prepared muffin pan and level the surfaces with the back of a metal spoon. Wash the spoon clean and dip it in cold water, then smooth the surfaces of the dough with the back of the wet spoon, repeating to cover the whole area of each bun.

4 Bake 20 minutes. Remove the pan from the oven and, using a pastry brush, brush a layer of honey over the top of the buns. Sprinkle sesame seeds over and bake 20 minutes longer, or until the buns are golden brown and baked through. Transfer the buns to a wire rack and let cool.