As a child raised by grandparents I had the pleasure of indulging in Bakery staples such as these sticky Iced Fingers at least once a week.
We would always have a meat and salad sandwich on bread that was very similar, if not Scottish Baps followed by a sweet treat. Of course my grandparents washed their egg custards down with cups of strong tea whilst my twin and I would have some weak orange squash with one of these stick to the rough of your mouth iced finger buns minus the cream and jam.
Cream horns, meringue shells sandwiched with jam and cream, jam thumbprint cookies are some of my other favourite bakery staples from back in the day and don’t get me started on Mr Kipling’s boxed treats, oh the sweet memories.
The Iced Fingers are an enriched bread dough that has more than your average amount of yeast precisely 2 x 7g sachets for 500 grams flour but it yields fantastically light springy buns.
Without the icing the fingers are not nearly as sweet as I imagined they would be. I know this because my children kindly helped themselves to 3 whilst they were cooling from the oven so I nabbed a bite of my daughters second helping. I could easily pass them off as a dinner roll if I wanted to, but no these buns are destined for a sweet sticky glaze.
I was and still am happy to eat my Iced Fingers without the jam and cream filling although I have to admit they do look even more irresistible with.
For a special occasion or just when you are craving something more sweet and fancy.
Iced Fingers
- 500g/1lb 2oz strong white flour
- 50g/1¾oz caster sugar
- 40g/1½oz unsalted butter, softened
- 2 free-range eggs
- 2 x 7g/¼oz sachets instant yeast
- 2 tsp salt
- 150ml/5fl oz warm milk
- 140ml/4½fl oz water
- 200g/7oz icing sugar
- 5 tsp + cold water
- 200ml/7fl oz double or whipping cream
- 100g/4oz jam of choice (i used apricot), warmed, sieve and cooled.
- To make the dough, place all ingredients into the bowl of your stand mixer fitted with dough hook attachment, holding back a quarter of the water. On low speed let the hook stir the mixture then slowly add the remaining water to form a dough and then increase speed to knead for 5 minutes until the dough is smooth and elastic.
- Transfer the dough to a very lightly greased bowl, cover with a damp tea towel and leave to rise in a warm place for one hour.
- Divide the dough into 12 pieces (use weighing scales and calculator for consistent size) then roll into balls and shape into fingers about 13cm/5in long.
- Place the dough fingers onto a greased baking tray, leaving space for them to double in size, then cover with a damp tea towel, set aside in a warm place for 40 minutes – halfway through second rising Preheat the oven to 220C/425F/Gas 7. They should just touch each other when they’ve risen. Bake in the oven for 10 minutes then set them aside to cool on a wire rack.
- For the icing, sift the icing sugar in a wide bowl and gradually stir in the cold water to form a thick paste.
- Dip the top of the cooled fingers into the icing, smoothing it with your finger, then leave to set on a wire rack.
- Lightly whip the cream and spoon it into a piping bag fitted with a small nozzle. Spoon the strawberry jam into another piping bag.
- Sliced the iced fingers horizontally, leaving one long edge intact. Pipe in a generous line of whipped cream into the middle of each finger, then a thinner line of jam. serve.
- You could make the buns in advance then ice and fill them just before serving.
- Feel Free to swap some of the water in the icing for lemon juice, orange blossom water, rose water.
- Alternatives to jam:- citrus curds, warmed and cooled nutella, caramel, salted caramel.
- You could use unrefined icing sugar for the tops, as unrefined gives a more caramel taste then switch up the jam for melted but cool chocolate, nutella or caramel.
