Blackberry Cream Cheese Bun

Soft yeast buns shaped into braided rings, filled with sweet cream cheese and topped with blackberry sauce.

Ingredients

500 g		all-purpose flour
250 ml		warm milk
1		large egg
80 g		soft butter
10 g		dry yeast
60 g		sugar
1 pinch		salt
250 g		cream cheese (for filling)
50 g		sugar (for filling)
1		egg (for filling)
1 packet		vanilla (packet or 1 tsp vanilla extract)
1 tsp	5 ml	lemon juice (for filling)
1 tbsp	15 ml	fine semolina or flour (no cooking required)
150 g		blackberries (for sauce)
30 g		sugar (for sauce)
1		juice and zest of lemon (for sauce)
1 pinch		salt (for sauce)
—		egg yolk and milk mixture (for brushing)

Mix 1 tsp sugar and the yeast with half a cup of warm milk. Let it sit until it becomes foamy.
Pour the yeast mixture into a large bowl. Add the remaining milk, sugar, egg, and salt. Gradually add the flour and knead the dough. Then add the butter and continue kneading until the dough becomes smooth. Cover and let it rise until doubled in size.
In a separate bowl, mix cream cheese, sugar, egg, vanilla, semolina (or flour), and lemon juice until smooth.
For the blackberry sauce, place all the ingredients in a small saucepan and simmer over medium heat for 5–8 minutes, mashing the berries as it cooks. Remove from heat and let cool to room temperature (it will thicken more as it cools).
Divide the risen dough into 10 equal pieces (or 12 for smaller buns) and shape each into a ball. Cover and let rest for 15–20 minutes. Roll each ball into a 10 cm circle and cut out a round using a cutter. Take the outer dough, roll it into a long strip, twist it into a braid, and join the ends to make a ring. Place this ring on top of the cut circle. Let rise on the tray until puffy.
Preheat the oven to 180°C (356°F). Brush with the egg yolk–milk mixture and fill each bun with the cheese filling. Bake for 15–20 minutes or until golden brown.

Enjoy!