Parāoa Pani Reka / Iced Buns

Makes 15 iced buns

My dad has always had a thing for iced buns. He’d munch through six of them for lunch as a hungry teenager at South Otago High School, and we always had them in the pantry for his smoko on the farm. While he prefers to eat them with a little butter, I love to eat them as baked cream doughnuts. Either way, they are absolutely delicious and perfect for sharing. These buns are best eaten the day they are made.

Ingredients

The dough

• 1½ cups lukewarm water
• ⅓ cup brown sugar
• 3½ tsp yeast (Surebake)
• 3½ cups flour (high grade)
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 50 g butter, at room temperature
• 15 g melted butter

Te Pokenga

• Kia kotahi me te haurua kapu wai aromahana
• Kia hautoru kapu huka hāura
• Kia toru me te haurua kokoiti īhi
• Kia toru me te haurua kapu puehu parāoa
• Kia kotahi kokoiti tote
• Kia 50 karamu pata, ōrite te mahana ki te rūma
• Kia 15 karamu pata kua rewaina

Method

Place the wai aromahana, huka hāura and īhi in a bowl and leave to activate for 10 minutes. Stir in the puehu parāoa and tote until a dough forms. Mā te mīhini whakaranu, mā ō ringaringa rānei, pokepokea te pokenga mō te 10 miniti.

Using a stand mixer (fitted with a dough hook), or your hands, knead for 10 minutes. Now for the butter. If you’re using a mixer, keep the speed low and add it all in one go. If kneading by hand, stretch the dough out and ‘dot’ the butter on top.

Knead for a further 3-5 minutes, until the butter is mixed in and the dough is shiny and springs back when pressed. Place the dough in an oiled bowl. Cover and set aside for 1-1½ hours, until doubled in size.

Whakamahanatia te umu kia 170 te pāmahana. Heat the oven to 170°C.

Tip the dough onto a lightly floured bench. Divide the dough in to 15 equal portions, each weighing about 55 g. Roll into 15 sausages and line up on to a 40 x 30 cm oiled tray.

Leave to rise again for 40-45 minutes. Bake for 20 minutes, rotating the tray halfway through baking so they cook evenly. Remove from the oven and brush with the melted butter. Leave to cool completely on a rack. 

Icing 

• 100 g softened butter
• ⅓ cup mixed berry jam
• ¾ cup desiccated coconut
• ¾ cup icing sugar

Te Pani Reka 

• Kia 100 karamu pata kūteretere
• Kia hautoru kapu tiamu hua
• Kia toru hauwhā kapu kokonati pūtī
• Kia toru hauwhā kapu puehu huka

Add the pata kūteretere to a medium bowl. Whakamahia he paoka ki te whakaranu i te pata kia māene ai.

Using a fork, mix the butter until smooth. Mix in the tiamu hua, kokonati pūtī and puehu huka.

Spread the icing thickly on each bun. It should be a little thick and glorious. If desired, split the buns and fill with jam and cream as follows.

The Cream

• 300 ml cream
• 2 tablespoons icing sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla paste
• ½ cup mixed berry jam
• ¼ cup desiccated coconut

Te Kirimi

• Kia 300 ritamano kirīmi
• Kia rua kokonui puehu huka
• Kia kotahi kokoiti pē wanira
• Kia haurua kapu tiamu hua
• Kia hauwhā kapu kokonati pūtī

Place the kirīmi, puehu huka and pē wanira in a bowl and whisk to form soft peaks.

Cut the buns vertically down the middle. Pipe or spoon in some jam, then pipe or spoon in some whipped cream.

Dollop a little blob of jam on top and sprinkle with extra coconut.