I often found myself craving juicy berry buns in the middle of winter.

In the summer, when the berries were at the peak of the season, I always make homemade jam and have it tucked away in my freezer for wintertime.

These juicy raspberry buns are fluffy and light. The center is filled with my homemade raspberry jam and drizzled with coarsely chopped almonds for a little crunch texture.

After the buns are baked, and it is cooled down, they are drizzled with a juicy lemon glaze.

The sweet buns are bursting with juicy summer flavors and are just a breath of fresh air to enjoy in the cold winter months.

Before you start
 

Read the recipe thoroughly, and make sure you have everything you need. 

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*Note
 

If possible, when making these sweet buns, try to find a bread flour that has a higher protein, such as bread flour or Manitoba Cream. In Scandinavia, I use Manitoba Cream flour, almost similar to Bread flour. It has a higher protein content than all-purpose flour ( usually 11 to 13 %). The higher the protein content, the more gluten the flour produces. And gluten is what gives these buns structure and, together with yeast, makes these buns fluffy.
 

For the raspberry jam, if the raspberries are not in season, use frozen raspberries instead, as these are often frozen at the peak of the season on the farm and may taste better than using fresh raspberries that are in the store when it's' not berry season.

Juicy Raspberry Jam

• For the lemon juice in the raspberry jam, start by using 1 teaspoon of lemon juice, as described in the directions below. After the raspberry jam is done, taste it—if it feels a little flat, you can always add more lemon juice, about 1 teaspoon at a time, until it brightens the juicy flavor. However, for these buns, the raspberry jam can't be too runny in consistency.
   
• Place 250 grams of fresh raspberries (or frozen), zest from 1/2 lemon, 1 teaspoon of fresh lemon juice, 50 grams of white sugar, and 1 to 2 tablespoons of cornstarch in a saucepan.
   
• Place the saucepan over medium heat and heat the mixture for about 5 minutes or until the raspberries are soft, juicy, and some have broken down. Make sure to stir occasionally to prevent the raspberry mixture from sticking to the bottom of the pan.
   
• Remove the saucepan from the heat, add the remaining 250 grams of fresh raspberries, and lightly combine them with the warm jam. Have a taste—if you like it, you might want more sugar, more lemon zest, or more lemon juice.
   
• Pour the warm raspberry jam into an airtight container or into sterilized glass jars.
   
• Store the Juicy Raspberry Jam in the refrigerator until cold or for up to one week. 
   
• For maximum freshness and deliciousness, serve within a week.

Sweet Dough

• There is no need to "proof" the yeast, meaning you don't have to dissolve it in milk or buttermilk and let it stand before incorporating it into your dough.
   
• Baker's Note: A pinch of salt in the dough serves a couple of important functions. It impacts the flavor and acts as a stabilizer, stopping the yeast from proving too quickly. Never sprinkle the salt directly onto the yeast, as this will kill the yeast. Instead, add the salt as the very last ingredient after you add the butter.
   
• In a bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook attachment, add 550 grams of bread flour or all-purpose flour, 100 grams of sugar, 20 grams of fresh yeast (or 2 teaspoons of instant dry yeast), 1 large egg, and 350 grams of cold milk or buttermilk.
   
• Knead on the lowest setting for 10 to 15 minutes until smooth; your dough is the correct consistency when it forms a ball and pulls away from the sides of the bowl.
   
• Once the dough has all come together and pulls away from the sides of the bowl, add the softened butter piece by piece, about every 10 seconds.
   
• Once the butter is completely incorporated into the dough, continue mixing at medium-low speed for another 8 to 10 minutes or until the dough has come together and is smooth.
   
• Turn the mixer up to medium-high speed for the last 2 minutes, and you should hear it make a slap-slap-slap sound as the dough hits the sides of the bowl.
   
• If you want to test if the dough is ready, the windowpane test is one of the best ways to tell if you have kneaded your dough long enough. Hold a corner of your dough with both hands and slowly stretch it out. If you can stretch the dough until it's thin and nearly translucent without tearing, it's ready to go. If the dough tears quickly, it needs to be kneaded longer.
   
• If time permits, cover the dough/mixing bowl and refrigerate for 1 to 2 hours or preferably overnight. The cold slows down the proving and so prevents the dough from rising too strongly.
   
• If you want to skip proofing the dough in the fridge, turn out the dough onto a lightly floured work surface, dust the top of the dough with a little flour, form the dough into a ball, cover it with plastic, and let the dough rest for 15 minutes. This is optional, but a relaxed dough is easier to work with; otherwise, proceed as directed.
   
• When ready, take the cold dough out of the fridge; if you have proofed the dough overnight or for some hours, divide the dough into 15 equal pieces, weighing each piece around 75 grams.
   
• Transfer them to two or three lined baking trays.
   
• Cover the buns loosely with plastic wrap and a clean kitchen towel, and let the dough rise in a warm place until puffy and doubled in size, about 45 to 60 minutes or up to 2 hours.
   
• When ready and proofed, carefully remove the plastic wrap, lightly dust the buns with flour and make sure your hand is floured as well; slightly press in the center of each bun to create a deep indentation. You want to make sure to really press down the dough so that the raspberry jam stays inside the bun. You can also skip using your hands; just take a spoon, grease it lightly with butter, and create a deep indentation.
   
• Take the cold raspberry jam out of the fridge.
   
• Fill the centers with a generous amount of raspberry jam (try to add less liquid of the jam and more raspberries if possible), about 1 to 2 tablespoons; loosely cover the baking sheets with plastic wrap and let the buns rise for another 30 to 40 minutes.
   
• Baker's Note: For ovens with a fan setting, preheat to 428°F (220°C). If your oven does not have a fan setting, preheat it to 350°F (190°C). The fan setting, also known as convection bake, circulates hot air for a more even and faster baking process, which is why the temperature is higher for this setting. In the meantime, preheat the oven to 220°C/428°F; if using the fan setting, preheat the oven to 190°C/350°F.
   
• When the buns are ready, carefully remove the plastic wrap.
   
• In a little bowl, combine 1 egg and 2 tablespoons of milk, give it a quick whisk, brush the sides of each bun with egg wash, and immediately sprinkle coarsely chopped almonds on top of each bun.
   
• Bake the buns in the center of the oven for about 8-12 minutes or until they are deep golden brown.
   
• Transfer the baking sheet to a wire rack and let it cool for 15 to 20 minutes while you prepare the lemon glaze.
   
• With a whisk, combine all the ingredients for the lemon glaze. As soon as the buns are slightly cooled, drizzle the lemon glaze around the raspberry jam filling.
   
• For maximum freshness and deliciousness, serve immediately.
   
• Store any leftovers at room temperature, covered, for up to 2 days.