Vegan Crumble Buns Just Like from the Bakery
Recently, I was at a summer festival and brought along homemade vegan crumble buns – 15 pieces to be exact. Since we'd run out of fruit, two of them remained "naked," consisting only of yeast dough, streusel, and icing. To be honest, I only brought them half-heartedly because I'd never dream of eating dry crumble buns without fruit myself. Even when I'm standing in line at the bakery, I look at them with pity and worry they'll still be sitting sadly in the display case by evening – probably right next to the pig's ears without chocolate or icing – seriously, WHO buys those?
But here's the thing: I was completely wrong! The scramble for exactly those two fruitless crumble buns was bigger than expected. So big, in fact, that I finally tried one myself and have to admit: the homemade version is actually so moist and delicious that I'd make an exception here. So am I also underestimating the crumble buns from the bakery? Please write in the comments for our representative survey whether you make this recipe with or without fruit.
A Crumble Bun for Every Season
This recipe has existed on our blog since 2019 and was initially "only" topped with red currants. However, the photos were so outdated that the recipe got new pictures after six years and, in the process, also a fruit makeover so you can see the range of possibilities. Depending on the season, I also love them with other fruits: in summer with berries or cherries, in late summer and fall with apples and plums, in winter with pears, and in spring naturally with rhubarb. And the version without fruit is possible anytime, of course.
As simple as this recipe is for some, it might be challenging for others since you need to prepare both yeast dough and shortcrust pastry here. That's why I'm sharing three tips for each to help you succeed.
3 Tips for Fluffy Yeast Dough
Don't forget the yeast check: Before you start, definitely test whether your yeast is still active. Simply mix it with the lukewarm plant-based milk and some sugar – if bubbles form after 10 minutes, you're good to go. If not: get new yeast and start over.
Temperature is everything: The plant-based milk should be lukewarm (not hot!), otherwise the yeast organisms will die. The optimal temperature is 82-90°F/28-32°C. The dough also needs a warm, draft-free place to rise. You can preheat the oven to 122°F/50°C, turn it off, and then put the dough inside.
Patience pays off: Really give the dough time to rise – first after kneading, then again after shaping. Alternatively, the dough can also rise overnight in the refrigerator. Then you should just take it out 15 minutes before continuing to work with it.
3 Tips for Crispy Shortcrust Streusel
Ice-cold butter is essential: Take the vegan butter straight from the refrigerator and work quickly. The colder it stays, the crispier the streusel will be later. Warm butter makes the dough smeary and the streusel will be more mushy when baking.
Don't knead too much: With streusel, less is more. Knead once briefly until everything holds together – done. Too much kneading makes the vegan butter warm and we're back to point 1. Perfect streusel feel crumbly but hold together.
Finding the right consistency: Good streusel are neither too fine nor too coarse. About hazelnut-sized pieces are perfect. If the dough is too dry, add a few drops of cold water. If it's too sticky, you can put it in the refrigerator for 10 minutes and then continue.
More Vegan Bakery Classics
If you're now in the mood for more bakery classics, try our vegan nougat cookies, custard-filled pudding pretzels, custard-filled crumble buns, or homemade (chocolate) croissants.
More pastry recipes can also be found in our cookbook "Deutsche Küche vegan" – we even dedicate an entire chapter to them!
The feedback from our friends, who tasted the vegan crumble buns was super positive! Many of them only remembered crumble buns as hard and expensive pastries from the bakery. We could show them that they can also be soft and fluffy – even without any eggs!
Vegan Crumble Buns Just Like from the Bakery
Ingredients
For the dough:
- 125 ml (0.5 cup) plant-based milk
- 4 g (1 tsp) active dry yeast
- 40 g (0.25 cup) sugar
- 250 g (2 cups) wheat flour (type 405)
- 35 ml (2.5 tbsp) neutral vegetable oil
- 1 pinch salt
For the streusel:
- 125 g (1 cup) wheat flour (type 405)
- 85 g (0.75 stick) vegan butter
- 30 g (0.25 cup) sugar
- 1 pinch salt
For topping (optional):
- red currants
- blueberries
- cherries
- plums
For the icing:
- approx. 100 g (1 cup) powdered sugar
- water
Instructions
- Heat the plant-based milk until it's lukewarm. Then combine in a bowl with the active dry yeast and a spoonful of the sugar. Let the mixture sit for approx. 10 minutes until bubbles form on the surface. Then add the remaining sugar, wheat flour, vegetable oil, and salt and knead everything into a smooth dough. Add more flour or plant-based milk as needed. Let the dough rise covered either for two hours at room temperature or overnight in the refrigerator.
Tip: If no bubbles form on the surface after resting, the yeast is probably expired and no longer active. In this case, you should start the step over with new yeast.
In the meantime, knead wheat flour, cold vegan butter, sugar, and salt for the streusel until a crumbly dough forms. Wash the fruit, dry it, and remove stems and pits.
After resting, remove the dough from the bowl. Line one or two baking sheets with parchment paper. Form six equal-sized balls from the dough (approx. 75 grams each) and roll them into thin rounds. Place them on the baking sheets with sufficient space and top with the respective fruit and streusel (don't leave too much edge uncovered, otherwise it'll become too dry during baking). Let rise again for 30 minutes at room temperature.
Preheat the oven to 356°F/180°C (fan) and bake the crumble buns for approx. 25 minutes after resting. Then remove from the oven and let cool.
Tip: Cover the buns with aluminum foil if the crumble buns are browning too quickly.
- While the crumble buns are cooling, prepare the icing. Mix powdered sugar with a few drops of water step by step to create a thick icing. Then generously decorate the cooled crumble buns with the icing.
