Happy Friday! Earlier this week, Pixar’s Brave celebrated its 10th Anniversary! To celebrate, I’m excited to share these Brave Iced Buns! Inspired by the ice buns served in the movie, these light yeasted buns have a sweet sugar icing and candied cherry on top!

In the movie, the iced buns are inspired by Empire Biscuits, which are sandwich cookies traditionally served in Scotland. Empire Biscuits are two cookies with a layer of jam and white icing and a candied cherry on top. In the movie, however, these treats look more like iced buns and so that’s what I based this recipe off of.

Brave Iced Buns (3 yeast buns with white icing and candied cherries) on a plate

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Iced buns are common treats in the United Kingdom. They’re a slightly sweet bread bun with a white icing glaze and are sometimes filled with jam or whipped cream. To make these Brave Iced Buns, start by making the dough.

Combine the flour, granulated sugar, yeast, and salt in the bowl of a hand mixer fitted with a dough hook. Add the milk, butter, and half of the water. Mix until the dough comes together and then add the remaining water to form a sticky dough.

Mix the dough on high speed until it’s smooth and elastic, about 8 minutes. Transfer the dough to an oiled bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Let the dough rest for 45 minutes or until it doubles in size.

Place the dough on a lightly floured surface and punch down the dough to release the excess air. Knead the dough for about two minutes (until it’s smooth) and then divide the dough into six pieces. Roll each piece of dough into a ball using the cup of your hand.

Place the dough balls on a parchment lined baking sheet. Cover with plastic wrap and let rest for 30 minutes. Preheat the oven to 425 F.

Make an egg wash by beating together an egg and a teaspoon of water in a small bowl. Brush the egg wash over the tops of the risen dough balls. Bake the buns for 10 minutes or until they’re golden brown. Let the buns cool on a wire rack.

While the buns are cooling, make the icing by whisking together the powdered sugar and water. Adjust the water as needed, the icing should be thick.

To decorate the buns, dip the tops of the buns into the icing. If needed, use an offset spatula to smooth and spread the icing onto the buns. Gently press a candied cherry onto the top of each of the buns.

Brave Iced Buns (3 yeast buns with white icing and candied cherries) on a plate

Enjoy these Brave Iced Buns! Happy 10th Anniversary Brave!

If you’re looking for more Brave inspired treats, be sure to check out my Brave Bear Claws!

Brave Iced Buns

Inspired by the treats in the movie, these Brave Iced Buns are a yeasted bun with a white sugar icing and a candied cherry!

Course Breakfast, Dessert, Snack
Keyword Brave, Iced Buns
Prep Time 20 minutes
Rest Time 1 hour 15 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 35 minutes
Servings 6 buns

Ingredients

Buns

  • 1 ¾ cups bread flour
  • 1 ½ tablespoons granulated sugar
  • 2 teaspoons instant yeast
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • 1 ½ tablespoons unsalted butter, soft
  • 1 large egg, beaten
  • cup milk, warmed
  • ¼ cup water

Egg Wash

  • 1 large egg, beaten
  • 1 teaspoon water

Icing

  • 1 ¼ cups powdered sugar
  • 2 tablespoons water, as needed

Topping

  • candied cherries

Instructions

Buns

  1. Combine the flour, granulated sugar, yeast, and salt in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook attachment.
  2. Add the milk, butter, and half of the water. Mix until the dough comes together. Slowly add the remaining water to form a sticky dough.
  3. Mix on high speed until the dough is smooth and elastic, about 8 minutes.
  4. Place the dough in an oiled bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Let rest for 45 minutes or until doubled in size.
  5. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Set aside.
  6. Place the dough on a lightly floured surface and punch down the dough to release the excess air. Knead the dough for two minutes or until smooth.
  7. Divide the dough into six pieces and then roll them into a ball using the cup of your hand.
  8. Place the dough balls onto the prepared baking sheet. Cover with plastic wrap and let rest for 30 minutes. Preheat the oven to 425 F.
  9. Combine the egg and water to make an egg wash. Brush the egg wash over the dough balls.
  10. Bake the buns for 10 minutes or until golden brown. Let the buns cool on a wire rack.

Icing

  1. In a small bowl, whisk together the powdered sugar and water. The icing should be thick.

Assembly

  1. Dip the tops of buns into the icing. If needed, use an offset spatula to smooth and spread the icing onto the buns.
  2. Gently press a candied cherry onto the top of each of the buns.

Recipe Notes

adapted from Paul Hollywood