Easy Made-From-Scratch Sugar Free Apple Buns

These sugar free apple buns are easy-to-make, use ingredients you can easily find, and are perfect for a sweet breakfast or snack without a sugar high. They need resting and rising time, but there is little hands-on time needed and you can easily make a big batch and freeze for up to 3 months!

Does anyone else find breakfast boring?

My 4-year-old son never finds porridge and toast with peanut butter dull, as evidenced by his determination in getting the last bit of porridge out of the bowl with his sticky fingers, his spoon looking virtually untouched beside him.

But me? I love porridge, but I still get bored of the same thing day in, day out. There are few cereal options out there that aren’t loaded with 13 types of sugar, numerous additives and other unrecognisable ingredients. So we tend to rotate the same old porridge, Weetabix and Shredded Wheat options over and over.

I’ve learned to expand my choices since we first discovered how few cereals fit the bill when we set out to stick to a low sugar diet. We have eggs in some form a few times a week (huevos rancheros, scrambled/poached/fried/boiled, dippy eggs, eggs with bacon or sugar free baked beans, or with veggies like mushrooms, sweet potato or tomatoes…).

But I rarely have time in the week for anything beyond quick-cook eggs or easy-to-pour cereal.

Which is why weekends are my breakfast-time groove. I get to spend a little more time prepping. And if we have busy weekends coming up, I can batch-bake and freeze so we have something to pull out of the freezer that isn’t “just the usual”.

These apple buns are a new Sunday-morning favourite. A twist on Green Kitchen Stories’ apple & cardamom knots from their original cookbook, these no-added-sugar beauties are pretty, soft, fluffy, delicate and delightful.

They’ve even been wolfed down approvingly by fussier eaters, and my two kids’ faces light up when they see I’ve made more!

These are super simple to make, so much so that it’s a great baking project to get kids involved with at the weekend. Pre-weigh the ingredients and then have them:

• melt the butter and milk carefully under adult supervision (for older ones)
• mix the dough ingredients together and knead a few times (just let them punch the dough, they’ll love it!)
• roll out the dough for them then get them to spread the applesauce, sprinkle over the other filling ingredients and roll up the dough
• if you have older kids who are good at chopping, have them slice the buns carefully with your help
• let them gently roll up the ends of the buns together and place on the tray, then brush the tops with beaten egg or melted butter
• have little ones set the timer on the oven and the oven temperature with you

5 from 1 vote

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Easy Sugar Free Apple Buns

Prep Time

40 mins

Cook Time

20 mins

Resting Time

1 hr 30 mins

Total Time

2 hrs 30 mins

 

These sugar free apple buns are easy-to-make, use ingredients you can easily find, and are perfect for a sweet breakfast or snack without a sugar high. They need resting and rising time, but there is little hands-on time needed and you can easily make a big batch and freeze for up to 3 months! Adapted from The Green Kitchen cookbook.

Keyword: Apple, Applesauce, Autumn, Baking, Cheap, Dairy Free, Dessert, Easy, Fall, Healthy, Kid-Friendly, Low Sugar, Real Food, Snack, Spelt, Sugar Free, Sweetener Free

Servings: 16 buns

Ingredients

Dough:

• 50 g (1/4 cup or 1/2 stick) unsalted butter (or coconut oil)
• 250 ml (1 cup) milk (dairy or unsweetened non-dairy)
• 3-5 drops liquid stevia, optional – you can leave out or use 1 tbsp sugar or sugar-stevia blend or even xylitol
• 1 tablespoon active dried yeast
• pinch of sea salt
• 2 teaspoons mixed spice, pumpkin spice or ground cinnamon
• 200 g (1 1/4 cup) each plain and wholegrain flour (wheat or spelt both work – about 400g total)

Filling:

• 250 g (1 cup) unsweetened applesauce (I love it with my 5-minute veggie-loaded applesauce*)
• 1 small eating apple, coarsely grated
• 2 teaspoons mixed spice, pumpkin spice or ground cinnamon
• handful of raisins
• handful of toasted chopped walnuts or pecans, optional
• melted butter, more milk, or beaten egg, for glazing
• 1 tablespoon maple syrup to glaze, optional

Instructions

1. First, heat the milk and butter in a saucepan over a gentle heat until the butter is just melted. Pour into a large mixing bowl and allow to cool until it is warm, not hot, to the touch (about 45C/100F). Add the stevia and dissolve the yeast, salt and spice into it.
2. Mix the flours and stir half into the yeast mixture. Add more flour, a little at a time, until you get a smooth and soft, but not sticky dough. If you use all the flour and it still seems wet, add more, 1 tablespoon at a time, until you get to the right consistency dough. Knead briefly (just a minute or 2) and cover, then leave to rise for about 1 hour, or until doubled in size (if you forget or get busy, it can rise longer, so don’t worry too much).
3. Roll out the dough on a floured surface into a large rectangle, approximately 45 x 30cm (18 x 12”). Spread the applesauce over the dough, then sprinkle over the grated apple, raisins, spice and nuts (if using).

4. Starting from the long end nearest you, roll the dough over itself until you run out of dough, then slice with a sharp knife into 16 slices. You can leave them as they are, or roll slightly towards the middle for more of a "swirl". Place on a lined baking tray and cover, then leave to rise for 30 minutes. While it rests, preheat the oven to 220C/425F/gas 7.

5. Brush the tops of the buns with melted butter or beaten egg and bake for 15-20 minutes, until the buns are golden and cooked through. Allow to cool, then serve warm or cold as they are, or lightly brushed with a little maple syrup.

Recipe Notes

*find my veggie-loaded applesauce recipe here