Apple-Spiced Easter Buns

Made with a base of baked heirloom apples, this is the EASIEST gluten-free bun recipe you'll find.

Easter is just around the corner, and we are in the midst of preparations for our favourite holiday of the year. Every year on Easter Sunday we share a special breakfast with fresh bread and buns, and a handful of locally-chosen chocolates that have magically appeared in the garden that morning. There are always a few non-food related gifts; a box of lego or a handful of puzzles that our kids can enjoy while we chat and nibble on buns, coffee and chocolate.

Which brings me to the recipe for this week; I’m sharing our foolproof, Spiced-Apple Easter Bun. It’s gluten free, doughy and soft, with cinnamon and mixed spice. I’ve used oven-baked heirloom apples as a natural sweetener, together with a mix of gluten-free almond and tapioca flours. I couldn’t decide whether to share this recipe as a bun or a loaf (our family enjoys both), so I’ll include both options.

Thank goodness! My kids often complain that they miss out on conventional celebration foods; doughy soft Easter buns made with white flour and sugar, or conventional chocolates made with preservatives and white sugar. Thankfully, this recipe has been a happy match! The kids love it and don’t feel the slightest angst about missing out on the Easter treats served at their school this year. Win:Win.

Recipe notes..

Heirloom apples create a creamy texture. They act as a binding agent in gluten free recipes and a natural sweetener for baked buns and cakes. The apple varieties that I prefer to use at this time of year are Opalescent or Cox’s Orange Pippin. If you aren’t able to find anything similar, you can always use any store bought apple. Look for varieties that are grown fresh (apples have an excellent storage capacity, but do lose flavour over time. Try buying them from smaller food stores, rather than supermarkets which often store them for longer). Also, search for firmer varieties, that aren’t overly sweet. If you are keen to learn more about growing and cooking with heirloom apples, take a look at the article I wrote for ABC Organic Gardener Magazine this month.

Tapioca Flour is a starch derived from the cassava root. It is an effective thickening agent and works well as a flour-replacement in most gluten-free recipes. If you can’t source some, try replacing it in this recipe with arrowroot powder. I purchase ours from our local packaging-free bulk foods store (try Thrive or The Source Bulk Foods). and it’s usually considerably cheaper than arrowroot powder.

Currants are the classic Easter Bun fruit-of-choice. Look for varieties that are not coated in vegetable oil (most brands do this, to stop them clumping and sticking together). If you can’t source good quality currants, try replacing them in this recipe with sultanas or finely chopped dates or muscatels (the latter is our next-best favourite).

Recipe: Apple-Spiced Easter Buns (or a springy Bun-Loaf if you prefer).

This is a very-easy 2-step blender recipe that doesn’t require a lot of preparation time.

What you will need:

• 2-3 apples, pips removed, and cut into quarters. Total weight should be close to 210 grams.

• 1/2 cup tapioca flour