Our own combination
Honey lemon knots
Bright lemon. Toasted sesame. A little honey.
Soft yeast buns filled with brown butter and toasted sesame, with lemon zest in the dough and a thin honey-lemon glaze. Shape ten loose knots: gently sweet, fragrant, and made to enjoy just as they are.
View the ingredients
Ingredients for 10 knots
949 g dough + 153 g filling + 45 g finishing. Percentages use 500 g flour; weigh the 60 g brown butter after browning.About 4–5 hours · 45 min active · First rise 75–120 min · Final proof 45–75 min · Bake 22–28 min per sheet.
The dough
- Bread flour
- 100%500 g
- Whole milk
- 58%290 g
- Beaten egg, without shell
- 10%50 g
- Mild liquid honey
- 9%45 g
- Unsalted butter, softened
- 9%45 g
- Salt
- 1.8%9 g
- Instant yeast
- 1.4%7 g
- Finely grated lemon zest
- 0.6%3 g
The sesame filling
- Brown butter, weighed after browning
- 12%60 g
- Sesame seeds
- 8%40 g
- Honey for the filling
- 5%25 g
- Granulated sugar
- 5%25 g
- Lemon zest for the filling
- 0.4%2 g
- Salt for the filling
- 0.2%1 g
Brushing and glazing
- Milk for brushing
- 3%15 g
- Honey for the glaze
- 4%20 g
- Lemon juice
- 2%10 g
Three flavors, each in its place
Finely ground sesame sits between the dough layers. Zest adds fragrance; a little juice makes the glaze bright. Have a large parchment-lined baking sheet, rolling pin, and bench scraper ready.Loose knots
About 110 g dough and filling each, before finishing.
Brown butter
Weigh after browning and cool until spreadable.
Gently golden
Conventional heat; 320°F / 160°C convection.
Why this combination?
Brown butter and toasted sesame give the filling a warm, nutty flavor. Grinding the seeds distributes that flavor and helps make a spreadable filling. Use white sesame and toast only until lightly golden: deeply toasted sesame with over-browned butter can taste bitter.
Honey brings mild sweetness; lemon zest adds aroma without much extra liquid. The juice goes into the finishing glaze. This keeps the dough and filling manageable while giving the baked bun a bright finish.
From brown butter to honey glaze
Allow about 4–5 hours, including rising and a short cooling period. Rising times are guides for about 75°F / 24°C. Judge volume and springiness before moving on.Brown the butter
Heat about 80 g / 2.8 oz unsalted butter in a light-colored pan, stirring often. As soon as the milk solids turn golden brown and smell nutty, pour everything into a heatproof bowl. Include the brown flecks, but not any black, burned particles. Weigh out 60 g / 2.1 oz and cool until soft and spreadable. This is for the filling; keep the 45 g / 1.6 oz soft dough butter separate.
Mix and knead the dough
Mix 500 g / 17.6 oz flour, 290 g / 10.2 oz room-temperature milk, 50 g / 1.8 oz beaten egg, 45 g / 1.6 oz honey, 9 g salt, 7 g instant yeast, and 3 g lemon zest. Knead for about 5 minutes, then work in the 45 g / 1.6 oz soft butter in portions. Continue until supple and elastic: about 12–18 minutes in total by hand. Gently stretch a small piece into a thin windowpane. Slight tackiness is fine; resist adding flour immediately.
Let rise and make the filling
Cover the dough and leave at about 75°F / 24°C for 75–120 minutes, until almost doubled. Meanwhile, toast 40 g / 1.4 oz sesame seeds in a dry pan until lightly golden, cool, and grind or crush finely. Mix with the 60 g / 2.1 oz spreadable brown butter, 25 g / 0.9 oz honey, 25 g / 0.9 oz sugar, 2 g lemon zest, and 1 g salt. If the paste is runny, chill briefly and stir again.
The paste holds a soft ridge: spreadable, not runny.
Fold and cut ten strips
On a lightly floured surface, roll the dough to about 12 × 16 inches / 30 × 40 cm. Spread the filling thinly and evenly over it. Fold in half to 12 × 8 inches / 30 × 20 cm. Cut along the 12-inch / 30 cm edge into ten strips, each about 1.2 inches / 3 cm wide and 8 inches / 20 cm long. If the filling softens too much, chill the folded dough for 15 minutes before cutting. If the dough springs back, let it relax for 5–10 minutes first.
Twist and tie loose knots
Gently stretch each strip to about 10–12 inches / 25–30 cm, twist a few times, and tie a loose single overhand knot. Tuck the ends underneath without pulling tight. Set on a parchment-lined baking sheet about 2 inches / 5 cm apart. Use two sheets if needed and bake one at a time; keep the second cool while the first bakes to limit overproofing.
Twist, tie loosely, and tuck the ends underneath. Final proofing comes next.
Proof the knots
Cover loosely and proof for about 45–75 minutes at 75°F / 24°C. They should become noticeably puffy. Press lightly on dough rather than filling: the dent should return slowly and partway. Preheat to 350°F / 180°C conventional or 320°F / 160°C convection. Just before baking, brush lightly with the 15 g milk, divided across all the buns.
Bake and add the honey-lemon glaze
Bake in the oven's center for about 22–28 minutes, until golden and baked through. Check from 18 minutes and tent loosely with foil if coloring too quickly. A thermometer in a thick part of dough, away from the filling, should read about 194–199°F / 90–93°C. Mix 20 g / 0.7 oz honey with 10 g lemon juice and brush thinly over the warm buns. Cool on a rack for at least 20 minutes.
Brush thinly while warm and cool for at least 20 minutes.
If things turn out differently
The filling leaks
Cool the butter until truly spreadable and grind the sesame finely. A little leakage can happen; a runny filling makes shaping difficult. Briefly chill the folded dough before cutting.
The knots tighten up
Tie them loosely and rest the strips if they spring back. Tuck the ends underneath without pulling the center tight.
The outside browns too fast
Honey and milk encourage browning. Check early, tent loosely with foil, and keep baking until the thick center is done.
The flavor is bitter
Toast sesame lightly and stop browning the butter as soon as it smells nutty. Keep black butter solids and white lemon pith out of the filling.
Before you begin
Which honey and lemons should I use?
Choose mild liquid floral honey. Scrub the lemons and grate only the yellow zest. Weigh 5 g in total: 3 g for the dough and 2 g for the filling.
Why start with 80 g butter if the filling needs 60 g?
Water evaporates during browning. You need 60 g cooled brown butter, including the golden milk solids. Save any extra brown butter for another use.
Can I use fresh yeast?
Use about 21 g fresh yeast instead of 7 g instant yeast. Crumble it into the milk and use the same signs of readiness.
How should I store the buns?
Cool completely and keep airtight for the next day. Freeze the rest. Briefly reheat thawed buns in a moderate oven, covering if needed so the glaze does not get too dark.
