METHOD
1. Mix the flour with sugar, salt and yeast. Heat up the milk with vanilla and the butter until it melts, then add the water, put aside to cool slightly, then add to the dry ingredients with the glycerine.
2. Mix with a dough hook attachment adding the eggs, one at a time. Knead until it stops sticking and bounces off the sides of the bowl, or stops sticking to your hands. This takes quite a long time and a couple of tablespoons of extra flour might be needed if the dough keeps sticking. Leave in the bowl in a warm place for an hour, until doubled in volume.
3. In the meantime warm up the jam slightly – it will spread easier – and halve the glace cherries. Melt a little extra butter for brushing.
4. Turn the risen dough out onto a floured surface and divide it in three parts. Working with one part after another, roll or stretch it out to a rectangle 30 x 10cm. Spread the jam all over the surface quite generously, sprinkle with glace and dried cherries and roll up like a long sausage.
5. Seal the seam well, then cut in three. Brush one side of each shorter roll with butter and roll again into a tight spiral, with the seam inside. Seal the edge and brush the outside with butter. Place in a tray 20 x 20cm lined with parchment.
6. Continue with the rest of the dough so that you have nine buns spaced three in a row in the tray. Brush the tops with beaten egg or the rest of the butter and leave covered in a warm place for half an hour.
7. Preheat the oven to 180C/350F/gas 4. When the buns have risen and touch one another push remaining halves of the glace cherries in the middle of each bun. Bake for 30 minutes until golden on top. They will stick to each other but tear off beautifully thanks to the butter on their sides.