Apricot buns

1 Lightly grease a large baking tray (or 2 medium trays) with butter. Use a sharp knife to divide each ball of brioche dough into three, then roll each piece into a ball. Space out evenly on the baking tray. Cover with a clean, damp tea towel and leave to prove in a warm place until doubled in size (about 2 hours).

2 Use your fingers to firmly press a large dimple (4-5cm wide) into the centre of each proved dough ball, without piercing the base, to create the look of a doughnut. Drain the apricots, reserving the syrup. Cut each one into 1cm slices. Add 1 tbsp custard and some apricot slices to the dimple in each bun. Cover and leave in a warm place for 20-30 minutes, until the dough has puffed up again.

3 Preheat the oven to 180°C, gas mark 4. Drizzle ½ tsp of the apricot syrup over the apricots in each bun, then bake for 22-25 minutes, until risen, golden and cooked through. Transfer to a wire rack, then brush the buns all over with more apricot syrup. Allow to cool for 5 minutes, then dust with a little icing sugar. Enjoy warm or at room temperature.