CHELSEA BUNS

This free Chelsea Bun Recipe makes the most decadently sweet & delicious Chelsea Buns… Great to serve at tea parties!

Ingredients


Buns:
210ml lukewarm milk
60g butter
445g white bread flour
5ml salt
40g sugar
7g instant died yeast
1 large egg, lightly beaten


Filling:
30ml butter
50ml apricot jam
50g soft dried apricots, chopped
100g raisins
5ml ground cinnamon
5ml ground mixed spice
50g brown sugar
100g pecan nuts, chopped


Topping:
100g sugar
60g butter
60ml milk
60ml honey


Method


Buns:

• Mix the milk and butter in a saucepan and heat until the butter is melted.
• Remove from the heat and cool until lukewarm.
• In a large mixing bowl mix the flour, salt, sugar and yeast together.
• Mix the dry ingredients and beaten egg into the milk mixture to form a soft dough.
• Turn the dough onto a floured surface and knead for 10 minutes.

To knead: Fold the dough in half towards you and then push down and away using the heel of yourhand. Give the dough a quarter of a turn and repeat the kneading process, until the dough is soft and elastic. Alternatively you can use a food processor with a dough hook at a low speed.


Place the dough into a lightly greased bowl and cover with a damp cloth and set aside in a warm place to rise until doubled in size.


Filling:

• Knead the dough again for a minute and then roll out onto a lightly floured surface to form a 40 x 22cm rectangle.
• Melt the butter and apricot jam and brush over the dough.
• Sprinkle with fruit, spices and half the nuts.
• Starting at the long side, tightly roll up the dough like a swiss roll.
• Cut into 9 even sized slices and place them next to each other in a greased, square 20cm baking tin.
• Cover the tin with a damp cloth and allow the buns to rise until they have doubled in size.

Topping:

• Heat all the ingredients for a minute or until all the sugar has dissolved.
• Pour the topping mixture over the buns after they have risen and sprinkle with the remaining nuts.
• Immediately bake in a preheated oven at 190°C for 25 to 30 minutes, until golden brown and cooked through.
• Leave to cool in the tin for 10 minutes before removing from the tin and breaking apart.

Alternative filling: 100g chopped dark chocolate, 100g chopped pecan nuts and 100g brown sugar.


Makes 9