Chelsea Buns

Ingredients

For the dough:

• 250g milk (or mylk substitute of your choice)
• 7g instant yeast
• 500g strong white bread flour (plain will do)
• 60g butter (salted or unsalted or margarine)
• 40g caster sugar (can substitute other sugars)
• 10g salt
• 2 large eggs (or around 60g of vegetable oil)
• Zest of one lemon
• 1 teaspoon of mixed spice

For the filling:

• 30g butter, slightly softened (or margarine)
• 35g soft brown sugar
• 200g dried fruit (currants, sultanas, mixed peel, etc.)

For the glaze:

• 2 tablespoons caster sugar
• 1 tablespoon milk (or mylk)
• 2 tablespoons demerara sugar

Optional Extras:

• Sugar for icing
• Your favourite tipple for soaking the fruit

Utensils

• Oven
• Large mixing bowl
• Rolling pin (optional)
• Baking tray (around 27cm by 27cm or equivalent)
• Dental floss, for cutting the rolls (optional)

Method

This recipe is based upon Felicity Cloake's how to make the perfect chelsea buns, combined with Richard Bertinet's pain Viennois dough, with a few tweaks such as more fruit for the filling. 

1. Heat the milk to just below boiling, then set aside to cool
2. Add all of the other dough ingredients into a large mixing bowl
3. Rub in the butter
4. Once the milk has cooled to body-heat add it to the dough
5. Mix in the milk until you have a sticky dough
6. Turn out the dough onto an un-floured work surface
7. Knead the dough until it is smooth and elastic
8. Cover and put in a warm place (25 degrees Celsius)
9. Leave for around an hour until doubled in size
10. Roll out the dough into a 25x35cm rectangle, with the longest edge facing you
11. Spread the butter across the surface
12. Scatter the sugar and fruit across the buttered dough
13. Tightly roll the dough away from you and seal the seam underneath
14. Grease your baking tin, or line with baking parchment
15. Slice your dough into even sized buns using either a sharp knife or your dental floss
16. If using a 27x27cm tray you should aim for nine buns
17. Place the buns in the tray cut side up
18. The buns should be around 1cm apart to allow for expansion
19. Put your oven on to preheat to 180 degrees Celsius
20. Cover your buns and put in a warm place (25 degrees Celsius) to prove for up to an hour
21. When ready to bake the buns should have expanded such that they are touching
22. Bake for 20-25 minutes
23. If the buns are over-browning or the exposed fruit is catching you may need to loosely cover them with tin foil
24. Just before the buns are baked, warm the milk and caster sugar in a pan to make a thin glaze
25. As soon as the buns are out of the oven, brush with the glaze
26. Scatter the buns with the demerara sugar
27. Allow to cool slightly before serving