The perfect accompaniment to a steaming mug of brewed hot drink, this highly perfected recipe does justice to the time-honoured sticky bun. So, fire-up the oven, get those hands into the mixing bowl, and get ready to embark on a journey into the heady realm of dessert bread! So, without further ado, lets get down and dirty with a batch of world class Chelsea Buns.
Chelsea Buns
Equipment
- 1 Wooden Spoon (or futuristic silicone equivalent)
- 1 Baking Tray
Ingredients
For the Dough
- 50g (2oz) Unsalted Butter
- 200g (7oz) Milk
- 500g (1lb) White Bread Flour
- 8g (2½tsp) Dry Yeast
- 50g (2oz) Caster Sugar
- 8g (1tsp) Salt
- 20g (2 lemons) Lemon Zest (yellow bit only)
- 100g (2) Eggs, beaten
Innards
- 50g (2oz) Butter, room temperature
- 100g (3½oz) Light Brown Sugar
- 20g (2tbsp) Ground Cinnamon
- 150g (5oz) Raisins
- 100g (3½oz) Chopped Hazelnuts
For the glaze
- 50g (2oz) Caster Sugar
- 15g (1tbsp) Lemon Juice
- 50g (2oz) Water
Instructions
- In a large mixing bowl, combine 500g Flour, 8 grams Dry Yeast, 50g Caster Sugar, 40g Lemon Zest, 8g of Salt and mix thoroughly
- Using a small saucepan, gently heat 200g of Milk and toss in 50g of Butter. Temperature is critical, too hot will kill the yeast, cook the egg and ruin your chances of a successful bake. So, turn off the heat when the milk is hand temperature (around 36°C), so stick your finger in it. If it’s hot to the touch, wait for it to cool before adding it to the flour mixture
- When the Butter has fully melted, pour the Milk and buttery mix into the floury mix, add the Egg, and stir. Once successfully combined, turn out onto a work surface and beat the living daylights out of it (knead) for 10 minutes. The Dough should be slightly sticky to the touch, so try to avoid dusting the surface as it will dry it out
- Return to the bowl, cover with plastic wrap and leave to rise until doubled in size. The rise time is indeterminate and is impacted by factors like temperature and humidity. It could take anything between 30 minutes and 2 hours. Leave it somewhere warm (if possible) and keep an eye on it. Generally, I take before and after photos to compare how much it has risen
- Meanwhile mix together the innards (filling). Combine 100g of Brown Sugar, 100 grams of Chopped Hazelnuts, 150 grams of Raisins and 20 grams of Cinnamon Powder. Mix thoroughly
- Once risen, knock the air out of the Dough and do your best to form it into a vaguely rectangular shape. Approximately 50cm x 30cm. Some people like to trim their dough to make for neater buns. I kind of like the misshapen end pieces so I don’t
- Take 50 grams of Butter (softened, but not melted). Rub it liberally over the dough, leaving a 1-centimetre gap at the top where we will seal the buns closed. Take your ‘innards’ mix and smear it over the butter, again leaving a 1cm gap at the top
- From the bottom, loosely (you need space for the dough to continue to rise) roll the dough towards the gap you left at the top. Using a finger, apply a small amount of water to the exposed 1cm unadulterated area of dough. Finish rolling into a long sausage shape, pressing the exposed area lightly to create a seal
- Cut into 12 equal discs approximately 4cm wide. Place on a baking sheet on a large baking tray, leaving around 4cm between each bun. This will likely be messy, this is normal. Cover with cling film and leave to rise
- Pre-heat the oven to 180°C (350°F, Fan 160°C, Gas Mark 4)
- Once doubled in size, place in the centre of the oven and bake
- Check on the buns after 25 minutes, when ready they will be golden brown in colour. If your oven is as bad as mine and doesn’t cook evenly, you may have to turn the tray around for the final 5 minutes
- Towards the end of the bake place 50 grams of Water, 50 grams of Sugar and 15 grams of Lemon Juice in a small pan and place on a low heat, stirring continuously. When it has reached a slightly syrupy texture, remove from the heat
- When the buns are fully baked, remove from the oven. Using a pastry brush glaze them with the syrup mixture, ensuring you use all of it
- Leave to cool on a rack
- Gorge yourself stupid on World Class Chelsea Buns
Nutrition
Delve into the World of Chelsea Buns
Personalizing your Chelsea Buns
Now that you have mastered the art of the world class Chelsea Bun, it’s time to get creative. The purists out there will have you believe that the sticky goodness should not stray away from its currant and cinnamon origins, but to hell with that, throw in whatever takes your fancy. The innards can cope with a variety of delicious spices and alternative fillings, such as nutmeg, mixed spice, chocolate, any kind of nut, orange peel, popping Candy, jelly sweets, and whatever the baking oriented mind can conceive. So, why not throw caution to the wind and upgrade those Chelsea Buns with the liberal application of imagination!
Useful Tips
There are three main places where this dalliance into the world of Chelsea Buns could possibly go a bit wrong. Firstly, ensure that the liquid is the correct temperature. If too hot, then it will kill the yeast, and if too cold it may hamper the production of c02 and effectively slow down the rise. The second comes in the kneading phase, which generally requires a bit of elbow grease to get it to the right consistency. This means going at it for a solid 10 minutes, which can become a little tiring. The third and final aspect comes in the rise itself. Essentially, any budding baker must make sure they catch the rise at the top. Too little and the buns may turn out too solid and split during the bake, while rising too long will result in flatter Chelsea Buns.
Partnering Your Buns with a Hot Drink
Anyone with a splattering of wisdom in the matter of dessert bread knows that every bun must be accompanied by its own mug of hot drink. For those with an inclination towards booze, I would suggest either a heavenly Irish Coffee, a life-giving Hot Toddy, or, if it’s Christmas time, a hearty cup of Mulled Wine. While, those on the decadent side of the fence can opt for this opulent Hot Chocolate recipe.
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