Time to make something a bit different. I have really struggled during lockdown to get some strong white bread flour and I ended up asking my mum to ask the village community where she lives if anyone had any.
My boyfriend’s mum was super excited when I told her that I would be making these as she asked me a few weeks ago.
I decided to make these this weekend because my boyfriend’s auntie and her husband are coming over for a BBQ and I wanted to do something that they could enjoy.
This recipe is good for using up any sultanas and currants that you might have lying around the house. They do not get used a lot here so any recipe which I can use them is good.
I really enjoying making recipes that are different and give me a chance to learn other skills that I might not necessarily already have.
This is a proper English recipe and would go down well if you have visitors from abroad that may not have had these before.
I really enjoyed making something that is different for me. These are best eaten on the day of baking but can be frozen if you fancy a sweet treat in a few weeks.
Chelsea Buns
Ingredients
Buns
- 450 g strong white flour
- 1 tsp salt
- 2 x 7 g sachet of yeast
- 150 ml milk
- 50 g unsalted butter
- 1 egg
- 50 g golden caster sugar
Filling
- 25 g unsalted butter
- 100 g currants
- 50 g sultanas
- 2 tsp mixed spice
- 25 g caster sugar
Glaze
- 2 tbsp golden caster sugar
- 1 tbsp water
Instructions
- Start by making the dough. Mix together the flour, yeast, caster sugar and 1 tsp sea salt in a large mixing bowl. Make a well in the centre and pour in the warm milk, beaten egg and melted butter. Mix well, first with a wooden spoon then with your hands until you get a soft dough. If it feels dry add a bit of warm water, but if it feels too sticky and wet add a spoonful of flour.
- Dust your work surface with flour and tip the mixture onto it and start kneading. Keep kneading the dough until it feels smooth and elastic. Shape into a ball and sit it in a clean bowl, lightly greased with melted butter or oil. Cover with cling film and leave to rise in a warm place for about 1 hr or until doubled in size.
- Heat oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6 and grease a deep 21 x 21cm square tin. Dust the work top with a little more flour then start to knead the risen dough on the prepared surface just to knock the air out. Shape into a 20 x 30cm rectangle. To fill the buns gently spread the softened butter over the dough and then scatter the currants and chopped sultanas over the top. Mix the mixed spice and caster sugar together in bowl then sprinkle that over the dough in an even layer.
- Roll the dough up in a tight spiral from the longest edge like a Swiss roll then slice into 9 equal sized swirled buns. Arrange them in the tin, cut side up then cover with a clean, damp tea towel and leave to prove in a warm place for around 30 mins or until doubled.
- Bake the buns for 10 mins, then reduce the temperature to 180C/160C fan/gas 4 and cook for a further 10 mins. For the glaze, stir the caster sugar together with 1 tbsp water until the sugar has dissolved then brush it all over the buns as soon as they are cooked. Leave to cool in the tin for 10 mins before serving. Can be eaten hot or cold.
