Made Chelsea Buns yesterday:
Recipe:
For the dough
• 260g strong white bread flour
• 30g caster sugar
• 4g instant dried yeast
• ½ tsp mixed spice
• ¼ tsp fine salt
• 150ml whole milk
• 1 small egg
• ½ lemon, zested
• 45g soft butter
For the filling
• 40g melted butter
• 75g currants
• 45g dark brown sugar
For the glaze
• 60g dark brown sugar
• 60ml water
1. Stir together the dry ingredients in the bowl of a stand mixer, then add the milk, egg and lemon zest, and bring it together into a shaggy dough using a dough hook. Add the softened butter in three additions, and then knead until the dough is smooth and pliable. It may be tacky but shouldn’t be desperately sticky. You can do this by hand, too, but the kneading will take you five or ten minutes. Cover and leave to prove for an hour or two in a warm place until doubled in size.
2. Lightly flour a work surface, and roll out the proved dough to approximately 30 x 20cm. Mix together the melted butter and sugar and brush it evenly across the rolled dough; then sprinkle over the currants. Roll the dough up from the long side, and then using a very sharp knife, cut the dough sausage into nine equal pieces. Place these in rows of three in a square high-sided tin, approximately 20 or 25cm on each side. Cover the top loosely with clingfilm, and leave to prove for another hour, until the buns are risen, soft, and puffy.
3. Preheat the oven to 200°C/180°C fan, and bake the buns for 30 minutes, until the buns are golden brown. Meanwhile, make the bun wash: bring the sugar and water together in a small pan, without stirring, until the sugar dissolves and the syrup reaches a boil. Immediately remove from the heat.
4. When the buns come from the oven, paint them liberally with the bun wash. Leave the buns for half an hour, then carefully remove them from the tin, and leave to cool completely before enjoying.
And if you cannot buy mixed spice, use this recipe for making your own:
• 1 tablespoon quality ground cinnamon
• 2 teaspoons ground allspice
• 2 teaspoons ground nutmeg
• 1 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1 teaspoons ground coriander
• 3/4 teaspoon ground mace
BTW, if you are a fan of tea masala, this is a better mixture for spiced tea. Use a pinch (1/8 tsp) in a mug of strong black tea with a little sugar and whole milk. Drink enough of it and the whites of your eyes will turn blue......
Chris