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🍞 Classic Chelsea Buns

Classic Chelsea Buns

🍽 Serves ⏲ Total Time
12 buns 3 hours 50 minutes

🧂 Ingredients

Dough

  • 🧈 50 g (3 ½ Tbsp) butter
  • 🥛 200 ml milk
  • 🍞 500 g strong bread flour
  • 🍵 7 g fast-action dried yeast
  • 🍬 50 g caster sugar
  • 🧂 1 tsp fine sea salt
  • 🍊 1 lemon zest, finely grated
  • 🥚 1 large egg, beaten

Filling

  • 🧈 50 g (3 ½ Tbsp) butter, softened
  • 🍬 100 g light brown sugar
  • 🌰 2 tsp ground cinnamon
  • 🍇 200 g currants

Glaze

  • 🍬 50 g caster sugar
  • 💧 3 Tbsp water

🍳 Cookware

  • 🥘 1 saucepan
  • 🥣 1 large mixing bowl
  • 🥣 1 small bowl
  • ⚙ 1 stand mixer
  • 🪵 1 rolling pin
  • 🔪 1 knife
  • 🥘 1 20x30cm baking tin
  • 🥘 1 oven
  • 🗑 1 wire rack

📝 Instructions

Step 1

Melt butter in a saucepan over low heat, remove from the heat, and stir in milk to take the chill off without making it too hot.

Step 2

In a large mixing bowl (or the bowl of a stand mixer), combine strong bread flour, fast-action dried yeast, caster sugar, fine sea salt, and finely grated lemon zest.

Step 3

Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and add beaten egg and the warm buttery milk mixture. Mix together until a soft dough forms, adding a splash of extra milk if needed.

Step 4

Knead for 10 minutes by hand on a lightly floured surface (or 5 minutes on low speed in a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook) until the dough is smooth, springy, and elastic. Return the dough to the bowl, cover, and leave to rise in a warm place for about 2 hours (or until doubled in size).

Step 5

Knock the dough down, then roll it out on a lightly floured surface with a rolling pin to a rectangle measuring approximately 34 cm by 48 cm (13 by 19 inches).

Step 6

Spread softened butter evenly over the surface of the dough, leaving a 1-inch border along one long edge.

Step 7

In a small bowl, combine packed light brown sugar, ground cinnamon, and currants. Scatter the spiced fruit mixture evenly over the buttered dough and press it in gently.

Step 8

Dampen the clean border with a little water, then roll up the dough snugly from the opposite long edge into a tight log towards the border, pinching the seam closed. Trim the uneven ends, then slice the log into 12 equal slices with a sharp knife.

Step 9

Grease and line a 20x30cm baking tin with baking parchment. Arrange the buns cut-side up in the tin, spaced about 1 cm apart. Cover loosely and leave to prove in a warm place for about 45 minutes until puffy and touching.

Step 10

Preheat the oven to 180 °C (350 °F / 160 °C fan). Bake the buns for 20 to 25 minutes until golden brown and cooked through.

Step 11

While the buns bake, dissolve caster sugar in 3 tablespoons water in a small saucepan and simmer for 1 minute, then remove from the heat to cool.

Step 12

Brush the warm glaze generously over the buns as soon as they come out of the oven to create a sticky, glossy finish.

Step 13

Let the buns cool in the tin for at least 30 minutes on a wire rack before tearing apart and serving.

🔗 Source

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