You know I love to mix things up
So here is a combination of two of my favourite things.
There is no kneading, minimal mixing and a great deal of ease with these. So sit back and enjoy.
The recipe looks like it has lots of steps, but all you’re really doing is just proving the dough at different points – trust me.
It's great if you are busy or have jobs/work to be getting on with. You can throw everything together and leave it in a bowl to rise, giving you time to do other stuff. Come back and you have a lovely dough which you can just shape and throw in the oven. It really is that simple.
I love a good flavour alternative, so I’ve put a few of my suggestions down below (including some rather unconventional ones). Go crazy, try your own combinations and please let me know!
Makes 20
Ingredients:
Dough
1 cup milk
1/2 cup boiling water
1/3 cup melted unsalted butter
1/4 cup sugar
1 tbsp fast action yeast
2 tsp salt
4 3/4 cup flour (I have used any flour here - see note)
1 egg
Spices: 2 tsp mixed spice, 1 tsp cinnamon, ½ orange zest (these can be substituted for whatever you have – see suggestions below)
150g dried fruit
Filling
2 tbsp melted butter
2/3 cup brown sugar
3 tbsp cinnamon (or more mixed spice)
Cross and glaze
4 tbsp plan flour
4 tbsp water (or a little more)
2 tbsp apricot jam, heated (or any jam)
(see notes for ingredient replacement and store cupboard substitutions below the method)
Method:
Put the milk, boiling water, melted butter and 1/4 cup sugar in a bowl and stir to combine. Stir in the yeast, then leave to stand for 5 minutes while you weigh the dry ingredients
Place 4 cups of flour (not all! Leave 3/4 cups for later) in a bowl. Add the yeasty-milk mixture, salt, egg and spices. Stir everything well to combine or pulse in the food processor. Cover with cling film and leave to stand in a warm place for 30 minutes until doubled in size. What I do is put in in an unheated oven with a bowl of boiling water in the bottom to create a humid, steamy cave for the dough.
Add the remaining 3/4 cups of flour, stir to combine and then leave to rise for another 20-30 minutes.
On a floured work surface tip out the dough and add the dried fruit, working it in with your hands for a minute to make sure its evenly spread.
Roll out the dough to a 20x30 cm rectangle. Spread the melted butter over the dough, then sprinkle with the brown sugar and cinnamon. Roll up the rectangle, starting from the long edge.
Cut into equal circular rolls, about 1 inch thick each and place on a lined baking tray about 1 cm apart. Cover the tray with cling film and place in a warm place for about 30 minutes until the rolls have risen and joined together.
Mix the flour and water for the crosses into a paste that just drops off a spoon and either pipe or spoon crosses onto the top of the buns.
Place in an oven preheated to 180oC (160oC fan) and bake for 20-25 minutes until golden brown.
Remove from the oven and glaze with the apricot jam on top to make them glossy.
Notes, substitutions and variations
Flour: For best results I used 1/2 plain flour, 1/2 bread flour. However, any flour works, self raising flour is particularly light. I would say plain four on its own works the least well, so if you use that, add 2 tsp of baking powder along with the flour.
If you have the time you can knead the dough, which gives a great texture, but isn't essential.
These are best eaten on the day they are made, but if they are a couple of days old just simply place in the oven or microwave with a drizzle of apricot jam to revive them. Or make them into a bread and butter pudding – WOW!
Alternative fillings
Replace the spices and mixed fruit with the following (add them in step 4)
Chocolate orange
150g chocolate chunks
Zest of 1 orange
White chocolate and cranberry
80g white chocolate chips
80g dried cranberries
Boozy buns
Soak the dried fruit overnight in your booze of choice. Spiced rum, brandy and port all work well. Once plumped up and juice, drain the liquor and add the fruit to the dough as normal.
Bakewell tart
80 g marzipan cut into 1cm cubes
80 g Glace cherries
3/4 tsp almond extract in the dough
Sticky toffee
80 g pitted dates, chopped
80 g fudge, chopped into cubes
Paddington bear buns
150 g mixed peel
Zest ½ orange
Glaze with marmalade instead of apricot jam
White chocolate, lemon and cardamom
150g white chocolate chunks
Zest of 1 lemon
1.5 tsp cardamom
Bacon, chocolate and fudge (yes!)
80 g bacon lardons (fry these in a pan so they get crispy, then leave to cool)
50 g chocolate chunks
50 g fudge chunks
Alternatively use 80 g bacon, 80g chocolate chunks if you haven’t got fudge
Apricot, elderflower and white chocolate
75g apricots
40ml elderflower cordial
60ml water
75 g white chocolate
Place the elderflower cordial and water in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Once boiled, pour over the apricots and leave to soak for 30 minutes or overnight. Once plump, drain off the liquid and add the apricots to the dough along with the white chocolate.
Comments