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Have you noticed that all of my recipes are apparently the best? Well this one actually is. My mother (who is a tough critic let me tell you – even rated them a 10/10). Maybe they’re The best Chelsea Buns Ever because I grew up eating them and I’m a little bit biases. I have vivid memories of going into Tesco’s (A British Grocery Store) and wondering past the bakery section where you could smell the sugar, see the Jam oozing out of the Sugared Donuts and of course see lined up Ginger Bread Men with with Iced fingers, faces and toes stacked in the display case. But I was always more of a cake person. My grandad always let me pick a treat and I would go for The Chelsea Buns or a Pink Iced Bun. The pink ones just tasted better.
So to make a very long story short, on Sunday It was British Mothers day. As I’m quite homesick at the moment, I decided to bake two British Treats. I’ve never baked Chelsea Buns in my life and had no idea what I was getting myself into – but if you have a few hours to kill and feel like embracing your inner Nijela Lawson then what are you waiting for? Grab some ingredients and head straight to the kitchen – because this is going to be a recipe you have on repeat for special occasions, and I say special occasions because they’re certainly indulgent. I didn’t even ATTEMPT to sub healthier ingredients. I wanted a delicious, authentic Chelsea Bun and they turned out just how I remembered.
For the dough
- 50g butter ( I used I cant Believe It’s Not Butter Light)
- 200ml milk (I used 1%)
- 500g bread flour, plus extra to dust
- 7g fast yeast
- 50g Caster Bakers sugar
- 1 tsp fine sea salt
- zest of 1 lemon
- 1 large egg, beaten
For the filling
- 50g butter + Extra to grease
- 100g light brown sugar
- 2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 200g raisins
For the glaze
Instructions
- Melt the butter for the dough in a saucepan or microwave. Remove from the heat and add the milk.
- In a large mixing bowl (or stand mixer), combine the flour, sugar, yeast salt and lemon zest. Make a well in the centre and add the beaten egg and the buttery milk. Mix together until you have a soft dough and knead for 5-10 minutes by hand. When the dough is starting to look and feel like dough, return it to the bowl, cover and leave to rise for 2 hours or until it doubles in size.
- Roll dough roll out to a rectangle shape on a floured surface. Spread with the soft butter (leaving a thin border along one side). Mix the sugar, cinnamon and raisins together and spread evenly over the dough.
- Dampen the long border with a little water, then roll up like a Swiss roll towards this side, pinching the seam closed. Trim off the ends, then cut the roll into 12 slices. Grease a baking tin and add the buns; they should be spaced about 1cm apart. Cover the tray and leave to prove for about 45 minutes. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
- Bake the Chelsea buns for about 25 minutes until golden and cooked. Dissolve the sugar in 3 tablespoons water in a small pan and simmer for 1 minute, then leave to cool. Brush the buns with the mixture as soon as they come out of the oven. As the water evaporates, you will be left with a sticky glaze. Talk about the icing on the cake hey!?
- Let them cool for at least half an hour and enjoy!
So what do you think? Do you agree that these are The Best Chelsea Buns Ever? If you’ve never had a Chelsea Bun but decided to bake these, I would love to know what you think! You can also find more of my sweet treats here.
