Christmas pudding chelsea buns
- Preparation and cooking time
- Total time
- + proving
- Easy
- Makes 10
Ingredients
- 500g strong white bread flour, plus extra for dusting
- 100g golden caster sugar
- 7g sachet fast-action dried yeast
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- 125ml whole milk, warmed
- 3 eggs
- 100g unsalted or brandy butter, softened, cut into cubes, plus extra for the tin
- 3 tbsp golden syrup or apricot jam
FILLING
- 100g brandy or unsalted butter, softened
- 1⁄2 tsp mixed spice or ground cinnamon
- 200g left-over Christmas pudding, crumbled or diced
- 50g raisins or sultanas
Method
- STEP 1
Put the flour in the bowl of a stand mixer and hand-whisk in the sugar, yeast, cinnamon and ½ tsp of fine sea salt. Make a well in the middle and pour in the milk. Combine briefly with the dough hook, then add the eggs, one a time, kneading well between each addition until you have a smooth dough. Add the butter, a little at a time, until it has all been incorporated. Knead for a minute more until smooth, shiny and elastic. Cover and leave to prove in a warm place for 2 hours until doubled in size.
- STEP 2
For the filling, mash together the butter and spices until well combined. Knock back the dough in the bowl, then roll out on a lightly floured worksurface into a 40cm x 30cm rectangle. Thinly spread over the spiced butter, then scatter over the Christmas pudding and raisins. From a short end, roll up the dough into a tight spiral, then slice into 10 rounds.
- STEP 3
Butter a 40cm x 30cm baking tin and arrange the buns, spiral-side up, about 2cm apart to leave room for spreading. Cover and leave to prove again for 1 hour.
- STEP 4
Heat the oven to 180C/fan 160C/gas 4. Bake for 30 minutes until risen and golden. Melt the syrup or jam with 1-2 tbsp of water in a small pan over a low heat until you have a thin syrup. As soon as the buns come out of the oven, brush them all over with the syrup and leave to cool completely in the tin.