Christmas pudding chelsea buns

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.