This recipe makes:
2x chelsea buns tins of 22cm diameter
6x swiss buns
Ingredients for the dough:
- 850g strong white flour, plus extra for dusting
- 25g dry yeast
- 100g caster sugar
- 475ml warm milk
- 2 egg beaten
- 100g unsalted butter, melted, plus extra for greasing
- oil for greasing
- 1 tsp sea salt
Filling ingredients:
- 25g melted butter
- 100g currants, chopped
- 50g sultanas, chopped
- 2 tsp mixed spice
- 25g caster sugar
Glaze:
- 200ml water
- 200g caster sugar
Process:
- Mix together the flour, yeast, sugar and salt. Make a well in the center.
- Warm the milk at body temperature
- Pour milk, melted butter and beaten eggs into the flour. Mix all together and then knead for 10 minutes until you have a smooth and elastic dough. It will be a bit sticky at the very beginning but dont add any flour.
- Shape the dough into a ball, add a bit of oil into the bowl, put the dough, cover with clean film and let it prove until double in size (1h?)
- Pre-heat oven at 180C
- Prepare a tray with butter and a coating of flour to make it anti-sticky.
- Prepare the chelsea buns tins. Put a layer of melted butter, then add a piece of baking paper of the same diameter to cover the bottom. Cover again with a bit of melted butter. Tray to cut another piece of baking paper for the side of the tin. Add a bit of butter again.
Swiss Buns:
- Once the dough has double in size, put it on a lightly flour surface and knock the air out.
- Cut 6 pieces of 80gr aprox. Cover the pieces and the big dough with the bowl and a towel so they dont dry out.
- For each piece, make a ball, flat it with your palm, put pressure and make circules with your hand, remove pressure gradually and until you have a ball again.
- Then roll it as it were a “cigar”. Put it in the tray. Leave around 3cm distance between each “cigar”.
- Prove again until double in size (25-30m). Move to the Chelsea Buns.
- Then bake for 6 minutes aprox or until golden light brown.
- Let it cool down before adding the sugar coating.
- Optional: make white fondant icing. For each Swiss bun, dip only the top, the lift it, let the fondant to drip by one side and then with a finger, clean the fondant drip without leaving the finger mark.
Chelsea Buns:
- With the left-over dough and using a rolling-pin, spread the dough into a big rectangle. At least 42x25cm.
- With a brush, cover the dough with the melted butter.
- Mix sugar and spice, then spread it over the dough.
- Spread evenly the chopped currants and sultanas.
- With the roll, push a bit the dry fruit.
- Make a roll with the dough, start by the “long” side. Be sure it is tight but dont break it.
- With a sharp knife, cut both end until you have an even form. Then cut 12-14 pieces from the roll.
- Put one piece in the middle, then put another at 5 or 6 other pieces around as it were a flower. Be sure the end of each piece points to the middle.
- Put for tins to prove again. Aprox 25 minutes. They should grow until there is no space between each piece and raise a bit too.
- Bake until the top is golden brown. At 180C, aprox 15-20 minutes.
- Glaze with the sugar syrup as soon as the tins are removed from the oven. Remove the buns from the tin!
This is the result!
