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The Bakery 100 · make it at home

Chelsea buns

3 hr, 40 min hands-on · 9 buns

The English bun: rich dough rolled around currants and spice, baked snug in a pan and glazed until sticky.

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The real one

You need

• Dough: 450 g bread flour (3 2/3 cups)
• 50 g sugar (1/4 cup)
• 7 g instant yeast (2 1/4 tsp)
• 1 tsp salt
• 220 ml whole milk, warm (just under 1 cup)
• 1 egg
• 60 g soft unsalted butter (4 tbsp)
• Filling: 50 g melted butter (3 1/2 tbsp)
• 100 g dark brown sugar (1/2 cup)
• 1 tsp mixed spice or cinnamon
• 200 g currants (1 1/3 cups), soaked 10 min in hot tea and drained
• Zest of 1 orange
• Glaze: 60 g honey or golden syrup, 30 g butter, 2 tbsp water

How to make it

1. Dough (15 min plus 1 hr): Knead flour, sugar, yeast, salt, milk, egg and butter for 10 minutes into a smooth, soft dough. Cover and rise until doubled, about 1 hour.
2. Fill (10 min): Roll to a 30 x 40 cm (12 x 16 in) rectangle. Brush with melted butter, then scatter the brown sugar, spice, currants and orange zest over it, pressing them in.
3. Roll and cut (10 min): Roll up tightly from a long side and cut into 9 thick slices. Set them cut-side up in a buttered 23 cm (9 in) square pan, just touching.
4. Proof (45 min): Cover and proof until they've grown into each other, about 45 minutes. Heat the oven to 190C (375F).
5. Bake (25 min): Bake 25 minutes until deep golden. Cover loosely with foil if the tops brown too fast.
6. Glaze (5 min): Simmer honey, butter and water 1 minute and brush it generously over the hot buns. Leave 10 minutes, then pull apart.

Tips

• Packing them tight is what makes them tall and soft-sided.
• A glaze brushed on hot is what makes them sticky; brush twice.

Chef Amazing's own home version of chelsea bun, in our words; not any bakery's recipe.