Easy-Peasy Pizza Crust

Though not a gluten-free recipe, this one is a keeper. Nothing beats a homemade pizza crust but so many recipes can be time consuming requiring kneading, kneading and kneading, right?  Once again, we can let our mixers do the work for us.  Sit back, have a tea, and watch it all happen.  Leave your bicep workouts for the gym.  No manual kneading required!

As my followers know well, I am not a dough fan but when I can use my mixer with dough hook attachment my fears of kneading become a thing of the past. This recipe is perfect for me and will be for you too!

Irish Barm Brack

As a tribute to upcoming St. Patrick's Day, I wanted to make an authentic Irish baked treat. After some research and contemplation I decided upon Barm Brack.

What is Barm Brack?  It is a dense yeast-bread filled with raisins and currants, spiced with mixed spice and cinnamon and then baked up either as a traditional loaf or in a round cake pan.

The history of Barm Brack  (meaning speckled loaf) actually revolves around Halloween.  As per Wiki and other sites, the Halloween version of Barm Brack traditionally contained various objects baked into the bread and was used as a sort of fortune telling game.  There would be a pea, a stick, a piece of cloth, a small coin (originally a silver sixpence) and a ring all wrapped up individually in bits of greaseproof paper. Each object, when received in the slice, was supposed to carry a meaning to the person concerned: the pea, the person would not marry that year; the stick, would have an unhappy marriage or continually be in disputes; the cloth or rag, would have bad luck or be poor; the coin, would enjoy good fortune or be rich; and the ring, would be wed within the year. Other articles added to the brack include a medallion, usually of the Virgin Mary to symbolize going into the priesthood or joining a convent.

For me, it is just a lovely way to enjoy a sweet yeast bread with a cuppa tea ! I will pass on the convent option. But coins are most welcome.

The Perfect White Rustic Loaf

Ok let me begin by being honest - I am not a bread person. To clarify, I could eat loads of it but unless I can make a loaf in my bread machine, I rarely dabble in bread making. Main reason? Kneading. Blech. I get no joy out of manual labor. Sure, I could use the knead cycle of my bread maker but I rarely do.  Then I became the owner of a KitchenAid mixer with a dough hook. I haven't looked back since. It is the best thing next to sliced bread, no pun intended.

Which brings me to the recipe I am sharing with you today for a sinfully good White Rustic Loaf. The crust is golden brown, crispy and somewhat chewy. The inside is like biting into a cloud. Serve warm with a pad of butter and some top-notch jam and you will grin from ear to ear. And trust me, you will come back to this recipe time and time again. Seriously, it is that good.

Cinnamon Twists

Our family started off Saturday by enjoying freshly made cinnamon twists. These are yeast based donuts , shaped into twists, deep fried to a golden brown then dipped in a cinnamon vanilla glaze. One word: FANTASTIC!

About a month ago I headed to Syracuse, NY for a shopping excursion and found myself happily immersed in all that is Williams Sonoma. I left that store like a pack mule weighed down with several heavy bags containing baking tins, spices, bowls, and you guessed it - a few cookbooks! One of those cookbooks was Donuts by Elinor Klivans.

When I saw it on the shelf I knew it had to come home with me. The pictures are amazing. The recipes even more so. There is even one for salted caramel donuts. I mean who can resist that ?!

After I returned home from my little shopping extravaganza I promptly unpacked and then lost track of several items I "had to have". Sure enough, this lovely book got tucked away with a slew of other cookbooks and I hate to admit it but I had completely forgotten I owned it until last night. Last night a craving for donuts hit and I went to get my trusted donut cookbook Doughnuts by Lara Ferroni when I spotted this one nestled in right beside it.


As I flipped through the gorgeous glossy pages filled with pictures of enticing puffy and golden pastries my eyes fell upon the picture for cinnamon twists. They looked incredible. Challenging, yes, but incredible! So today before the sun came up there I was standing in my kitchen still in full PJ mode. Just me, my cuppa joe, Majestic (my beloved KitchenAid stand mixer) and this gorgeous cookbook.

The ingredients list for Cinnamon Twists is straight forward and the instructions crystal clear. I was a little worried during the dough making stage though as my dough didn't match up to the description in the book. It said the dough will not pull away from the sides of the bowl. Hmmm, mine sure did. In fact I found the dough rather dry versus their description of "sticky". Regardless I maintained an optimistic mindset and keep moving forward. After a 45 minutes initial rise phase I rolled out the dough, cut it into strips with my pizza cutter, twisted it up as the book instructed and let them rise again. Then once the oil was at 350F and the twists had rested another 1/2 hr I began the deep-fry stage. A minute on one side, flip, a minute on the other. Out they came, drained and then dipped in a cinnamon glaze.

I couldn't believe how great they tasted. These far surpassed any coffee-shop version but the thing I loved the most was the lack of yeast taste. I have made donuts before many times and sometimes the recipe simply calls for, at least in my opinion, too much yeast. The flavor just takes over and overpowers everything else. I am not a fan of that yeast flavor to begin with and when I took a bite of a fresh cinnamon twist my grin could not have been wider. Not a hint of yeast flavor - instead just a phenomenal soft, puffy sweetness flavored with cinnamon and vanilla. I was in heaven.

So are you ready to make some incredible twisty donuts? Then let's get to it !

RECIPE:
*source recipe: Cinnamon Twists, Donuts by Elinor Klivans
Note: I purchased the hard-cover version which is no longer available at Amazon. The soft cover book is coming out Sept 2011 so pre-order now !

WHAT YOU NEED

Dutch oven, deep fryer or large deep saucepan
Canola oil for frying
Oil/candy thermometer

TWISTS
3/4 cup whole milk (I used 2% and it worked fine)
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
3 1/4 cup all purpose flour
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 package ( 2 1/2 teaspoons) quick-rise yeast
2 large eggs
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

CINNAMON GLAZE
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
2 1/2 cups powdered sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
5 tablespoons very hot water

MAKE IT

IN SMALL SAUCEPAN, heat butter and milk until foamy but not yet boiling. Remove from heat
WITH STAND MIXER fitted with paddle attachment, slowly combine 2 1/2 cups flour, sugar, cinnamon, salt and yeast
SLOWLY pour in hot milk/butter mixture
BLEND on medium speed 2 minutes
ADD eggs and vanilla
MIX on medium speed 2 more minutes
ADD remaining 3/4 cup of flour and continue to beat on MED speed for one more minute
SCRAPE dough off paddle, leave dough in bowl and cover with a tea towel
LET rise 45 minutes

LINE 2 COOKIE SHEETS with waxed paper
SPRAY wax paper with cooking spray

ON FLOURED WORK SURFACE, roll dough into 18" x 9" rectangle
WITH PIZZA CUTTER or sharp knife, cut into 18 strips 9" long x 1" wide
FOLD strips in have and twist 3-4 time to make tight spirals
PLACE ON lined cookie sheets
COVER with tea towels and let rest 30 minutes

PLACE 2 cooling racks over paper towels to catch any drips
POUR OIL to depth of 2 inches into saucepan
HEAT oil to 350F
FRY twists 1 minute per side
WITH slotted steel spatula, transfer twists to cooling racks

MAKE GLAZE

IN LARGE wide mouthed bowl, sift in powdered sugar
WHISK in all remaining glaze ingredients until smooth
DIP tops of warm twists into glaze and place back on cooling rack, glaze side up, until set (about 5 minutes).

ENJOY!

Also seen here:

Sticky Chocolate Cinnamon Buns

Glorious chocolate cinnamon buns! The secret to these decadent treats is the addition of chocolate chips and a layer of caramel sauce lurking underneath as they bake. During the baking process, some of the chocolate chips melt into the caramel sauce. When you flip the buns over after baking you have an incredible chocolate cinnamon bun glazed in a rich and creamy chocolate, caramel sauce.

I started out with my basic sticky bun dough recipe which is made in the bread machine. The cinnamon bun filling ingredients stay the same too but with the addition of 1 1/2 cups of semi-sweet chocolate chips. The biggest change though is the caramel sauce. Made easily in a saucepan and then poured into the baking pan, it serves as the sticky topping to these sweet and delicious buns. For a special dessert treat, top them with whipped cream and a cherry or shaved chocolate. Beyond good!





LET'S GET STARTED

RECIPE:

WHAT YOU NEED

A bread maker with a dough setting
9X13" baking dish

DOUGH INGREDIENTS

1 large egg at room temperature
1 1/4 cups warm water (80F or 27C)
3 1/2 teaspoons oil (plain vegetable oil works best. I used Becel)
1/3 cup granulated white sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
3 1/2 cups white bread flour
2 teaspoons active dry yeast (I use the type marked for bread maker use)

THE FILLING

1/2 cup unsalted melted butter
1/4 cup fine white sugar
1/2 cup dark brown sugar
3 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 1/2 cups semi-sweet or milk chocolate chips

CARAMEL SAUCE

1/2 cup unsalted butter
1 cup packed dark brown sugar
1 tablespoon corn syrup
2 tablespoons cream or milk

MAKE IT

GREASE baking dish (I melt 2 tablespoons of butter for this and brush it all over the inside of the dish)

IN YOUR BREAD MAKER, ADD all dough ingredients in the exact order as listed above.
SELECT Dough course and press Start

WHILE DOUGH IS RISING, combine all caramel sauce ingredients in a small saucepan
BRING TO A BOIL over medium heat and allow to simmer for 1-2 minutes, stirring continously
POUR INTO prepared baking pan and ensure it covers all areas of the bottom of the pan

ONCE the dough course is complete, liberally sprinkle a work surface with flour
PLACE dough on work surface and roll out to a large rectangle (12" x 16")

Filling Ingredients: BRUSH melted butter on dough leaving 1/2 " edge on all sides
COMBINE sugars and cinnamon together in a bowl, sprinkle all over buttered area
TOP with chocolate chips
STARTING with longest side, ROLL up dough tightly to form a log
WITH SHARP KNIFE, cut rolls in 1 1/2" slices
PLACE rolls in baking dish over caramel sauce
COVER with a clean tea towel and let rise in a warm area for 30 minutes
PREHEAT oven to 350F
REMOVE towel and BAKE in oven for 25 minutes.

ALLOW buns to rest in baking dish at room temperature on cooling rack for 5 minutes
INVERT buns onto a plate

DIG IN !

Also seen here:

Raisin Bran Loaf

The next best thing to a raisin bran muffin. This bread is made in your bread maker and filled to the brim with goodness: all-bran cereal, wheat bran and whole wheat flour. Molasses adds richness, color and that taste that brings anything labeled "raisin bran" truly alive.

This bread is super quick to put together even though it has a tad longer ingredient list than usual. Within a few hours you will have a lovely loaf to enjoy. This one is great toasted but also would be fantastic as a basis for your next french toast breakfast.

If you don't have wheat bran handy simply swap it out with oat bran. I tend to have oat bran on standby all the time as it is one of my favorite hot cereals. I used dark raisins in this recipe but you could also use golden raisins or any other small dried fruit and exchange it in the recipe at a 1:1 ratio.

So let's get BAKING!

I use this brand of cereal.

It is excellent in this recipe.


A fresh and golden loaf

RECIPE:
*source recipe: 250 Best Canadian Bread Machine Baking Recipes
Makes 1.5 lb loaf


WHAT YOU NEED

1 1/4 cups water at room temperature
1/4 cup skim milk powder
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
2 tablespoons packed brown sugar
1 tablespoon of molasses (not blackstrap)
2 tablespoons vegetable oil (neutral flavor only)
1 1/4 cups whole wheat flour
1 1/4 cups white bread flour
1/2 cup bran cereal
1/4 cup wheat bran
3/4 cup raisins
1 1/4 teaspoon bread machine yeast

MAKE IT

ADD all ingredients into your bread maker pan in the order above except raisins
ADD raisins to dispenser container on your bread machine. If you don't have a dispenser then go ahead and add the raisins with the rest of the ingredients
SELECT WHOLE WHEAT cycle
SELECT EXTRAS if you have an extras dispenser for the raisins
SELECT 1.5 lb loaf and MEDIUM crust setting
PRESS START and let the bread maker do all the work

ENJOY !

Maple Ice Cream with Sweet Pastry

What greater way to celebrate Canada Day than by indulging in two of Canada's most prized possessions - Maple Syrup and what some refer to as BeaverTails! I absolutely ADORE both of these sweet heavenly treats. I figure why not put the two together for a true "fireworks" dessert.

For trademark purposes, let me clarify:  the pastry recipe found here is based on one in the book: 250 Best Canadian Bread Machine: Baking Recipes and does NOT reflect the official trademarked recipe for BeaverTails.  To be safe, from this point forward I will refer to the used recipe here as one for "Sweet Pastry".

If memory serves me correctly, I had my first real BeaverTail in the mid 90s while skating along the canal in my home town of Ottawa, Canada. Actually I was born near Ottawa in the province of Quebec. As I cannot speak a word of French I figure labeling Ottawa as my hometown just simplifies things and saves me explaining yet again why I, a "Quebecer", cannot speak the language. But I can speak the language of love and what comes to my lips when I think of love is a golden, fried and sweet beaver tail topped generously with cinnamon sugar. Pair that with a hot chocolate in the middle of February and I am yours ! Pair it with maple ice cream in the summer and hey, I can be anything you want me to be, baby.

Anyway, back to BeaverTails. In case you are not aware, Ottawa is home to the worlds largest skating rink known as the Rideau Canal. For me, the best part of the winter season isn't exactly the canal itself but rather the little food kiosks they open up along its frozen edges. Once I don my skates, I immediately head for the BeaverTails Hut. In fact, that is the only reason I will ever drag my butt down to the canal in the freezing cold with my feet jammed into a pair of ice cube skates. Such is my love of the BeaverTail.

These indulgences shouldn't end when the snow melts. We shouldn't sit back and pine away for the cold tundra to arrive again before we can sink our teeth into our favorite pastry treat. Let's enjoy such sweet pastries all year long!

During a hot, sweltering summer day nothing beats the taste of a fresh sweet pastry topped with cool and creamy maple syrup ice cream. Close your eyes and try to imagine it. Bet you can't. You have to taste it! In this case your imagination simply isn't going to do it justice. To taste it means to make it so let's get started.

Ok but wait, before we dive in I need to moan about the ice cream too. OMG! It is sooooo creamy and rich. The maple syrup gives it an incredibly sweet , almost caramely (ok not a word but so suiting) flavor. Super on its own or even with added pecans but beautifully highlighted atop a beaver tail. I am not sure if I will ever be able to go back to eating ice cream from a cone ever again.

To get started, give yourself 2 days of time from start to finish. You will want to prepare the ice cream custard the day before and let it rest in the fridge overnight. Bright and early the next day spoon it into your ice cream maker and freeze accordingly to manufacturer's instructions. Later that day it is time to fire up the bread maker. We will use it to make your sweet pastry dough. Have a candy/oil thermometer handy too because you will need to keep your oil for deep frying hovering around 350F for perfectly golden fried dough. So are you ready? Great, let's go !





RECIPE:

WHAT YOU NEED

ICE CREAM
*adjusted source recipe: Maple Pecan Ice Cream, Joy of Baking

3/4 cup pure maple syrup. I use President's Choice 100% Maple Syrup but any good grade one will do
2 cups half-and-half cream
5 large egg yolks
3 tablespoons fine granulated sugar
1/2 cup whipping cream (35-40% butterfat )

SWEET PASTRY
*adjust source recipe: 250 Best Canadian Bread Machine: Baking Recipes

1 cup of milk at room temperature
1 egg
3/4 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoon granulated sugar
1 tablespoon butter at room temperature
3 1/4 cups bread flour
3/4 teaspoon bread machine yeast

SWEET PASTRY TOPPING

1/2 cup fine granulated sugar
1 tablespoon cinnamon (Saigon variety is great for extra kick!)
Combine both in a bowl and have a spoon handy for sprinkling

MAKE IT

ICE CREAM

IN SMALL SAUCEPAN, over med/high heat, combine maple syrup and half-and-half
STIR continuously until near scalding (mixture will begin to foam)
REMOVE from heat
IN LARGE STEEL BOWL, with electric hand mixer, beat egg yolks and sugar 2 minutes high speed
SLOWLY pour hot syrup mixture into egg yolks adding only a little bit at a time and whisking after each addition
PLACE bowl over a large saucepan filled partially with simmering hot water. Do not let the bowl touch the water
WHISK custard continuously until thickened and coats the back of the spoon. This can take approx. 15 minutes or longer. Do not let it get so hot it starts to boil
REMOVE from heat, stir in heavy cream and cover with cling film.
LET STAND at room temperature for 1 hour
PLACE in fridge, still covered, and let sit overnight
NEXT DAY, scoop custard into ice cream maker and freezing accordingly to manufacturer's instructions.

SWEET PASTRY

ADD all ingredients in the order above to your bread maker's bread pan
SET to dough cycle, press START , sit back and relax
WHEN cycle ends, place dough onto lightly floured surface and cover with a bowl for 15 minutes
IN LARGE DUTCH OVEN, heat 2"-3" of canola oil to 350F
LINE two cookie sheets with paper towel and set aside
UNCOVER dough and separate into 10 pieces
WITH YOUR FINGERS, stretch the dough into 8"x 6" ovals
PLACE one oval into hot oil and submerse with steel tongs
FLIP after 45 seconds and hold down again for 30 seconds
REMOVE with tongs and place on paper towel lined baking sheets
IMMEDIATELY sprinkled generously with cinnamon sugar mixture
REPEAT until you have made 10 beaver tails

TOP THE SWEET PASTRIES
with scoops of maple ice cream, grab a napkin, a spoon and DIG IN !

Also seen here:

Cloverleaf Rolls

These lovely rolls were served at our recent family Father's Day dinner. Though I slaved over Chicken Marsala, roasted vegetables and light and fluffy mashed potatoes, it was these little rolls that stole the show !

The best part: no manual kneading required. The dough is made in the bread maker! All you need to do is divide it after it has risen and form into balls. The balls are then placed, 3 at a time, into muffin cups, then let to rise again for 45 minutes before popping into the oven.

These sweet and fluffy pull-apart rolls are perfect to serve with any meal and taste incredible topped with fresh creamy butter. If you have not eaten a cloverleaf roll before then you have no idea what you are missing!

SO LET'S BEGIN !

Here they are perfectly risen
and ready for baking

Brush with melted butter right after
taking the baked rolls out of the oven

RECIPE:
*source recipe: 250 Best Canadian Bread Machine Baking Recipes

WHAT YOU NEED

Your beloved bread maker !
1 1/3 cups of milk at room temperature
1 1/4 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
2 tablespoons unsalted butter at room temperature
3 1/4 cups bread flour
1 1/4 teaspoon bread machine yeast
butter for glazing

MAKE IT

COMBINE all ingredients into the pan of your bread maker
WHEN ADDING THE BUTTER, break apart into small pieces with your fingers
SELECT Dough Cycle
PRESS Start
WHEN cycles has finished, remove dough onto a lightly floured work surface
COVER with large bowl
LET REST 10-15 minutes
SPRAY muffin tin (one that makes 12 regular sized muffins) with baking spray
ON FLOURED WORK SURFACE, divide dough into 12 equal portions
ROLL each portion into 3 same-sized balls
PLACE in muffin cups
COVER with cloth and let rise 45 minutes
PREHEAT oven to 375F
BAKE 15-20 minutes until rolls sound hollow when tapped
MELT 1-2 tablespoons unsalted butter and brush across warm rolls
REMOVE rolls from tin and serve.

ENJOY!

Also seen here:

Gluten-Free Raised Donuts with Honey Glaze

These beauties are gluten-free, yeast-raised and deep fried. They have a lovely texture, great taste and are finished with a simple honey glaze that sets wonderfully letting you indulge without having your fingers coated in sticky sugary icing.

The source recipe can be found in my newly purchased, and deeply loved cookbook, Doughnuts - Simple and Delicious Recipes to Make at Home by Lara Ferroni.

I took Lara's recommendation to use Chia Flour (ground chia seeds) as she states it adds a slight chewy texture to these donuts which mimics that of a regular raised donut. She was right! These have the taste and texture we all love in our gluten-based deep fried donuts.

You can find ground chia flour in nearly every health food store now. If you strike out, feel free to substitute 1:1 with brown rice flour.

I did adjust Lara's recipe as I went along by adding a few more spices and reducing the yeast somewhat because I didn't want an over-powering yeast flavor which sometimes can happen with raised donuts. When you reduce the yeast you also need to increase the proofing time so I did that as well.

The glaze is nothing more than 1 cup of sifted powdered sugar, 1 tablespoon of honey and 3-4 tablespoons of milk.

I highly advise you use a stand mixer with dough and paddle hook attachments for this recipe. Mixing by hand would be a challenge but could be done if you really wanted to go that route.

To begin, you will first need to combine the following ingredients which will serve as your basic gluten-free donut baking mix. I combine all the ingredients in a large Ziploc bag, give it a good shake, use what I need and store the rest in the fridge.

• 1 cup potato starch
• 1/4 cup potato flour or sweet sorghum
• 1/2 cup tapioca flour
• 1/2 cup sweet rice flour

Now let's get started !

RECIPE:
altered source recipe: Doughnuts - Simple and Delicious Recipes to Make at Home by Lara Ferroni

WHAT YOU NEED

1/3 cup chia or brown rice flour
2 cups GF baking mix (see above)
1/4 teaspoon xanthan gum
1/4 teaspoon guar gum
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 1/2 teaspoons active dry yeast
1/4 cup milk warmed to 110F
1/4 cup lukewarm water
3 tablespoons fine granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 large eggs
1 large egg white
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
2 tablespoons unsalted butter or vegetable shortening at room temperature
Canola Oil - enough to fill a dutch oven with 2 inches of oil

In addition to the basics, you will also need a dutch oven, doughnut cutter or biscuit cutters in large and small sizes, oil/candy thermometer, steel spatula used for frying donuts and a non-terrycloth dishtowel

GLAZE

1 cup sifted powdered sugar
1 1/2 tablespoons of honey
3-4 tablespoons of milk

MAKE IT

IN MEDIUM BOWL, whisk together first 7 ingredient which I will refer to as "flour mixture"
IN LOW LYING BOWL ( I used my soup bowl), sprinkle 1 1/4 teaspoons of yeast over warm milk. Allow to sit 5 minutes then gently stir with fork until yeast is mostly dissolved
ADD 1/8 cup (20 grams) of flour mixture and stir well until a paste forms
COVER with cling wrap and let sit 15 minutes
IN BOWL OF STAND MIXER, fitted with paddle attachment, stir together remaining yeast and water
ADD flour/yeast paste, sugar and salt
STIR MED speed until smooth
BEAT in eggs, egg white, vanilla and vinegar
MIX IN 1/2 cup of flour blend on MED speed for 30 seconds
CHANGE to dough hook attachment
CONTINUE adding flour mixture , 1/4 cup at a time (until remaining flour mixture is used up) kneading shortly after each addition until dough finally starts pulling away from sides.
COVER bowl with cling wrap and let sit 30 minutes

FLOUR work surface with some gluten-free (GF) baking blend
ROLL out dough to 1/2 inch thickness
CUT OUT with donut cutter
PLACE donuts and holes and a baking tray lined with a linen dish towel sprinkled with GF flour
COVER with cling wrap and let rest 35-40 minutes until risen with rounded tops

WHILE DONUTS ARE PROOFING, heat oil in dutch oven to 350F
WITH SPATULA, ADD 2-3 donuts at a time or 5 donut holes at a time to hot oil
TURN after 1 minute, fry additional minute
REMOVE to a baking rack covered in a few sheets of paper towel
CONTINUE frying remaining donuts

LINE a cookie sheet with waxed paper and place a baking rack on top of waxed paper. This will make clean-up after glazing a breeze!
IN LOW LYING BOWL, whisk together glaze ingredients until smooth
DIP tops of donuts into glaze and submerge donut holes entirely in glaze
PLACE donuts and holes on a baking rack and let sit 10 minutes for glaze to set
FEEL FREE to double dip too. After initial 10 minutes just re-dunk the donuts in the glaze a second time

DIG IN !

Also seen here:

Spiced Chelsea Buns

Known in Britain (and around the world for that matter) as Chelsea Buns, these pastries are yeast based buns originating from England. Though similar in "design" as our traditional cinnamon buns, these are quite different. No thick frosting on these babies. Just an amazing sweet glaze of milk, honey and sugar. For the filling, traditional recipes tend to call for cinnamon, sugar and dried fruit. Other ones I have seen add more spices to the filling for even greater flavor. I combined the best of both worlds. This recipe has 2 types of raisins, cloves, and nutmeg in addition to the standby cinnamon and sugar.

According to historians, for almost a century, until its demise in 1839, the Chelsea Bun House in England was famous for its spicy, sugary buns which were aptly named Chelsea Buns. The precise location of the famous bakery is up for debate but many state Bunhouse Place, London, seems like a safe bet.

Another interesting note: the owners also claimed to have invented the hot cross bun, and one Good Friday tens of thousands of people, King George III included, thronged down Ebury Street, keen to be seen in the fashionable queue to buy sticky buns.

Thank you, England, for another great baking creation! For those who haven't tried a Chelsea Bun, you don't know what you are missing. So please, bake up a dozen and tell me what you think. I suspect these may quickly become your Sunday morning family favorite. Personally I enjoy them on any day that ends in "Y" .

Now onto the baking!

Though I initially intended to follow the Chelsea Bun recipe in The Great British Book of Baking, I wasn't keen on the dough directions. It lacked any steps to proof the yeast. As a result, I decided to revamp the recipe to ensure a well-risen dough. I also dramatically adjusted their filling ingredients too. I felt the addition of a few extra key spices would really kick these up a notch. Thankfully my intuition was bang on. Sugar and spice and everything nice, that is what these little Chelsea Buns are made of !

LET'S GET BAKING !

You can either knead the dough by hand or use your stand mixer equipped with a dough hook.

Once your dough has risen for 1 hour, you simply roll it out
and fill with spices, raisins, sugar and butter.


Spread the filling out leaving a 1 inch gap between filling and all edges


Roll up length-wise and pinch seam to seal long edge


Cut in 1 1/2 inch slices


Add buns to a greased baking pan and let rise , covered, 1/2 hr


They will puff up even more as they bake


Before you know it, you will have freshly baked spiced Chelsea Buns!

RECIPE*:
*source recipe (adapted) : Chelsea Buns, The Great British Book of Baking

WHAT YOU NEED

BUNS

175 ml milk (I used 2%)
3 tablespoons granulated sugar
2 teaspoons active dried yeast
50g unsalted butter
450g white bread flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 egg at room temperature

FILLING

50g unsalted butter, melted
75g dark brown sugar
1/2 cup sultanas (golden raisins)
1/2 cup raisins
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

GLAZE

2 tablespoons milk
2 tablespoon fine granulated sugar
2 tablespoons honey

MAKE IT

IN SMALL BOWL, microwave milk for 20 seconds or until lukewarm
ADD sugar and stir
ADD yeast, sprinkling on top of milk mixture
LET stand for 2 minutes. Then slowly whisk yeast into milk mixture
LET stand 5 minutes
IN SMALL BOWL, microwave butter until just melted
IN SEPARATE SMALL BOWL, gently whisk egg just until slightly blended
IN LARGE BOWL (or bowl of stand mixer), stir together flour and salt
MAKE well in middle of dry ingredients
ADD yeast mixture, butter and beaten egg
STIR for 2 minutes until a shaggy dough starts to form
KNEAD 10 minutes by hand on a floured surface or 4 minutes with stand mixer on MED speed
DOUGH will be somewhat soft but not sticky
COVER dough with dishtowel and let rest in warm area for 1 hour

MAKE FILLING

IN SMALL SAUCEPAN, melt butter over low heat.
STIR in remaining filling ingredients until combined
Stir continuously for 2 minutes over med/low heat
REMOVE from heat and allow to come to room temperature

WHEN DOUGH HAS RISEN, punch down and move to a floured work surface
ROLL dough into large rectangle (approx 10 X 16 inches)
SMOOTH filling over rectangle leaving 1 inch gap between filling and edges
STARTING with long edge, roll up dough into a spiral
CUT into 1 1/2 inch rolls

SPRAY a large baking pan (I used my lasagna one) with baking oil
ARRANGE buns in pan (sides not touching)
COVER with dishtowel and let sit 1/2 hour

PREHEAT oven to 400F
BAKE 15 MINUTES
WHILE BAKING, whisk together milk, sugar and honey.
MICROWAVE 20 seconds on HIGH power
STIR well

AFTER BUNS have baked 15 minutes, remove from oven, brush glaze over tops and return to oven for 5 minutes

REMOVE and let cool completely in pan set over a cooling rack

ENJOY!

Also seen here: