How to Make the Great Old Fashioned English Chelsea Bun

mixed dried fruit

🥗Healthier: fresh fruit

💰Cheaper: raisins

Fresh fruit can reduce sugar content while raisins are more economical.

strong white flour

🥗Healthier: whole wheat flour

💰Cheaper: all-purpose flour

Whole wheat adds fiber; all-purpose is often cheaper.

butter

🥗Healthier: margarine

💰Cheaper: vegetable oil

Margarine can lower saturated fat; vegetable oil is usually less expensive.

sugar

🥗Healthier: honey

💰Cheaper: brown sugar

Honey is a natural sweetener; brown sugar can be less costly.

Warm 150 grams of milk and 150 grams of buttermilk in a saucepan over medium-low heat.

Add 60 grams of sugar and 10 grams of sea salt to the warm milk mixture and stir until dissolved.

Add a couple of drops of vanilla essence to the wet ingredients once warm.

Pour the wet ingredients into a large mixing bowl and add 1 egg, whisking lightly with a fork.

In a separate bowl, combine 500 grams of white flour with 8 grams of dried yeast and 1 heaped teaspoon of mixed spice, then mix well.

Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and use a bowl scraper to bring everything together.

Cover the bowl with a plastic bag and let it rest at room temperature for 30 minutes.

Prepare the honey glaze by mixing 75 grams of honey with 25 grams of boiling water until dissolved.

For the icing, mix 150 grams of icing sugar with enough room temperature water to make a thick paste, adding the water slowly.

Prepare the spiced butter by mixing 100 grams of room temperature butter with two heaped teaspoons of mixed spice and whisking until light and aerated.

After 30 minutes, tip the dough onto a work surface without adding flour and incorporate 50 grams of room temperature butter into the dough.

Knead the dough for about 5 minutes until incorporated, then cover and let it rest for 5 minutes.

After resting, shape the dough into a ball and cover it again to proof until doubled in size, which took about 2 hours.

Flour the work surface and turn the dough out, shaping it into a square before rolling it into a rectangle approximately 35 cm by 50 cm.

Spread the spiced butter evenly over the dough, leaving a couple of centimeters at the top.

Grate lemon and orange zest over the buttered dough, then sprinkle with 75 grams of golden brown sugar.

Evenly distribute 200 grams of dried fruit over the dough.

Roll the dough tightly from one long side to the other, sealing the seam with a bit of water.

Brush the outside of the rolled dough with melted butter and trim the ends if desired.

Cut the rolled dough into 12 equal pieces and place them in a lined baking tray with space between each piece.

Cover the tray with a large plastic bag and let the buns proof until they expand and are hugging each other, which took about 2.5 hours.

Preheat the oven to 175 degrees Celsius (350 degrees Fahrenheit) and position the oven shelf in the lower third.

Bake the buns for 25 to 30 minutes until golden brown, checking regularly.

Glaze the buns with the honey mixture immediately after baking and let them cool for about 15 minutes before drizzling with the icing mixture.

Carefully remove the buns from the tray and place them on a wire rack to cool.

Cooking Techniques

Equipment Needed

Spice Level:

Allergens