Cinnamon buns

Sunday morning usually brings two crucial questions to mind - can I get away with listening to Ben Folds new album without my boyfriend finding out and how many of these buns will he stuff in his face? Well this weekend, the answers were a) embarrassingly not and b) not-as-greedy-as-usual, five. As Saturday night was pie night, there was a significant amount of egg-wash left over and wanting to feel the satisfaction of using up one egg wash on two things (mother hen would've been proud), gave me even more incentive to use it up on the buns the following morning. The recipe comes from Nigella's Domestic Goddess but obviously I've adjusted it.

For the dough

600g flour
100g sugar
1/2 tsp salt
21g (3 sachets) of easy blend yeast
100g butter
200ml milk 2 eggs

For the filling
125g sugar (50g golden caster sugar, 50g demerara sugar and 25g regular caster sugar)
125g unsalted butter
2 tsps ground cinnamon
175g sultanas/raisins/dried blueberries
1 egg, beaten, to glaze

You will also need a 7 x 10 inch tin lined with baking parchment.

Bear in mind that the ingredients for the dough will give you two lots, one which I use on the day and the other to freeze for the next weekend.

For me, the addition of dried fruit to the filling really make the buns and I can't understand how Nigella or the Norwegians hadn't thought to add them. This week however, the cupboards are seriously lacking in any sultanas or raisins, so I am forced to use a tiny packet of really expensive dried blueberries I had forgotten to put in the Christmas pudding last year.

Combine the flour, sugar, salt and yeast in a large bowl. Melt the butter and whisk it into the milk and eggs, then stir small amounts at a time, into the flour mixture. You might not need all the liquid mixture. Mix to combine and then knead the dough either by hand or using the dough hook of a food mixer until its smooth and springy. At this point, I divide the dough into two and place one half in the freezer as one half will make twelve small/medium buns - enough for between two to four people. Place the half you're going to use now in an oiled bowl and leave it to rise for 25 minutes. Pre-heat your oven to gas mark 5.

Roll out the dough on a lightly floured surface, aiming to get a rectangle of roughly 50 x 25cm. Mix the filling ingredients in a small bowl and then spread onto the rectangle. Even though we are only working with half the amount of dough you should not halve the filling ingredients. If you are using all the dough in one batch, then I suggest you double the filling ingredients and use a bigger tin. Sprinkle your choice of dried fruits on top.

Roll it up from the longest side until you have a giant sausage. Cut the roll into twelve 3 inch pieces and sit them in the lined tin swirly side up. Brush them with the egg and let them rise for 15 minutes. By then, they should have puffed out and filled the tin. Bake for 25 minutes in the pre-heated oven on the middle shelf and I can't stress enough how much you really should put them on the middle shelf.

Because I usually make these on a Sunday, it's customary for me to get back into bed for the time it takes them to cook. It is also customary for my boyfriend and I to have the same conversation:

"OK, bun's should be ready in about half an hour."
"Good. You won't fall asleep will you?"
"Don't be silly!"

50 minutes later, having weird dreams about buns...

And on the rare occasion when I have accidentally left them in the oven for 50 minutes (Spiderman was busy) I should admit that they still come out fine. Although next time, it probably would be better if they burned, then at least I would learn my lesson.