Chelsea Buns

Years ago, I used to make endless batches of Chelsea buns to give away to friends and family at Christmastime.  More often than not, they were eaten warm on Christmas morning.

As so often happens, life got too busy to continue making these for everyone, so the tradition was retired a decade ago.  This year however, with a substantially pared-down recipient list in hand, I’ve decided to re-institute the tradition.

Welcome back, old friend.           

Dough

4-1/2 c bread flour

1 pkg instant yeast

¼ c sugar

2 t salt

¼ c vegetable oil

1-1/2 c hot water

Filling

1 c softened butter

1-1/2 c brown sugar

Cinnamon

In a large bowl, combine 4 cups of flour, the yeast, sugar and salt, and mix through with whisk.  Add oil and hot water, mixing with a wooden spoon until dough becomes too stiff to stir.  Turn out onto floured board, and knead until smooth and elastic (approx. 10 minutes), using the remaining ½ c flour as needed.  The resulting dough should feel slightly tacky, but not sticky.

Cover with plastic wrap and a towel, and put in a warm place until doubled in bulk, approximately one hour.

Once doubled, punch down dough, cover again, and allow to rise until doubled again.  In the meantime, combine the butter and brown sugar in a medium bowl, and mix until smooth.  Divide 1/3 of this mixture between three foil 8 X 8 pans, spreading the mixture out evenly across the bottoms.

One doubled for the second time, punch down dough, and turn out onto lightly floured surface.  Using a rolling pin, shape the dough into a large rectangle ¼” thick.  Slather it with the remaining 2/3 of the filling mixture, spreading it out evenly and leaving a 1” border all around.  Sprinkle generously with cinnamon, then starting with a long side, roll up like a jelly roll.  Pinch seams and ends to seal.

Using a sharp knife, cut into 18 pieces, placing six pieces in each pan.  Cover the pans with  plastic wrap and a towel or two, and allow to rise until doubled.  Bake in a preheated 400^o oven for 20 minutes, then cool for 10 minutes in the pans on a rack. 

To serve, invert the pans onto a plate or platter, scraping out any brown sugary goodness left behind onto the buns.

Conversely, you can allow the buns to cool completely in their pans, cover tightly with foil, and refrigerate or freeze.  From a non-frozen state, reheat covered in a 300^o oven for 20 minutes, then invert as above.