Cinnamon lemon buns

Ingredients

For the bread

• 250g/9oz strong white bread flour
• 115g/4oz plain flour
• 25g/1oz caster sugar
• 2 tsp easy-blend dried yeast
• 125ml/4fl oz warm milk
• 3 tbsp warm water
• 1 egg, beaten
• 25g/1oz butter, melted

For the filling

• 55g/2oz butter, at room temperature
• 100g/3 ½ oz light muscovado sugar
• 1 ½ tsp ground cinnamon
• 115g/4oz icing sugar, sifted
• ½ lemon, grated zest and juice
• 100g/3 ½ oz St Clement’s curd or lemon curd

Method

These are no ordinary Chelsea buns. The enriched homemade bread is rolled around a buttery, cinnamon-spiced muscovado filling then drizzled with lemon glacé icing and orange and lemon curd warm from the oven.

To make the bread dough, add the flours, sugar and yeast to the bowl of your electric mixer and mix briefly. 

Mix the milk and water together then gradually beat into the flour. Gradually beat in the egg and melted butter until the dough is smooth and soft. 

If you don’t have an electric mixer, stir with a wooden spoon then bring the dough together with your hands. Continue to beat for 4 minutes, or knead by hand.

Lightly oil a second bowl, add the dough and cover with oiled clingfilm. Refrigerate for 2–4 hours or until risen by half as much again. (The dough will rise more slowly in the fridge, so it will not be as big as if left in a warm kitchen.)

Remove the dough from the bowl, knead lightly then roll out on a very lightly floured work surface until a rectangle about 25 x 40cm/10 x 16in. Spread with the soft butter and sprinkle with the sugar and cinnamon.

Roll up, starting from one of the long edges as evenly and as tightly as you can. Cut into 12 even-sized slices and arrange cut side uppermost in a lightly oiled 20 x 30 x 4cm/8 x 12 x 1 ½ in rectangular cake tin, leaving space between the slices. 

Cover the top loosely with lightly oiled clingfilm and leave in a warm place for 45–60 minutes or until the buns have risen and are touching. Preheat the oven to 200°C/400°F/gas mark 6.

When the buns are well risen, remove the clingfilm and bake for about 20 minutes until golden brown and the bread sounds hollow when gently tapped. While the buns cook, mix the icing sugar and lemon juice together until smooth. 

Drizzle the icing over the buns as soon as they come out of the oven then drizzle with the St Clement’s curd and sprinkle with the lemon zest. Leave to cool in the tin then remove with a knife and enjoy while still warm.

Cooking tip

If you would like these buns for a special weekend breakfast, the bread dough can be made the evening before, shaped and left to rise in the cake tin loosely covered with oiled clingfilm in the fridge. Remove the clingfilm and bake as above.

This recipe is from The National Trust Cookbook, published by National Trust Books. Recipe photography by William Shaw.

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