Chocolate And Cardamom Chelsea Buns

Chocolate Fit For A Queen

Posted by Ebury Publishing

About

Plump, sugary buns have been enjoyed in England since the fifteenth century and many, such as the Chelsea and Bath buns, are named after the place they were first made. Kings George II and Ill and their families are thought to have visited London's Chelsea Bun House, to snack on
a sticky, fruity sweet bread. Here we've replaced the sugary glaze with chocolate an d added cardamom for an aromatic twist.

Share

You Will Need (14 things)

  • 25 g Unsalted Butter , plus extra to grease
  • 1 tsp Active Dry Yeast
  • 25 g Golden Caster Sugar
  • 175 ml -200ml lukewarm Milk
  • 250 g Strong Bread Flour , plus extra for dusting
  • ½ tsp Salt

  • For the filling

  • 6 Dried Figs
  • Juice of 1 Orange(s)
  • 1 tbsp Brandy
  • The seeds from 3 Cardamom pods, ground with a pinch of salt
  • 50 g Milk Chocolate
  • 10 g Unsalted Butter , melted
  • Demerara Sugar , to sprinkle

Steps (6 steps, 45 minutes)

  1. 1

    Grease a round 20cm cake tin and line the base with baking parchment.

  2. 2

    Put the yeast into a small bowl with 1 teaspoon of the sugar. Stir in 50ml of the warm milk. Set aside for the yeast to activate. Stir the butter into the remaining milk.

  3. 3

    Sift the flour into a bowl. Stir in the salt and remaining sugar. Make a well in the centre and pour in the yeast mixture, followed by the milk. Mix together with your hands then knead on a board or use a freestanding mixer with a dough hook until the dough feels smooth. Add a light dusting of flour if it is too sticky to knead. Put in a clean bowl, cover and allow to rise for
    40 minutes.

  4. 4

    Meanwhile, prepare the filling. Put the figs in a pan with the orange juice, brandy and cardamom. Place over a medium heat and bring to the boil. Turn off the heat, then cool. Whizz in a blender to finely chop the figs, then add the chocolate and whizz again to combine.

  5. 5

    Roll out the dough on a lightly floured board to measure 30 x 21cm. Spread the fig mixture all over the dough then roll it up from the bottom. Cut into 8 rounds and arrange them cut-side up in the tin. Cover and leave to prove for 30 minutes.

  6. 6

    Preheat the oven to 200°C/fan 180°C/gas 6 and bake the buns for 30 minutes. Brush the cooked buns
    with melted butter and sprinkle with sugar. Remove
    from the tin and cool on a wire rack for 5 minutes before serving.