Apple and Cinnamon Buns
I think it is no secret by now that I like cake, any cake really but I have to say that one of my favourite is a cake with fresh fruit. Apple, cinnamon a bit of orange wrapped up in a blanket of soft dough and I am in heaven. Let me introduce you to a bit of heaven.
INGREDIENTS
For the dough
500g strong white flower
250ml whole milk, warmed
10g dried yeast
10g fine salt
100g melted butter
50g caster sugar
Vegetable or sunflower oil for oiling the bowl
For the filling
3 desert apples chopped in to 1cm cubes
100g raisins
100g caster sugar
100g walnuts, chopped
1 orange
2tsp cinnamon
50g melted butter
To glaze
4tbsp of plum jam
METHOD
Combine the warm milk, yeast and sugar, leave for 10-15min to froth up a bit. Combine the flower and salt in a large bowl. Add the yeasty mixture, melted butter and mix to a rough dough. Either use mixer with hook attachment or your hands to knead the dough for 10 minutes.
Put the dough in a clean, lightly oiled bowl, cover with clingfilm and leave until doubled in size. This will take at least 1 hour.
Squeeze the orange juice over the raisons in a small pan until just boiling point, let it cool completely. Liberally grease a deep rectangular baking tin (I use 25cm x 30cm)with melted butter. Heat 20g of the butter in a large frying pan and toss in the chopped apples and 25g of the sugar. Cook for around 10min on high heat until they start to colour a bit. Cool the apples down.
Tip the risen dough to a floured surface and roll out to a 45cm x 30cm rectangle with one of the longer sides towards you. Brush the remaining melted butter over the dough, leaving 2cm margin at one of the longer edges. Scatter over the apples, raisins, walnuts and zest of the orange then combine the sugar and cinnamon and scatter on top.
Roll up the dough, starting at the longest edge closest to you, enclosing the filling in a long, swiss roll-style sausage. Trim off the ends so you have a neat roll, and cut in to 12 equal pieces. Turn each piece on its side, arrange in three rows of four in the tin. Put the tin inside clean plastic bag and leave to prove in a warm place for a good hour until nicely puffed up.
Preheat the oven to 200C/Gas mark 6. Bake for 25-30min, until deep golden brown. Warm the jam with 2tbs of water and sieve it through. Brush all over the hot buns while still hot.