Sunday Baking Project: White Chocolate Chelsea Buns

I'm going through a white chocolate phase.  I make no apology.  I never really liked it until recently I thought it was too sweet and sickly, and now I realise that when you cook with it or eat the right brands, white chocolate can be heavenly.

This is a perfect afternoon tea treat - invite someone you'd like to impress or even just to treat your family.  If you were making for 6-12  people, use the ingredients as below - if for less, cut it in half.  It will still feed 4-8 people!

Ingredients:
1kg plain flour
4 tsp dry yeast
425ml milk
2 tsp caster sugar
1 cup currants
1 cup boiling water
zest of one lemon
1 tsp cinnamon
1 egg, beaten
90g butter, melted
1/2 cup brown sugar

Method:
In a measuring jug, add milk and microwave (or heat on stove and transfer back to measuring jug) the milk.  Add yeast and caster sugar, stir and allow to sit for 10 minutes until frothy.

Whilst waiting for the yeast to activate, boil your water and pour over currants and leave to sit for 10 minutes.  Drain and then add cinnamon and lemon zest.  Set aside.

Sift flour into a mixing bowl. Add yeast/milk mix and the egg, mix/knead for 5-10 minutes until you reach a smooth, not sticky consistency.  Place in a greased bowl, and leave in a warm place with clingfilm loosely covering bowl for about an hour, until it doubles in size.

Preheat oven to 180 degrees c

Roll out dough to a rectangle shape.  Brush with melted butter and sprinkle 1/3 of your brown sugar on top, then 1/3 of the currant mixture.

Fold up 1/3 of the dough from the bottom up, then the top 1/3 from the top down, seal ends by pushing together with fingers at each end.

Turn 90 degrees and rollout out to a similar shape (a rectangle nonetheless).  Repeat with butter, 1/3 of sugar and currants.  Fold again in thirds, turn 90 degrees and repeat the process again with the remainder of sugar and currants. Fold over the for the last time and roll out again to a rectangle.

Roll up the rectangle into a long sausage.  Cut into 12 pieces and place into your greased tray cut sides up  (mine was large rectangle baking tray but you could use a casserole dish, a round tray, anything you like).

Brush the top with the remaining butter and sprinkle with a little extra brown sugar.

Bake in oven for 25-30 minutes, remove and allow to cool.

For chocolate topping, melt 50grams white chocolate in a microwave safe bowl on 50% power for 1 minute.  Stir, then put back in another 1 minute on 50% power.  Stir through 1/4 cup fresh cream to come to a runny custard-like consistency.  Drizzle over buns.

These are really nice reheated for 5 minutes in a 150 degree oven.

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