Sticky, gooey, plumptious, scrumptious, soft iced buns
So poor little #2 came home from his GAA tournament yesterday feeling all under the weather. He was cold and clammy, his head ached, his tummy hurt and he felt all ‘kind of wobbly’. Of course, there’s only one cure for this particular group of symptoms, which is a snuggle on the sofa with the dog, the fluffy blanket, a hot chocolate and a fistful of sticky bun. Trust me, I’m a doctor:
450g strong white bread flour
1 tsp salt
75g sugar
1 x 7g sachet dried yeast
150ml milk
150ml water
50g butter
4 or 5 tbsp icing sugar
½ tsp liquid glucose
Sieve the flour into a large bowl, then stir in the salt, sugar, and dried yeast. In a small saucepan, warm the milk, water, and butter over a low heat until the butter has just melted, then turn off the heat. The liquid should be at no more than blood temperature when it’s added to the dry ingredients. You can do this in the microwave, but remove it as soon as the butter starts to melt and stir gently until it’s all combined, otherwise you’ll be waiting for ages for it to be cool enough.
Pour most of the milky mixture into the dry ingredients and stir it around with a knife until you get a light dough. Leave it as sticky as you can bear as you want your dough plumptiously, pillow-soft. You can always add a bit of flour. Now start kneading: with the heel of one hand, press and splurge the dough away from you, (imagine you’re smearing it across the work surface) then bring it back, squish it into a ball again, turn it over and then splurge it again. As it’s quite a wet dough this is a bit messy, but that all adds to the fun. Again, if you’re getting really covered, you can always add a bit of extra flour. As you knead it, it will become more elastic and springy and less squelchy.
Apologies for the lack of photos here. I was enjoying myself so much (I love my kitchen – a week away is about all I can bear) that I forgot I was supposed to photograph it for you. Anyhoo, when you’ve kneaded for about 5 minutes and your dough is springy and pillowy-soft and looks bizarrely like a nice, round bottom-cheek (it really does, I’m sorry – maybe that’s just my filthy mind), cover it with clingfilm and leave it in the airing cupboard or somewhere else warm until it’s doubled in size. Then, just knock it back with your fist and form it into 8 balls. Either place them on a baking tray or arrange them inside a springform cake tin like I did, then cover and rise again until they’re puffed up.
Bake for about 15-20 minutes at 180/gas 6 until they sound hollow when tapped on the bottom. Now while they’re baking make your icing by adding a couple of teeny drops of boiling water to the icing sugar and liquid glucose (optional but it keeps the icing from setting) until you get a thick, gloopy icing.
As soon as they’re out of the oven…
drizzle the icing all over them so it runs down the sides…
…then stuff into face before your family appears to steal them hand to little chap snuggled on sofa and watch as he feels better instantly.
Of course, #2 likes these completely plain, but there are a myriad different additions I could suggest – how about a hint of spice? Or some orange zest and a few dried cranberries? Or some nice, juicy sultanas? Or after the first rise, roll the dough out, spread it generously with butter, brown sugar and sultanas, maybe a little sprinkle of cinnamon, roll into a sausage and cut into rounds, arrange them flat onto a baking tray, allow to rise and then bake and, Bob’s your Auntie – you’ve produced Chelsea Buns, you kitchen legend, you.
I am salivating and am even tempted to give it a go in the new kitchen.
Susan: Aw, sorry… I wonder how much bun postage is to Hawaii?? He ate about 4 and was soon better x
DBM: Erm… I get your point, though – what makes it strong? And what’s with that special 0 stuff they use for pasta too? Cupboards bulging here at ET without more choices – sheesh!
Laura: See I knew you’d get the whole bottom thing – it even has slight orange peel! Give it a go, oh and take photos x
Rach: I wanted to do the cranberry ones but wasn’t allowed! Got a bread maker yesterday half price in Tesco – just cooking up my first batch!!
Kelleyn: Welcome! Thanks – they were somewhat scoffable.
Oh I’d say the smell of fresh bread wafting through your house is just devine…mmmm.
Towny: Ah that’s a bugger. Does chocky contain wheat LOL?
Can you adopt me… please!!!
Sofa, Hot Choc and Sticky Buns…. think I want to cry.
My boss used to make us Cinnamon Rolls much like those… god they were great!
Elf: There’s always room on my sofa for more – I always make too much anyway :0)
Towny: Phew. Thank heavens for that
)
Jay: Ooh yes, but I’ve been tempted by a recipe someone’s just sent me for chocolate chip cookie dough brownies – off to the kitchen!!
[...] and chickpea curry (not at the same time) and in July I rejigged my 70s ginger cake, made some fabulously soft iced buns and learned not to leave my dog in the house [...]
You’d probably need about 1.5 hours altogether – it needs at least an hour rising somewhere warm and another 20 mins to cook x
its because im doing it in food techh at school
are you actually a mum?
Lol