November, November and it’s not the fifth I remember, it’s all those broken resolutions.
Bake bread.
Visit a supper club.
Lose weight.
Throw my heart and soul into writing my blog.
Ah well, at least I managed the last one.
Bread and yeasty things haven’t been top priority round here but I recently received a bag of very strong Canadian bread making flour from Sainsbury’s Taste the Difference range and prepared to get kneading. Not being an experienced bread maker, I don’t know enough to compare this flour with other brands but soon I hope to change all that.
That’s because I’ve just signed up to take part in Fresh from the Oven, a UK based regular baking event. Using the Sainsbury’s flour I baked these Chelsea buns a couple of weeks ago – unwittingly joining in with the October FFTO challenge! When Chelsea buns all popped up in lots of my favourite blogs a few days later I took it as a sign to join.
I can’t tell you what their November challenge is yet but suffice to say it fits very nicely with some posts I have published recently and you probably see more more of my travel pictures alongside my entry. No doubt I’ll have more uses for the rest of the flours Sainsbury’s sent me and some fabulous malt loaf flour I picked up at Masterchef Live this weekend. So that’s bread ticked off.
Supper clubs were next on the to-do list and I’d probably get ticked off if I went to Ms Marmite Lover’s Underground Restaurant. Ticked off for being late. Her flat is over in Kilburn and by the time we’ve got Ted in bed and shown the babysitter how to use the bank of remote controls, our dinner would probably be in the cat.
Instead I have just booked tickets from We Got Tickets to go to The Underground Restaurant Christmas Market which takes place on the afternoon of Sunday 5th December and we can take Ted with us.
Sigh. Lose weight. It’s not easy when dastardly supermarkets keep throwing chocolate at you. Still, I resolve not to be led into excessive temptation even if it’s going to be laid in my path at every opportunity in the coming months. My nemesis, the Diet Coke addition has been under control for at least one month (this time round) which helps. It cannot be coincidence that slim people all seem to drink “full fat” Coke can it? It’s not rocket science, I just need to try harder.
But I have successfully thrown heart and soul into making Maison Cupcake into a blog I can be proud of and have met lots of wonderful friends in the process.
Today’s recipe is being entered into this month’s Monthly Mingle, organised by Meeta of What’s for Lunch Honey? Meeta was one of the first bloggers who I met at last year’s Food Blogger Connect. This month’s mingle has the theme “Fruit in Baking” and is being hosted by another lovely baking friend, Deeba of Passionate About Baking.
I am also sending these Cherry Chelsea buns to The Breakfast Club which is hosted this month by Helen of Fuss Free Flavours for which the theme is BREAD.
Consider me inaugurated in the act of adding yeast to floury things!
Sour Cherry Chelsea Buns
Adapted from A Piece of Cake by Leila Lindholm
Makes around 15-18 buns
Ingredients:
For the buns:
300ml milk
50g fresh yeast or 1 x 7g sachet of dried yeast
135g caster sugar
1/2 tsp salt
150g unsalted butter
1 egg
660g – 720g bread flour
For the filling:
100g cherry jam (or other red fruit if you cannot find)
100g butter, softened
90g demerara sugar
1 tbsp ground cinnamon
2 tbsp icing sugar
100g dried sour cherries
2 tbsp cornflour
Directions:
1. Pour the milk into a saucepan and warm until tepid, 38c (100f).
2. Sprinkle the yeast into a bowl and dissolve it in the warm milk, sugar, salt, butter and egg.
3. Add flour a little at a time and mix to a “silky and elastic dough”.
4. Cover with a tea towel and leave in a warm place to prove for 45-60 minutes or until doubled in size.
5. Preheat the oven to 200c or gas mark 6.
6. For the filling, mix the butter and jam with the demerara sugar and cinnamon until a creamy paste.
7. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and divide in half. Roll out one portion to around 1cm thick. Spread half of the butter jam mixture over the dough.
8. Mix dried cherries with the icing sugar and cornflour in a bowl. Sprinkle half of the dried cherries over the dough.
9. Roll up as you would a Swiss roll and slice into rings around 5cm thick. Repeat with the second half of the ingredients.
10. Place each bun in a paper case or on a baking sheet., leave the buns covered for a further 45 minutes to prove.
11. Brush with beaten egg and bake in the lower part of the oven for around 10 minutes or until golden brown.
Good for you, Sarah! I adore these buns and can’t wait to make them. I JUST bought a bag of cherries, so I’m all set. 🙂 Way to be brave and make and KEEP so many resolutions! You’re a wonder. 🙂
Thanks very much Krista! Those dried cherries are very useful in all sorts of things. So much nicer than raisins!
While I’ll swear til I’m blue in the face that diet Coke is evil and I’ll only drink full fat…. well the truth is that the brown fizzy stuff only passes my lips a couple of times a year. In summer I’ll have the odd G&T or Pimm’s and lemonade. The rest of the time I drink water. And a little tea without milk, but mostly water. I’ve lost 6 kilos this year and I really think drinking fizzy drink is the best way to sabotage your efforts. And alcohol too, it must be admitted. Apart from the odd blow-out I’ve cut right back on that too. Losing weight is not much fun, really!
You’re dead right on that last point…
Oooh well done Sarah. I ? these. Love the way you did them in individual muffin liners. I like the idea of yeasted buns … your ticked off list is great – only that now I have these on my list of things to bake! Thank you for joining the Mingle!! {I shall not talk about resolutions!}
Yes I might not have thought of it myself but it’s how she presented them in the book. I want to do another batch snuggled together in a tray though.
Hey wait up, I’m on my way. I cannot think of a better way to start my day!!!
Mmmhhh, I’d love one or two for breakfast!
Cheers,
Rosa
They were perfect for breakfast!
Oh this is absolutely yummy! I think you’ll have to bring a few along next weekend to the brunch!
Ooh not sure about that… you will get other goodies though.
Ay yes, I have those lists too daaahling LOL. I’ve been wanting to try making my own chelsea buns. I love them.
*kisses* HH
I LOVE your blog and am so happy I’ve come across it. Has anyone offered you a book deal yet? They should!
I think that’s the loveliest comment I’ve ever had. Thank you so much. No book deal alas.
Im a total wreck when it comes to baking bread or rather anything with yeast to be honest.
These look like perfect breakfast buns 2 me:)
It’s all a novelty to me too but so far seems very rewarding for very little effort.
These look lovely. I love how you made them in muffin tins, as they’ve all turned out looking beautifully evenly sized. 🙂
Heh heh, you didn’t think I’d photograph the dodgy ones did you?
Heehee, how true it is! They are nice in the muffin tins, very clever. It’s great to have you in the Fresh From the Oven group and very soon I will look forward to seeing your first offering. 🙂
I really enjoy making resolutions, usually in November. And then reviewing them… but making them is more fun than reviewing, eh?
Love, love, love dried cherries (esp from Tesco’s) – fab looking buns lady
I have quite a few resolutions that I’m doing my best to forget…err…remember. (Lose weight being one of them. Uh, yeah. And the whole throwing my heart and soul into blogging thing is NOT helping.) But these adorable buns look so crazy delicious! I’m so glad you made them!
What a good idea to make them as individual buns. I’ll be trying that next time.
Glad you are doing FFTO, it is a lovely group.
Your recipe has been published successfully.:)
Awesome buns….. 🙂
nice pictures…
Cheers,
The Variable, Crazy Over Desserts – Nachiketa
Catch me on facebook @ Crazy Over Desserts
Great to hear you’re going to be part of the FFTO gang – it’s really good fun. I loved making Chelsea buns and I wish I’d thought of your great idea of putting sour cherries in them. My dried fruit hating children might have eaten them (instead of single-handedly wolfing them myself). I had to make a sort of ‘cinnabun’ version for them. Fab fruity mingle.