WELCOME BACK!

Remember gathering in a field enjoying great food, great drink and great music? Remember enjoying LIVE demonstrations from your favourite chefs and bakers? Remember returning home with some brand new culinary creations to try? Well thanks to Foodies Festivals this year, we can do it all over again.

At this years Foodies I’ll be making these Apple and Cinnamon Buns.

Please forgive my nerves. It has been nearly TWO YEARS and I think I’ve forgotten what to do.

Enjoy the show and enjoy these buns.

I’ve missed you.

Jack :-)

Apple and Cinnamon Buns

Notes

This recipe will make 16 Buns

Difficulty: Easy to make, easy to shape, easy to bake

My Kitchen Temperature: 20°C/68°F

Start to finish:    3.5-4.5 hours

Ingredients

For the Apple Filling

6 Eating apples,peeled, cored and chopped into 2cm cubes (420g in total-ish)

Juice of 1 lemon (60g or so)

80g Golden Caster Sugar

1/2 tsp Ground Cinnamon

For the dough

180g     Room temperature Milk

1             Medium Egg (50g)

45g        Golden Caster Sugar

20g      Fresh yeast or 10g dry yeast

375g      Strong White Bread Flour

5g           Salt

35g        Soft Unsalted Butter

For the Icing

120g Icing Sugar

20g Water

To Finish

1 Extra egg for Eggwash

50g Toasted and Chopped Pecans

Method

Making the filling

Place all your filling ingredients into a large saucepan. Bring to the boil and simmer while stirring every once in a while, for 15-20 minutes until softened, thickened but still chunky. Set aside to cool.

Making the Dough

In a large mixing bowl whisk your milk, egg, and yeast together until the yeast is dissolved.

Next add the flour, sugar, and salt. Mix everything together with your dough scraper until it comes together into a dough with no particularly dry bits or wet bits, then, break up the butter and poke it into the dough with your fingertips.

Turn the dough out onto a clean table and knead your well for 10 minutes without dusting with any flour. Expect it to be slippery as the butter gets incorporated, use your dough scraper to help unstick yourself from time to time and clean up a bit and it will come together I promise.

Shape your dough into a ball and place it back into the bowl. Cover with clingfilm and rest at room temperature for 90-120 minutes.

Dividing and shaping

Turn your dough out onto a lightly floured surface, use the flat side of your dough scraper to divide it into 16 equal pieces (roughly 42g each) Roll them up into balls and line them up on the table with a little dust. Use a rolling pin to roll each ball into an 8cm disc. Line them up accross two parchment lined baking trays.

Rest your bun discs for 15 minutes.

Beat an egg in a cup and brush over each bun. With the back of a dessert spoon make a dent in the middle of each bun and fill it with your apple mixture.

Final Puff

Cover loosely with clingfilm and allow 60-90 minutes for your buns to rest and puff up. At some point during this time preheat the oven to 200C Fan / Gas Mark 6 with 2 shelves inside and a deep roasting tray on the oven floor. Half fill a kettle with water.

Baking

Boil the kettle. Place your two trays on the oven shelves and carefully pour the hot water from the kettle into the tray beneath. Close the oven door and bake for 12-14 minutes until golden on the base.

To finish

Transfer your buns to a cooling rack, mix up your icing and drizzle over the top before finishing with your pecans. Eat warm.