As a kid, the best afternoon tea in the world was a sticky cinnamon bun, nearly as big as your head and still warm from the oven. The ratio of bun to head may have changed as we’ve grown (along with our heads) but the joy a sweet and sticky bun can bring has not changed.
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Ingredients
Method
1.Grease a deep 24cm (9½-inch) square cake pan.
2.Heat milk until just warmed. Combine yeast, caster sugar, flour and milk in a medium bowl. Cover, stand in a warm place for about 10 minutes or until mixture is frothy.
3.Meanwhile, place currants and the water in a medium saucepan; bring to the boil. Remove from heat; drain. Combine currants, rind and cinnamon in a small bowl.
4.Whisk egg into yeast mixture. Sift extra flour into a large bowl. Stir in yeast mixture; mix to a soft sticky dough. Cover; stand in a warm place about 40 minutes or until dough doubles in size.
5.Meanwhile, melt butter.
6.Turn dough onto a floured surface, knead until smooth. Roll dough into a 30cm x 40cm (12-inch x 16-inch) rectangle. Brush dough with a quarter of the butter, sprinkle with a third of the brown sugar.
7.Fold one short end two-thirds of the way up the dough; fold over top third to cover first fold (sort of like folding a business letter). Turn dough halfway around to have open end facing you.
8.Roll dough into a 30cm x 40cm (12-inch x 16-inch) rectangle. Repeat the brushing, sprinkling and folding as before, using same amount of butter and brown sugar.
9.Turn dough halfway round again, roll into a 30cm x 40cm (12-inch x 16-inch) rectangle. Brush dough with half the remaining butter, sprinkle with remaining brown sugar and the currant mixture.
10.Preheat oven to 200°C/400°F.
11.Roll dough firmly from one of the long sides to create a long roll; cut evenly into 9 pieces. Place buns, cut-side up, in pan; sprinkle with extra caster sugar. Stand, uncovered, in a warm place for about 20 minutes or until buns have risen slightly.
12.Drizzle buns with remaining melted butter; bake for 5 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 180°C/350°F; bake a further 25 minutes or until buns are golden brown.
13.Meanwhile, make glacé icing. Sift icing sugar into a small bowl, stir in enough milk to form a thin, smooth paste; tint the icing pink with colouring.
14.Turn buns, top-side up, onto a wire rack. Drizzle warm buns with icing.
