Chelsea buns

Named after the famous 18th-century Bun House in Chelsea, this deliciously sweet, sticky treat is best eaten warm from the oven.

30 minutes prep. time
15–20 minutes cooking time
Serves 9
Cakes, bakes & desserts

Freshly cooked Chelsea buns on a tray with a dusting of icing sugar — Freshly cooked Chelsea buns | © National Trust Images/William Shaw

For the dough

250g strong plain flour
125g plain flour
15g caster sugar
7g dried yeast
1 tsp salt
125ml milk
150ml warm water
25g butter, at room temperature

For the filling

25g butter, melted
1 tsp ground cinnamon
75g soft brown sugar
150g dried mixed fruit

To glaze

50g honey, warmed

Top tips

Leave the dough to 'slow prove' overnight in the fridge to give it the best flavour. Don't forget to give the buns room to spread out on the baking tray.

Step 1

Place both types of flour, sugar, yeast, salt, milk and half the water in the bowl of your mixer. Attach the dough hook and mix on a low speed.

Step 2

Continue to mix until the dough forms and pulls away from the sides of the bowl, adding more water if needed.

Step 3

Add the butter, continue to mix on a low speed until combined and the dough is smooth. Place in a bowl and cover well. Leave to prove until the dough has doubled in size.

Step 4

Tip the dough out of the bowl onto a lightly floured board, stretch into a rectangle shape. Roll the dough into an even rectangle, ensuring you have an even thickness of dough. Stretch the dough at the ends where needed to square it up.

Step 5

Spread the melted butter evenly over the surface of the dough.

Step 6

Put the brown sugar, cinnamon and fruit in a bowl and mix together well. Sprinkle the fruit mixture over the buttered dough, ensuring even coverage.

Step 7

Roll the dough up from the bottom to the top, Swiss roll style, ensuring you square up the ends as you go. Roll gently to ensure the roll of dough is of even thickness. Cut into nine even-sized slices.

Step 8

Place the rolls on your lined baking tray and cover. Leave to prove again until the rolls have doubled in size.

Step 9

Place in the oven at 180°C (160°C fan/gas mark 5), baking for around 15–20 minutes or until golden and risen. Remove from the oven and brush over with melted honey, before leaving to cool.