As many of us embrace the changes associated with working from home, we find ourselves pining for a good reason step away from the screen. You may find yourself going to the kitchen for a drink.. a bite to eat..or checking on your furry friend is sleeping peacefully in the next room.

If you enjoy hanging around the kitchen, then making bread or other leavened goodies such as these delicious spiced cinnamon scrolls might be the way to go. Even though the overall process of making breads and sourdoughs is quite lengthy, the amount of time you spend at the kitchen bench is relatively short. I’ve been using my baking as a ‘brain break’ from my real job…and it works a treat..literally. The end result is some awfully good food!! Another thing I should mention is that yeast is quite forgiving when it comes to ‘timing’ at room temperature, it’s happy to sit an extra 15-30 minutes without having any adverse affect on the overall product. (Handy to know when your meeting runs overtime.)

Bread dough recipes can be quite flexible. You can add an endless variety of ingredients to boost the flavour or nutritional content. Seeds, nuts, dried fruits, grains can all be added to the basic recipe. At the moment, I’m enjoying adding white chia. It’s almost invisible, so the kids are happy… and it provides extra fibre and omega-3..so I’m happy too.

Today, I’m using my soft bun recipe (used for hot cross buns and cheese and bacon rolls) to make these sweet spiced cinnamon scrolls. Soooo yummy!!

INGREDIENTS FOR THE DOUGH

65g + 550g bakers flour

320ml cold water

100ml milk

50g unsalted butter

25g caster sugar

1 sachet (7g) dry yeast

1/2 tsp salt

1 egg

INGREDIENTS FOR THE FILLING

3/4 cup brown sugar

2 tbs cinnamon

1 tbs mixed spice

80g unsalted butter

 

Extra cinnamon and sugar for dusting

 

STEP 1: PREPARING THE ROUX

 

The Roux. This is an essential step in creating light and fluffy buns. It may seem tedious at first..but it is well worth the effort.

In a small saucepan, combine 65g flour with the water. Stirring continuously over the heat, bring the mixture to the boil. Cook for 2 minutes. Remove from heat and add the sugar, milk and butter. Stir to combine, then set aside.

 

STEP 2: MIXING THE DOUGH:

It is best to use a mixer for this recipe, as the dough can be quite sticky.

In a bowl, combine the remaining flour, salt, and yeast.  Add the roux and egg. If using a mixer, attach the dough hook, set the machine on a slow setting for 7 minutes. Then increase the speed to medium for 1 minute.

If kneading by hand, combine the ingredients then knead for 8-10 minutes.

Scrape down the sides of the bowl. Cover with a damp tea towel and leave in a warm place to rise until doubled in size (approx 1.5 hours).

STEP 3: SHAPING  THE DOUGH

Line a large baking tray with baking paper.

Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Use a rolling pin to roll it into a large square approx 35 x 35cm.

Place all of the ingredients for the filling in a bowl. Use your fingers to pinch the ingredients until you achieve a homogeneous, crumbly mixture. Scatter evenly over the dough.

Roll the dough into a log. Cut the log into 2cm slices, and arrange onto the baking tray leaving 1cm spaces between each piece. Cover with a damp cloth and allow to prove for 30minutes

 

Cover with a damp tea towel and set aside for 40 minutes.

 

STEP 2: BAKING

Preheat the oven to 200ºC.

Sprinkle the buns lightly with sugar and cinnamon. The sugar will caramelise and bind with the cinnamon during baking.

Bake for 15 minutes.