Happy December 10! Aka happy less than two weeks till finals! Freedom is SO close. But don't worry! We're talking about something much happier today. Chelsea Buns. Beautiful, swoon-inducing, Chesea Buns. If you haven't heard of them before, they're a British tea treat that is so much more wonderful than cinnamon rolls. They're stuffed with dried fruit, and instead of an icing, they are covered with a sticky syrup. Make them today!

I based the sweat bread portion of the recipe on the Pioneer Woman's Cinnamon Rolls. Here's how you make it:

Pour the milk, vegetable oil, sugar, and cinnamon into a pot and stir. Heat it up until it is just below boiling. Take it off the stove and let it cool until it's only warm. Sprinkle the yeast over the liquid and let it sit for a minute.

Add flour. Just dump it into the pot.

Mix it all together. It'll be super wet and sticky. Cover and let it sit for 1 hour in a warm place.

Stir in the remaining flour, and the salt, baking powder, and baking soda.

Roll the dough out into roughly a 10 in. x 15 in. rectangle. Spread melted butter on it.

Mix together the brown sugar and cinnamon. Spread that onto the dough too. Use your fingers; it's fastest.

Chop up some dried fruit -- apricots, raisins, dried cherries--whatever you have on hand. Pour that onto the dough and spread it evenly as best you can.

Start rolling up the dough....

...until you get a log. Then cut the log into about 12 segments.

Stick them in a greased baking pan, cover them, and let them rise for about an hour in a warm place until they are doubled in size. I forgot to take a picture of them after rising, but they basically rise until they fill the whole pan.

Bake them. I let them get a little too brown. You want them to be only a little golden-brown.

While the Chelsea Buns are baking, make the syrup to brush on top of them. Mix together the honey, sugar, and water, heat it on the stove until boiling. Take it off the heat and let it cool.

Brush the syrup over the buns, dig in, and EAT!

...Or if you're feeling ambitious, you could actually serve them on china with tea. But only if you have enormous amounts of self-control.

Love always,

Caroline

Printable recipe of Chelsea Buns

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Chelsea Buns

British tea treats stuffed with dried fruit and drizzled with honey syrup

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Dough portion based on a recipe from The Pioneer Woman

Yields: 12 sweet rolls

Ingredients

For the dough:

1 cup milk

¼ cup vegetable oil

¼ cup granulated sugar

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1 ¼ teaspoon yeast

2 ¼ cup all-purpose flour

¼ teaspoon baking powder

¼ teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

For the filling:

1 tablespoon melted butter

3 tablespoons brown sugar

2 teaspoons cinnamon

1 ½ cups chopped dried fruit (apricots, raisins, currant, etc.)

For the syrup:

3 tablespoons granulated sugar

2 tablespoons honey

¼ cup water

Directions

Mix together the milk, sugar, cinnamon, and vegetable oil in a pot and heat it until the mixture is just below boiling. Take of the heat and let cool until the liquid is only warm.
Sprinkle the yeast over the liquid and let it sit for a minute.
Stir in 2 cups of flour. The mixture will be very sticky and wet. Let rise in a warm place for 1 hour.
Stir in the remaining ¼ cup flour, the baking powder, baking soda, and salt. If the dough is still too wet to work with, add in a little more flour.
Turn the dough out onto a floured surface and roll it into a 10 inch x 15 inch rectangle.
Spread the melted butter onto it.
Mix together the brown sugar and cinnamon and spread it over the dough.
Sprinkle the dried fruit over the dough.
Roll the dough into a log.
Cut the dough into about ¾ - 1 inch segments. You’ll end up with about 12 circles
Place them into a greased baking pan, cover, and let them rise in a warm place until doubled in size.
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.
Bake them for 12 - 15 minutes, until golden brown.
Meanwhile, make the syrup. Mix together the honey, sugar, and water, heat it on the stove until boiling. Take it off the heat and let it cool.
Once the buns are done baking, brush the syrup over them.
Serve them warm, and enjoy!