Sticky Fruit Buns Recipe

Ingredients:
3 cups (350 g) white bread flour
1 package (¼ oz/7 g) fastacting dry yeast
2 tbsp (25 g) sugar
1 large egg
3½ oz (100 g) butter (diced)
6 fl oz (175 ml) milk

For the filling:
1 oz (25 g) butter (diced)
1 cup (150 g) mixed raisins, currants, and golden raisins
4 tbsp (25 g) mixed peel (candied citrus peel)
¼ cup (50 g) brown sugar
1 tsp pumpkin pie spice (optional)
Grated zest of 1 lemon
1 tbsp honey

Place the flour, yeast, and sugar in a large mixing bowl. Make a well in the center of the mixture and crack the egg into the well. (To crack the egg, just tap it on the rim of the bowl.)

Melt the butter in a saucepan over a low heat, then add the milk and warm through. Add this to the large bowl and mix together with a round-bladed knife.

Turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead for 10 minutes. Return to the bowl, cover with a clean, damp dish towel, and leave in a warm place for about 1½ hours.

Grease the bottom and sides of a 9” (23 cm) round, shallow cake pan and line the bottom with parchment paper so that the buns don’t stick in the pan. Preheat the oven to 400°F (200°C).

“Punch down” the dough, then place it on a floured surface. Roll the dough out into a 14” (30 cm) square. Brush the melted butter all over the dough, using a pastry brush.

Mix together the dried fruit, mixed peel, brown sugar, pumpkin pie spice, and lemon zest. Sprinkle on top of the pastry, leaving a ½” (1 cm) border. Roll the dough into a sausage shape.

Use a sharp knife to cut the dough into 10 pieces. Place them with their cut sides face up in the pan. Cover them with the clean, damp dish towel and leave in a warm place for 35–40 minutes.

Bake the buns on the top rack of the oven for about 25–30 minutes, until golden. If they start to become too brown, cover them with aluminum foil until baked.

Carefully brush the buns with the honey, taking care not to burn yourself on the hot pan. Leave the buns to cool in the pan for 3–4 minutes. Then place them on a cooling rack.