Sticky Buns

This is the sort of recipe I usually shy away from. I think I'm afraid of yeast. And I'm not the most patient of people, so the thought of having to faff about waiting for something to rise never really appeals.


But then I realised that if I bake rising-things whilst I'm doing something else, it's all perfect. Make the dough, wander off to do something else, come back in half and hour and do the next bit!


So, I made these buns. They're a bit like the cinnamon-y ones you can get in all the best shopping centres, but my recipe said banana and chopped apricots so that's what I did.


Now, seriously, this recipe makes you feel like a proper domestic goddess. I pitied my unborn children for not yet existing to appreciate what a marvellous mother I would be, producing these from the oven.

I also made some with marmalade, and less sugar, for breakfast at the weekend. There are no pictures.


Here's the recipe:


100g strong white bread flour
100 malted granary bread flour (I just used more of the white stuff, there's only so many bags of flour a person can have in the cupboards)
1/2 teaspoon salt
7g sachet of easy-blend yeast
5 tbsp warm milk
1 egg, beaten
3-5 tbsp warm water
25g butter, melted
2 medium bananas, thinly sliced
100g dried apricots, chopped
50g light muscovado sugar
1 tsp ground cinnamon
zest of 1/2 an orange (didn't bother with this, no oranges about in my house)
2 tbsp honey, warmed


Mix the flour, yeast and salt in a large bowl and make a well in the centre.  Pop in the milk, egg and a little bit of water and mix it into a nice dough. Sprinkle some flour over your work surface and knead the dough for a while, feeling like Mrs Bun the Baker, until it's smooth. Put it in an oiled boil and cover with cling film 'til it's about doubled in size (I found it took about half an hour).


Butter a baking tin. Roll the dough out on your floured surface into a rectangle about 30x25cm and brush it with butter. Mix the fruit, sugar and cinnamon together and spread it over the dough. Roll it up into a sausage from the long side.


Slice it into about nine pieces and pop them into your tin so they're just touching. Leave it to rise for another half hour or so, covered in cling film.


Heat the oven to 200C. Brush half the honey over the buns and put them in the oven for 20-25 minutes until they look all golden-brown. Let them cool for a little while before brushing over the rest of the honey and eating.