By Mrs Tombs (Catering Manager)

Last term, Chequers Sixth Form Café welcomed our new Café Manager, Mrs Hadley. Mrs Hadley has been a hit with the students, creating delights ranging from homemade quiche and salad bars to build-your-own ramen noodles. A request came in for cinnamon buns and Mrs Hadley rose to the challenge. Below, she shares her very popular recipe!

This recipe makes 12 generously sized buns or 18 smaller ones.

For the bread:

• 1 x 500g pack white bread mix (we use McDougalls)
• 50g caster sugar
• ½ tsp fine sea salt
• 50g unsalted butter
• 200ml whole milk
• 1 medium egg, beaten
• Flour, to dust

For the filling:

• 125g soft unsalted butter
• 125g caster sugar
• 2 tbsp ground cinnamon

For the icing:

• 100g icing sugar
• Water, to mix

Method:

1. Tip the bread mix into a bowl or stand mixer along with the sugar and salt. Melt the butter in a saucepan, add the milk, and heat gently until just lukewarm (not hot, or it will kill the yeast in the bread mix). Pour into the bowl with the bread mix, add the beaten egg, and knead briskly for 5 minutes to form a ball of dough.
2.  Leave the dough to rest for 5 minutes, then knead again for another 2 minutes. Shape it into a ball and leave to prove in a warm place for a couple of hours or until doubled in size.
3. While the dough is proving, make the filling by beating together the butter, sugar, cinnamon, and a pinch of salt. Set aside. You can also prepare the icing by mixing the icing sugar with enough water to form a smooth glaze. Set aside.
4. Grease and line a 23cm springform cake tin with butter. Fold a large piece of foil in half and wrap it around the outside of the tin – this helps prevent the outside of the buns from over-browning while the centre cooks through. Preheat the oven to 180°C (160°C fan).
5. Roll the dough out on a lightly floured surface into a large rectangle. Spread the cinnamon butter evenly over the dough, right to the edges. Roll it up tightly to form a long Swiss roll shape, then cut into slices about 5cm thick.
6. Carefully place the buns into the prepared tin. Cover loosely with lightly oiled cling film or a damp tea towel, and allow to prove again for around 20 minutes, or until the buns have doubled in size and feel soft and pillowy.
7. Bake in the oven for 20–25 minutes, until the buns are cooked through and starting to turn golden on top.
8. Remove from the oven and brush over the icing while the buns are still warm. Then enjoy!