Whole Grain Chelsea Buns With Cinnamon And Sage Recipes

WHOLE GRAIN CHELSEA BUNS WITH CINNAMON AND SAGE

Steps:

• Levain
• Mix the levain ingredients and briefly knead. Place the levain in a container with room for doubling, cover loosely, and keep warm, ideally 80-85F.
• When the levain has doubled in size (about 6 hours in a lit oven) it is ready to use.
• Dough Mixing and Bulk Fermentation
• Put all the dough ingredients except for the butter in the bowl of a stand mixer with the dough hook attachment. Tear the levain into about 10 pieces when you add it to the bowl.
• Run the mixer on low and then medium speed until the ingredients are incorporated.
• Add the butter chunks one at a time while running the mixer, waiting about 30 seconds between each chunk.
• Remove the dough from the mixer, working it between your hands to check for any unincorporated butter. If you find any butter chunks, smear and knead with your hands.
• Place the dough in a bowl or straight-walled container, cover and keep warm (ideally 80-85F) until doubled in size (about four hours in a warm lit oven).
• Do the filling prep described below, except melting the butter, while the dough is rising so the raisins have time to soak.
• Filling
• Prep the bun filling in three small bowls: one with the brown sugar, cinnamon, and sage whisked together (pinch of salt too if your butter is unsalted), a second bowl with the raisins and bourbon or water, and a third bowl with cubed butter (microwave it at low power just before using). I prefer to chop the raisins rather than use them whole -- to get a more even spread of the raisin flavor.
• Assembly
• Lightly oil/butter your work surface and turn the doubled dough out onto it.
• Gently pat and roll the dough out into a rectangle about 12"x18".
• Brush on the melted butter, leaving about 1/2" uncovered on one of the long edges.
• Sprinkle on the sugar-spice-herb mixture, gently smoothing it even with your palm.
• Spread on the damp raisins.
• Roll the dough into a tube, working toward the unbuttered long edge and letting the tube rest on the seam to seal up.
• Grease 9" diameter cake pan. If not non-stick, then line the bottom with a round of parchment paper too.
• Mark lines on the tube for eight buns and then cut the buns using a sharp serrated knife or dental floss looped around the tube (pull opposite ends).
• Place the buns in the pan and cover loosely.
• Final Proof and Baking
• Let the buns rise until they almost fill the pan (see photo gallery), about four hours if kept warm. Remember to take the pan out of the oven for the preheat if that's where you're proofing the buns.
• Preheat your oven to 350F.
• Bake the buns for 25-30 minutes, until the inside of the buns is about 190F.
• Remove from the oven and cool for about 10 minutes. See serving tips below.
• Icing and Serving
• Mix together the powdered sugar and milk. Always start with very little liquid.
• If you plan to serve the buns after the 10-minute cooling period, flip the buns out of the pan and then flip them again onto your serving dish. Drizzle on the icing.
• If you plan to serve the buns later or the next day. Run a flat knife or thin spatula around the inside of the pan to separate the buns from the edge. Leave them in the pan to finish cooling, then wrap with plastic. When it's time to serve them, flip them out of the pan and drizzle with icing.
• You can reheat the entire batch or one at a time. For one bun on a plate, I heat for 30 seconds in the microwave.