Chelsea Bun with Cinnamon and Raisins
A square brioche rolled into a spiral, filled with raisins and cinnamon, glazed with a sticky syrup. The sweet remedy against fatigue and discouragement.
A square brioche rolled into a spiral, filled with raisins and cinnamon, glazed with a sticky syrup. The sweet remedy against fatigue and discouragement.
There were weeks when nothing came, when the problem resisted me like a wall. In those moments, a Chelsea bun and a cup of tea were better than persevering. At Cambridge, you could find them wonderfully sticky, to be unrolled with your fingertips. A little sweetness, and you'd find the courage to sit back down before your pages.
- •Enriched yeast dough (flour, yeast, butter, milk, egg) — qualitative (brioche base)
- •Melted butter — for brushing (filling)
- •Brown sugar and cinnamon — qualitative (spiced filling)
- •Raisins — a handful (filling)
- •Sugar syrup — for glazing (sticky finish)
Chelsea Bun with Cinnamon and Raisins
A square brioche rolled into a spiral, filled with raisins and cinnamon, glazed with a sticky syrup. The sweet remedy against fatigue and discouragement.
Why this dish? At Cambridge, where Wiles was a student at Clare College and returned to announce his proof, the Chelsea bun is an institution: Fitzbillies bakery has made it famous since 1920. A rolled, sticky, sweet bun, it is the comfort of students and researchers in moments of doubt.
There were weeks when nothing came, when the problem resisted me like a wall. In those moments, a Chelsea bun and a cup of tea were better than persevering. At Cambridge, you could find them wonderfully sticky, to be unrolled with your fingertips. A little sweetness, and you'd find the courage to sit back down before your pages.
Ingredients (period version)
- Enriched yeast dough (flour, yeast, butter, milk, egg) — qualitative (brioche base)
- Melted butter — for brushing (filling)
- Brown sugar and cinnamon — qualitative (spiced filling)
- Raisins — a handful (filling)
- Sugar syrup — for glazing (sticky finish)
Ingredients
- Flour — 400 g (base)
- Baker's yeast — 7 g (leavening)
- Butter — 60 g (dough) + 40 g (filling) (richness)
- Warm milk — 200 ml (liquid)
- Egg — 1 (binder)
- Brown sugar — 80 g (filling)
- Cinnamon — 1 tsp (flavor)
- Raisins — 100 g (filling)
- Sugar + water for syrup — 2 tbsp + 1 tbsp (glaze)
Method
- Prepare the yeast dough: mix flour, yeast, sugar, soft butter, warm milk, and egg. Knead and let rise for 1 hour.
- Roll out the dough into a rectangle, brush with melted butter, sprinkle with brown sugar, cinnamon, and raisins.
- Roll tightly lengthwise, cut into sections, and arrange them cut-side up in a tin.
- Let rise for 30 minutes, then bake at 190°C for 25 minutes.
- Brush with hot sugar syrup as soon as they come out of the oven for a sticky glaze.
How it was made : The Chelsea bun originated in the 18th century at the Chelsea Bun House in London, popular even with the royal family. In Cambridge, Fitzbillies bakery made it a local legend from 1920, to the point that students would have them sent by post.
The contemporary twist : Replace some of the raisins with candied orange zest to echo the citrus bitterness dear to the British palate.
Sources : Elizabeth David, English Bread and Yeast Cookery, 1977 · Fitzbillies of Cambridge, history of the house (since 1920)
Andrew Wiles · Charactorium
