Best Christmas Buns Recipes

CHRISTMAS BUNS

Steps:

• Put the flour and 1 tsp salt into a large bowl. Make a well in the centre and add the yeast. Meanwhile, warm the milk and butter in a pan until the butter melts and the mixture is lukewarm. Add the milk mixture and egg to the flour mixture and stir until the contents come together as a soft dough (add extra flour if you need to).
• Tip the dough onto a well-floured surface. Knead for 5 mins, adding more flour if necessary, until the dough is smooth, elastic and no longer sticky.
• Lightly oil a bowl with the vegetable oil. Place the dough in the bowl and turn until covered in oil. Cover the bowl with cling film and set aside in a warm place for 1 hr or until doubled in size. Lightly grease a baking sheet and set aside.
• For the filling, knock the dough back to its original size and turn out onto a lightly floured surface. Roll it into a 1cm-thick rectangle. Brush all over with the melted butter, then sprinkle over the sugar, cinnamon and fruit.
• Roll up the dough into a tight cylinder, cut into 9 x 4cm slices and position on the prepared baking sheet, leaving a little space between. Cover with a tea towel and set aside to rise for 30 mins.
• Heat oven to 190C/170C fan/gas 5. Bake the buns for 20-25 mins or until risen and golden brown. Meanwhile, melt the glaze sugar with 4 tbsp water until syrupy.
• Remove from oven and glaze. Set aside to cool on a wire rack. Once cool, mix the zest and icing sugar with about 2 tbsp water to drizzle over the buns. Serve.

CHRISTMAS MORNING CINNAMON BUNS

Steps:

• Dissolve the vegetable shortening in the milk in a bowl and cool to lukewarm. Stir in the eggs, 1 cup sugar, potatoes, and salt. Dissolve the yeast in lukewarm water and stir onto the potato mixture. Stir in the flour, raisins, and nuts. Mix thoroughly for 5 minutes by hand. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm, draft-free place for 1 hour.
• Turn out onto lightly floured surface. Roll into a 1/2-inch thick rectangle and spread with the butter. Sprinkle with the 1 remaining tablespoon sugar and the cinnamon. Roll like a jelly roll and slice 12 equal slices. Place slices flat in 12 by 8-inch baking dish. Cover with a tea towel and let rise until double in bulk, about 30 minutes.
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, until golden brown. Transfer to a wire rack to cool.

CHELSEA CHRISTMAS BUNS

Steps:

• Do-ahead steps: Defrost the puff pastry overnight in the refrigerator and leave in the refrigerator until ready to roll out. If you leave it on the counter while you assemble everything they get too soft and will be difficult to work with. Preheat oven to 400°.
• With a hand mixer or stand mixer cream together and place one rounded tablespoon of mixture in to each muffin cup. Sprinkle ½ cup of the chopped pecans evenly over the sugar butter mix: 7 TBS of butter, 1/3 cup brown sugar and ½ t vanilla extract
• With a fork combine remaining brown sugar and the spices. Divide mixture in half: one half for one puff pastry sheet, and one for the second: 2/3 c brown sugar, 3 t cinnamon, ½ t nutmeg, ¼ t salt.
• Tear off a sheet of plastic wrap larger than the puff pastry sheet and place on a wooden board. Lightly flour the area and unfold one sheet of the defrosted puff pastry with the folds going left to right. With a pastry brush, paint the sheet with melted butter, reserving ½ for the second sheet. Sprinkle brown sugar/spice mixture over the puff pastry and then top with ½ cup of chopped pecans. Starting with the end closest to you, roll snugly, just like a jelly roll ending with seam side down. Slice in to six equal pieces. Each piece is about 1 ½ inches wide. Place each piece spiral side up in the muffin cups. Repeat with the second sheet of puff pastry to make 12 Chelsea Christmas Buns.
• Bake at 400° for 30 minutes. Cool for just five minutes before turning out on to a foil or parchment paper lined sheet pan.
• Optional spice ideas: cardamom, ginger, allspice.
• Optional dried fruit ideas: cranberries, cherries, raisins, golden raisins, apricots, currants, dates.

CHRISTMAS EVE SHORTCUT CINNAMON BUNS

Steps:

• 1. Lightly grease a 10-inch bundt cake pan. Place frozen rolls into the pan and sprinkle with brown sugar, the pudding mix and cinnamon. Pour melted butter over the top. If you don't have a bundt pan, you can use a muffin tin, but they turn out better in a bundt pan.
• 2. Cover with a clean, damp cloth and leave overnight at room temperature to rise.
• 3. In the morning, preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Bake rolls for 25 minutes, until golden brown. Turn rolls out onto a serving plate and dig in!