Sunday, November 4, 2012

Toffee Apple and Cinnamon Buns

I always admire lovely swirled buns whenever I see them online or in a bakery so I was excited to come across this recipe when I was considering what to make for Calendar Cakes this month as the theme is Bread, Rolls and Buns. I was however a little apprehensive about making them as I thought it might be difficult but it acutally turned out to be a lot easier than I thought!
Toffee and apple is a classic combination and these buns are no exception. They tasted delicious and just as a bun should....they were lovely and soft with a subtle hint of cinnamon. There was also the added bonus of the sticky toffee sauce on the bottom which complemented the apples perfectly. I really enjoyed these buns and would definitely make them again. They look rather unassuming in the photos but I don't think the pictures do them justice!
There were a number of different elements to this recipe but all were simple to do! First up was making the dough which consisted of milk, dried active yeast, golden caster sugar, strong white bread flour and butter. Only 5 minutes of kneading was required.
Whilst the dough was rising I stewed my apples down to a puree (the apples were Braeburns which didn't want to stew down without a fight), made the toffee sauce from butter, golden syrup and soft light brown sugar and finally I mixed up the cinnamon butter (butter, cinnamon and a little golden caster sugar).
The toffee sauce is poured into the bottom of a 23cm tin ready for the buns to be placed on top before baking. I was a little worried about the toffee leaking out of the bottom of the pan so I invested in a Push Pan from Lakeland. I've mentioned Push Pans before and they seem like a really good idea as there is a seal which prevents leakage...and it worked perfectly. The Push Pan would also be great for upside down cakes....I previously had an upside down cake leak and wished then I had one of these!
Once the dough had doubled in size (about an hour and a half) it was gently kneaded for 30 seconds before being rolled/stretched out to 50 x 30cm rectangle...I even had my ruler out! This was then spread with the cinnamon butter followed by the stewed apple before being tightly rolled up starting with the long side. The roll was then cut into 7 and each piece was then placed in the pan on top of the toffee sauce. This was then left to rise again. Finally, the buns were brushed with beaten egg and sprinkled with demerera sugar before baking.
The recipe for these Toffee Apple Buns is from BBC GoodFood and as it's rather long you can follow this link if you'd like to make the buns. The recipe would also be a great starting point for creating your own flavours. If I made these again I might add some sultanas and maybe some sugar nibs on top!
Inspired by Homemade Bread Day on November 17th, these Toffee Apple Cinnamon Buns are my first entry into this month's Calendar Cakes. The theme is Breads, Rolls and Buns. We'd love you take up the challenge, you can find out more here.
 

14 comments:

  1. These look just my kind of thing. I love the toffee and apple combination. I've bookmarked a Pioneer Woman recipe for a similar bun that I've been wanting to try for ages - these might just push me to do it! :)

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  2. I'm very attracted to a swirly bun too! Your look fantastic, would be perfect with a coffee.

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  3. Them buns look amazing ! Will have to get my thinking cap on now I know breads, rolls and buns is this months Calendar Cakes.

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  4. I also always admire swirl buns..and these are no exception! I really must get around to baking some myself.

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  5. These look like perfection! I love warm cinnamon buns for breakfast. Actually, they would be wonderful anytime!

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  6. These were definitely easier than I thought, so I'd recommend giving them a go! Angela it would be great if you can join us for Calendar Cakes this month! :-)

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  7. Wow - they look awesome. I shall have to show Mr CC - he handles all our yeast baked items!

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  8. How lovely, I have been meaning to make some cinnamon buns for ages and now you have said they aren't too hard to do, I will give them a go. I hope they turn out as good as yours!

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  9. These look and sound delicious!

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  10. These are yummy looking buns. The toffee, apples, and cinnamon sounds wonderful together.

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  11. i LOVE homemade cinnamon buns, so much so that i dont think id ever dare put an apple in - bold and adventurous move!x

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  12. Oh my, cinnamon buns and toffee apples are two delicious things so combining them makes this an irresistible recipe to me.

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  13. This looks delicious! My father would loved it!!

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  14. Love the combination of toffee and apple - so autumnal and delicious. The buns look perfect! I've just made my entry but probably wont get round to posting it till next week.

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