Giant apple-cinnamon-sugar Chelsea bun

SHARON GLASS

INGREDIENTS

• 3 cups Eureka stone ground cake flour
• ¼ cup sugar
• 1 packet instant yeast
• ½ tsp salt
• 2 jumbo eggs, at room temperature
• ½ cup almond milk or low fat milk (slightly warmed)
• 50g oil or unsalted butter
• ¼ cup tepid water
• 1 tsp vanilla essence

FILLING

• ⅔ cup oil, melted coconut oil, or butter, plus extra for brushing the tin
• ½ cup cinnamon
• ⅔ cup sugar
• 3-4 tbs sultanas, raisins or dried cranberries
• 1 apple sliced thinly in rounds on the mandoline with skin on
• 1 egg lightly beaten with 1 tbs water
• Honey for drizzling

  METHOD

• Using a mixmaster with a “k” beater, blend 2 ½ cups flour, sugar, yeast, and salt.
• In a separate bowl, whisk the eggs. Add the warmed milk, oil, water, and vanilla essence.
• Pour the milk mixture into the dry ingredients and blend together. Gently mix to combine to incorporate into a batter. Change to the dough hook and knead in the machine for about eight minutes.
• Add the remaining ½ cup flour only if necessary. The dough must be sticky.
• Place the dough in a large, oiled bowl. Cover with glad wrap.
• Place in a warm place and allow to rest until it has tripled in size (about two to three hours).
• When the dough is bubbling and tripled in size, roll out on a well-floured board into a large thin rectangle.
• Spread with the melted oil, coconut oil, or butter. Sprinkle very generously with the cinnamon and sugar mixture adding extra cinnamon if necessary to ensure dark cinnamon swirls in the centre. Then sprinkle with the sultanas etc.
• Cut the rectangle into three smaller rectangles, and scatter the apples on each.
• Roll up into three very tight snake rolls.
• Brush a 26cm springform tin with oil or coconut oil. Line the bottom of the tin with baking paper, and coil the dough into the tin to make a giant bun. (you can sprinkle more cinnamon sugar in between the rolls as you coil them).
• Cover with glad wrap and rise again for another 45 minutes. Then brush with a lightly beaten egg, some oil and sprinkle again with cinnamon-sugar. Release the spring on the springform tin but keep it on the sides of the tin – to allow the bun to spread when baking.
• Preheat oven to 180°C. Bake for about 35 minutes until dark and golden. Drizzle with honey when you remove from the oven. When cool, pour over the sugar ice.

ICING SUGAR

• 1 cup icing sugar
• 2-3 tbs water
• Whisk to make a thick sugar icing to pour over.