Rhubarb, Ginger & Cardamom Chelsea Buns
The perfect recipe for the weekend or your next day off. I recommend starting the night before and letting the dough have its first prove overnight in the fridge. Then if you are up bright and early the next morning you could be eating a warm, ‘fresh out the oven’ chelsea bun for brunch.
This dough recipe has been adapted from the Bon Appetit recipe created by Sohla El-Waylly. I have made it vegan and have created my own filling but the technique in creating this perfectly fluffy light dough is all her. I have, in the past, struggled with this kind of enriched dough, often creating buns that are a little dry and dense. But this recipe is pretty great. The Bon Appetit article has little video clips to really help you make the dough step by step. Otherwise, if you want to create my version, you can find my adapted recipe below.
Of course once you master this dough, you could start experimenting with your own different fillings. Cinnamon sugar is a classic option but any sort of jam, chutney, compote or paste could work. Also, sprinkling in some chopped nuts or dried fruit is a great addition of texture. The dough is also not that sweet so could maybe even work with a savoury filling….
RHUBARB, GINGER & CARDAMOM CHELSEA BUNS
makes 9 buns • 2 - 3 hours (plus proving time)
for the chelsea bun dough:
160ml unsweetened soy milk
2 tsp apple cider vinegar
90ml vegetable oil (plus extra for greasing)
1 ‘flax egg’ - 1 tbsp ground flaxseed, 2.5 tbsp water
7g dry yeast
50g dark brown sugar
375g all-purpose flour
1 tsp salt
¼ tsp bicarb soda
for the rhubarb ginger compote:
400g rhubarb
60ml ginger syrup (from the jar of the stem ginger)
1 tbsp lemon juice
4 balls of stem ginger, finely chopped
6 cardamom pods, crushed or ⅛ tsp ground cardamom
for the filling:
50g brown sugar
250ml rhubarb ginger compote
Mix the apple cider vinegar into soy milk and set it aside to thicken into a vegan ‘buttermilk’. In a separate bowl, mix the ground flaxseed with 2.5 tablespoons of water. Set this aside to also thicken and coagulate; this is your ‘egg’ substitute.
Combine your thickened soy milk with the vegetable oil in a small bowl. This mix should be at body temperature so heat in the microwave or in a pan over low heat. If it gets too hot,set aside until it cools; if it's too hot it will kill the yeast.
Whisk together your ‘flax egg’ with the yeast and dark brown sugar, before whisking in the soy milk mixture.
In a food processor, pulse together the all-purpose flour, salt, and baking soda. Then, with the processor running, stream in the soy milk yeast mixture. Once all the mixture has been added, keep the processor running for further 2 minutes or until most of the dough has come together in a ball. This process can also be done by mixing all the ingredients together in a bowl and then when slightly less stick can be kneaded together by hand.
Scrape dough onto an unfloured surface; it will be quite sticky but don’t be tempted to add more flour! Knead, until a smooth ball forms, about 3 minutes. The dough will become smoother and easier to work with as you knead.
Roll out dough into a rough 20cm square. Fold dough over to make a rectangle, then flatten it slightly and fold over once more to make a 10cm square. Roll dough back out to a 20cm square and repeat the folding process; you should be back at a square. Pour 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil into a medium bowl and add the folded dough; turn to coat the dough in oil. Cover bowl tightly and place in the fridge or a cool spot until the dough has doubled in volume, at least 8 hours and up to 1 day.
To make the rhubarb ginger compote, preheat the oven to 200°C. Chop the rhubarb into equal size chunks about 4-5cm long. Transfer to a large baking tray and add the ginger syrup and lemon juice. Mix together to fully coat the rhubarb in syrup and lemon juice. Spread the rhubarb over the tray so that each piece is lying flat. Bake for 20 minutes or until the rhubarb is just soft.
Drain off any excess liquid from the tray into a bowl, set this aside for using later as a glaze.
Add the rhubarb to a bowl with the chopped stem ginger and crushed cardamom. Stir to combine, mashing the rhubarb to create a jam-like consistency. Store in a jar in the fridge until ready to use. Will keep for a month in the fridge.
When ready to create the buns, grease a 25cm/10" cast-iron skillet with about 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil. Transfer the proven dough to a clean, unfloured surface and roll out to a 20cm square. Fold in half into a rectangle, then fold the rectangle over itself to form a square; the same folding process you did before. If dough feels tough and uncooperative, let it sit about 5 minutes to relax and try again.
Roll out dough to a 30cm square about ½ cm thick.
Spread about ¾ of your rhubarb compote evenly over dough, leaving a centimeter border along the edge farthest from you. Sprinkle the dark brown sugar over the compote.
Now time to roll! Starting at the edge closest to you, roll dough away from you into a tight log. Using a sharp serrated knife and long sawing motions, trim about 1cm of dough from both ends and discard. Slice the roll crosswise into 3 sections, wiping the knife clean between slices. Then slice each section into 3 buns; you should have 9 buns in total. Transfer buns to the prepared skillet, spacing them evenly.
Cover the pan tightly with foil (or a fitted lid) and place in a warm, dry spot. Let buns rise for about 1- 1½ hours until they’re doubled in volume and spring back slowly when touched.
Preheat to 180°C. With foil or lid still covering the buns, bake for 20 minutes; they should puff up and be mostly cooked but pale in colour. Remove foil and brush the buns with the saved rhubarb syrup. Return to the oven for another 15 minutes until golden brown. Remove from the oven and let cool slightly while brushing over more of the syrup if you still have some.
Once slightly cool, spoon over any leftover rhubarb compote and serve in the pan.