Currant Buns (Belvoir Castle Buns)

Close up of unglazed and glazed currant buns.

5 from 2 votes

Currant Buns (Belvoir Castle Buns)

Currant buns are a classic English tea-time treat. But not all English buns are the same. These Belvoir Castle buns, from the East Midlands, are particularly easy on the eye. Though traditionally served without further adornment, a drizzle of glace icing works wonders to turn them into exceptionally pretty glazed currant buns.

Prep Time30

Cook Time10

Proving4

Total Time4 40

Course: Afternoon tea, Breakfast, Snack

Cuisine: British, English

Diet: Vegetarian

Servings:

Calories: 263kcal

Author: Jane Coupland

Ingredients

450 g Plain flour
115 g Currants
75 g Butter room temperature
90 g Caster sugar
250 ml Whole milk must be lukewarm when used
2 teaspoon Quick action dried yeast
½ teaspoon Salt
A little extra milk for glazing the buns before baking

Optional Glace Icing Drizzle

2 tablespoon Icing sugar
A few drops of water

Metric - US Customary

Instructions

Put the currants into a heatproof bowl and cover them with freshly boiled water. Set aside to soften.
Begin by rubbing the butter into the flour in a medium-sized bowl.
Add the salt, sugar and dried yeast and stir briefly. Pour in 200ml of the lukewarm milk and mix into a dough. Add more milk, little by little, as required to incorporate all of the flour into the dough.
Tip the dough onto a lightly floured worktop and knead for 10 minutes.
Place in a large bowl (clean), cover with a clean tea towel and leave to rise for 2-3 hours until doubled in size.
When the dough is ready drain the currants from the water and lay on kitchen paper. Blot them dry to remove excess liquid.
Knock the dough back and spread it out on a worktop. Sprinkle ⅓ of the currants over it, gather the dough up into a ball and knead for 2 minutes to distribute the currants evenly in the dough.
Divide the dough into 2 equal portions.
Roll one portion out to form a rectangle approximately 15cm wide and 22cm long.
Trim up to 1cm from each end to neaten the rectangle and scatter half of the remaining currants over the dough. Roll it up (to end up with a 20cm long log).
Use a large sharp knife to cut the log into 6 pieces.
Repeat with the remaining piece of dough and currants.
Lay the 12 cut buns onto a baking sheet lined with baking parchment (or use 2 baking sheets if you prefer them not to touch as they bake, making it necessary to pull them apart)
Cover the buns with a tea towel and leave to prove for 30-45 minutes until well risen.
Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 220C/ 425F/ GM 7.
Brush each bun with milk and bake for 10-12 minutes until golden brown and cooked throughout (if you have a probe food thermometer you can check the internal temperature is at least 95C/ 203F).
Slide onto a wire rack and allow to cool.
Optional: if making glazed currant buns let them cool completely then make the glace icing by mixing the icing sugar with a few drops of water to attain a slightly runny consistency that can be drizzled using a knife or teaspoon. Drizzle a little over each bun.

Notes

Ensure the milk is lukewarm. Using cold or chilled milk will mean the dough takes significantly longer to rise.
For best results knead the dough by hand for a full 10 minutes (pop your favourite tunes on and get stuck in). Your currant buns will be lighter, softer and fluffier thanks to your efforts.
Allow plenty of time for the dough to rise. Even on a warm day expect to wait 2-3 hours for the first proving and a further 30-45 minutes for the second proving once the buns have been shaped.
On a cold day you may prefer to put the dough somewhere warm, such as an airing cupboard) to help the dough rise in a sensible timeframe
Splitting the dough into 2 portions when ready to roll helps create neater buns – the dough is easier to handle and roll up this way.
The buns might vary in size depending on how well you can roll the dough into rectangles. It’s worth trimming the very ends of the dough away to ensure the rolls at the ends are not too small.
For pull-apart currant buns, place all 12 rolls 1-2cm apart on a baking tray. As they prove and then bake, they will touch.
Alternatively, split the rolls across 2 baking sheets if you prefer the buns not to touch whilst cooking.
For a shinier finish brush with beaten egg instead of milk.
If using glace icing let the buns cool completely before drizzling the icing over them otherwise the icing will slide off them.

Storage Instructions

Store these buns in an airtight container and eat on the day they are baked to enjoy them at their very best.

They should definitely be consumed within 24 hours as they turn stale quickly.

These buns can be frozen. It’s best to do this as soon as they are cold. Simply pop them into a freezer-proof bag and store them in the freezer for up to 3 months. Do not add the icing glaze if intending to freeze your currant buns.

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