These buns are equally delicious for breakfast or your afternoon cuppa.  I absolutely love sweet bread dough and these are a particular favourite of mine.

Sweet Fruit & Nut Buns

INGREDIENTS

For the dough

500g strong flour

1 tsp salt

50g sugar

250ml tepid milk

8g easy blend yeast

75g butter

1 egg

1tsp vanilla essence

Filling

75g raisins

75g dried apricots, chopped

75g pecans, finely chopped

100g Marzipan, cut into small cubes or grated

1 tbsp icing sugar to finish

METHOD

Place the flour, salt and sugar into a large mixing bowl. Warm the milk to barely hand temperature and dissolve the yeast into it. Then add the butter and stir until it has melted. Pour the milk, vanilla essence, yeast and butter mixture into the flour and mix well. Add the egg and start to work the mixture into a dough.  If the dough is too sticky, add some extra flour. Knead the dough until smooth and elastic.

Dust a plastic bowl with flour and place the dough into it. Cover the bowl with a clean tea towel or a lid and leave it in a warm place to rise for an hour.

Turn the dough out on to a lightly floured work surface and knead again to knock the air out and until smooth and easy to handle. Divide the dough into ten equal pieces and flatten into rounds.

Mix the fruit, marzipan and nuts together in a bowl and divide equally between the dough rounds, spreading the mixture all over the dough.  Fold the right edge of the dough 2/3 in then quarter turn the dough and repeat another 3 times.  Pinch the ends to the bottom of the bun so that they do not come apart while baking.  Roll the buns slightly under the palm of your hand if necessary to give them a nice rounded shape.

Place the buns on a baking tray and cover with an oiled piece of cling film or put the tray into a large plastic bag and leave to rise for a further 30 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 170C fan.  Bake the buns for about 20 minutes or until well risen and golden.  They should sound hollow when tapped on the bottom.  Place the buns on a cooling rack.

Mix the icing sugar with enough water to make a thin glaze.  Glaze the buns while they are still hot.

Enjoy the buns warm or cold.  They freeze well and heat up beautifully in the microwave.