What’s up, Christmas morning??

Please meet my latest addition to the little traditions that my man-friend and I are building up. So far we have one for valentines day (do nothing), one for birthdays (fancy french restaurants), and one for Christmas Ever (ragu with pappardelle, garlic bread, tiramisu/affogatos & Wayne’s World). Now, we have one for Christmas morning as well – fancy coffees and homemade pastries of some kind. This year, it’ll be these Almond & Dried Fruit Cinnamon Buns, using up the last of my steeped fruits!

It’s not very original is it? AHHHH, who cares, when there’s pastries to be eaten. If you want to start this little tradition for your family, let me blog your mind with options. Bear Claws. Babka. Christmas Cinnamon Rolls. Hazelnut Prune Rolls. Apple Scroll. Strawberry Danish. ANY of these babies would be PERFECT for Christmas morning! I think pastries are a great way to go for a lot of reasons. They’re portable, they’re easily eaten with hands, they’re not too filling, and they’re still indulgent. So not too much mess or stress, but still delicious – SLAM DUNK.

Do you have any Christmas traditions? Are you making any new ones? I love hearing about what other people get up to – the quirkier the better! Or the cozier the better. Cozy is good too. Hope your holidays are going well!

xx Sarah.

Almond and Dried Fruit Cinnamon Buns

An original recipe by Sarah Coates for The Sugar Hit

Makes 12

INGREDIENTS

3 cups plain flour

2 tbsp caster sugar

250ml milk, slightly warm

2 x 7g sachets yeast

30g butter, melted

1 egg + 1 egg yolk

1tsp vanilla bean paste

pinch nutmeg

For the filling:

100g ground almonds

100g caster sugar

75g butter, softened.

1 egg

1/2 cup steeped fruits (or regular dried fruits)

For the dough, place the flour and sugar in the bowl of a large mixer. Make a well in the centre, and then pour in the milk, and sprinkle over the sachets of yeast, before leaving for about 10 minutes.  Then place the butter for the dough (not the filling) into a pyrex jug and melt it in the microwave, before mixing in the egg, egg yolk, vanilla and nutmeg. Add the egg and butter in to the flour bowl, and then mix using a dough hook for about 10 minutes or until combined and elastic, but still quite soft and sticky. Once done, cover the bowl with plastic wrap, and place aside to rise for about 45 mins to an hour. Once risen, punch the dough down, and roll out to a 50×50 cm sqaure, about 1/2 cm thick.

To make the filling, mix together all ingredients, except the dried fruit. Spread the filling over the square, and then sprinkle over the dried fruit. Roll the square up tightly, pinching the edge to seal. Slice the log into 12 pieces, and set them on a lined baking tray, and leave them to prove for 15 minutes while you preheat the oven to 180C. Once proved, bake for 15 minutes, before cooling on a wire rack and serving!