What happened to the Rishi Sunak I knew at school?
Makes: 12 buns
Takes: 30 minutes, plus proving time
Bakes: 20 minutes
For the buns
300ml milk
75g butter
500g strong bread flour
75g muscovado sugar
7g instant, dried yeast
1 egg, lightly beaten
½ teaspoon fine salt
1 tsp mixed spice
200g ready-to-eat dates, pitted and chopped (about 225g dates, unpitted)
50g walnuts, chopped
For the cross
75g plain flour
50ml water
For the glaze
50g dark brown sugar
50ml water
Heat the milk and butter together, gently, until the butter melts. Set to one side until the mixture is just above blood temperature (if you stick your finger in it, it will just feel warm).
Once the milk mixture has cooled, place it in the bowl of a stand mixer with the flour, yeast, sugar, salt, mixed spice, egg, and chopped dates.
Knead the dough using a dough hook for five minutes on a medium speed until the dough comes together and becomes smooth. You can do this by hand, but it will take longer to achieve that smooth, elastic dough – 10-15 minutes, so pop the radio on.
Once the dough is smooth, thoroughly mix the chopped nuts into the dough. Place in a clean bowl, cover with clingfilm or a tea towel, and leave to prove in a warm place for a couple of hours.
Punch the dough down, to knock out the gas that has accumulated, then divide the dough into 12 pieces, roughly 100g each. Roll each into a tight ball: flatten the piece of dough out with the palm of your hand, then fold the edges into the middle. Turn the piece of dough over, cage your hand over the top of it, with your fingertips touching the counter, and make small, fast circular movements: this will drag the dough under itself, and create a tight, smooth ball. Transfer all 12 shaped buns to a high-sided baking tray, arranging the buns close to one-another, so that their outermost edges are just touching. If you like rounder buns, you can bake them on a lined, shallower tray, but you’ll need to space them apart more generously. Cover lightly with clingfilm and leave to prove for an hour.
Preheat the oven to 200°C. Mix a slurry of flour and water together to form a paste which will hold its shape, but is loose enough to pipe. Transfer to a piping bag, and pipe long vertical and horizontal lines across the buns to create crosses. Bake for 20 minutes.
While the buns are baking, heat the muscovado sugar and water together in a small pan until they start to boil, then remove from the heat. As soon as the buns come from the oven, paint them generously with the syrup. Leave to cool completely before removing from the tray, and enjoy toasted or just as they are.
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