The Chelsea Bun House opened in the village of Chelsea, London, around 1710 and became one of the most famous bakeries in England, drawing queues that stretched the length of Jew's Row on Good Friday and counted King George II and King George III among its recorded customers. Its signature creation distinguished itself from every other English bread by the filling: butter, brown sugar, currants, and mixed spice (led by cinnamon) spread across a sheet of enriched dough, rolled and cut into close-packed square spirals that baked together in a tin and were pulled apart by hand. The English East India Company's control of the Ceylon cinnamon trade after 1796, and Dutch VOC supply before it: meant London bakers had reliable access to the finest C. verum quills, and the Chelsea bun is one of the clearest expressions of what English baking did with that abundance. When New England colonists crossed the Atlantic they carried the same tastes and the same spice habits: the cinnamon traditions of American baking are the English tradition replanted on new soil.
Ingredients
Dough
450 g strong white bread flour
7 g fast-action dried yeast (1 sachet)
220 ml whole milk, lukewarm
50 g unsalted butter, softened
40 g caster sugar
1 egg
1 tsp fine salt
Filling
50 g unsalted butter, very soft
75 g light brown sugar
2 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp mixed spice
150 g currants
1 lemon, zest only
Glaze
3 tbsp clear honey
1 tbsp water
Method
In a large bowl, combine the flour, yeast, sugar and salt. Mix briefly to distribute. Add the lukewarm milk, egg and softened butter. Mix to form a rough dough, then knead by hand for 10 minutes (or 7 minutes in a stand mixer with a dough hook) until smooth, elastic and slightly tacky.
Shape the dough into a ball, place in a lightly oiled bowl, cover with a clean tea towel or cling film and prove in a warm place for 1 hour until doubled in size.
Butter a 23cm square tin. Mix the currants with the lemon zest and set aside.
Punch the risen dough down gently and turn out onto a lightly floured surface. Roll into a rectangle approximately 30x40cm, with the longer edge facing you.
Spread the very soft butter evenly across the entire dough surface. Scatter the brown sugar, ground cinnamon and mixed spice evenly over the butter. Distribute the currant and lemon zest mixture evenly on top.
Starting from the long edge furthest from you, roll the dough firmly and evenly toward you into a tight log. Pinch the seam firmly to seal.
Using a sharp knife, cut the log into 9 equal rounds, each approximately 4–5cm thick. Arrange them cut-side up in the prepared tin in a 3x3 grid, close together but not quite touching.
Cover the tin loosely with a tea towel or oiled cling film and leave to prove for 30–40 minutes until the buns have puffed and are just touching each other.
Preheat the oven to 190°C (170°C fan). Bake for 20–22 minutes until the buns are deep golden on top. They should smell richly of spice and caramelised sugar.
While the buns are in the oven, warm the honey and water together in a small pan until combined into a thin glaze. As soon as the buns come out of the oven, brush the glaze generously over the top. Leave to cool in the tin for 10 minutes, then pull apart and serve warm.
Notes
Chelsea buns are best eaten the day they are made, ideally still warm from the oven. If baking ahead, store airtight and warm at 150°C for 8 minutes before serving. The currants can be soaked in warm water or orange juice for 20 minutes before using to make them plumper.
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