Coconut Chelsea Buns with Candied Fruit

These Coconut Chelsea Buns are loaded with Caribbean flavours like coconut, allspice, and Angostura Bitters. Read on to get the recipe!

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If you saw my coconut shortbread cookie recipe, then you'll know that these coconut Chelsea buns are the second of three coconut flavoured recipes that I'm sharing on my blog this year. What can I say? I'm Trinidadian - I love coconut!

These buns are my mom's interpretation of a classic British Chelsea bun, with a Caribbean twist. She adds coconut, allspice, and Angostura Bitters to her dough, and tops the cooked buns with a sweet orange juice glaze.

Trying to get this recipe on paper was trickier than expected, because my mom just makes these from memory. In order to make sure that you can reproduce the recipe correctly, we've chosen to adapt a classic Chelsea bun recipe from the BBC food website. These are actually a bit softer than what my mom makes, which is totally fine with me!

These coconut Chelsea buns are sweet, aromatic, and are the perfect accompaniment to a hot cup of tea. Technically, these are more of a dessert than a breakfast item, especially when compared to traditional Chelsea buns. Of course, that doesn't stop me from eating them first thing in the morning. Calories don't count during the holidays... right?

You can use any fruit that you would add to fruitcake, but I think candied cherries are a must! The fruit we used is actually preserved in cherry brandy, because we always have a glass jar of dried and candied fruit soaking in our pantry. We've always done that, and I've never really known if that's because it's a traditional Caribbean thing, or if it's just something that smart bakers do.

If you don't like candied fruit, you can flavour your coconut Chelsea buns with cinnamon sugar instead. Just mix 2 tablespoon brown sugar with 2 teaspoon of ground cinnamon, and sprinkle it over the dough instead of spreading on the fruit filling. The result isn't a proper cinnamon roll, but it is pretty tasty!

I hope you enjoy making these coconut Chelsea buns at home. If you do make them, let me know how they turn out!

❋ Recipe ❋

Coconut Chelsea Buns with Candied Fruit

Recipe By: Shareba Abdul

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Servings: 18 Buns

Prep Time: 2 hours hours 12 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes minutes

Total Time: 2 hours hours 5 minutes minutes

Traditional Chelsea buns get a Caribbean twist with the addition of coconut, allspice, bitters and a sweet orange juice glaze. Pair one of these with a hot cup of tea for a perfect holiday breakfast. 

Course: Breakfast

Cuisine: Caribbean

Ingredients

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For the Dough:

• ▢ 1 teaspoon granulated sugar
• ▢ ¼ cup warm water
• ▢ 1 tablespoon dry yeast
• ▢ 6 cups all purpose flour, , plus extra for dusting
• ▢ ¼ teaspoon salt
• ▢ 6 ounce milk
• ▢ 4 ounce salted butter, , softened
• ▢ 2 eggs
• ▢ 1 ½ cups unsweetened shredded coconut
• ▢ ½ teaspoon ground allspice
• ▢ ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
• ▢ ¼ cup sugar
• ▢ 6 ounce water
• ▢ vegetable oil, , for greasing

For the Fruit Filling:

• ▢ 2 tablespoon brown sugar
• ▢ .5 cup candied cherries
• ▢ .5 cup candied or dried fruit, , (can use mixed peel, prunes, raisins, cranberries, etc.)
• ▢ ½ tablespoon Angostura Bitters

To Assemble:

• ▢ 2 ounce salted butter, , melted

For the Glaze:

• ▢ ¾ cup icing sugar, , plus extra to thicken glaze as needed
• ▢ ¼ cup orange juice

Instructions

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1. Proof the yeast by stirring 1 teaspoon sugar into the water until it dissolves, then sprinkle yeast onto the surface of the water (do not stir). Wait about 10 minute, or until the yeast appears foamy.
2. Sift the flour and salt into a large bowl. Make a well in the middle and add the proofed yeast.
3. Meanwhile, combine the milk and softened butter in a bowl, and warm in the microwave until the butter melts and the mixture is lukewarm.
4. Add the milk mixture, eggs, coconut, allspice, cinnamon, and sugar to the flour mixture, adding just enough water to create a soft dough. You may not need to use all 6 oz of water, just add a bit at a time until you reach the dough is pliable.
5. Tip the dough onto a generously floured work surface. Knead for about five minutes, until the dough is smooth and elastic. Add flour as needed if the dough is very sticky while kneading.
6. Lightly grease a large bowl with vegetable oil. Place the dough into the bowl and turn it a few times, until it has a light coating of oil. Cover the bowl with a plastic wrap and set aside in a warm place to proof until the dough has doubled in size (about 1 hour).
7. Lightly grease a baking tray, and set aside.
8. Remove the plastic wrap from the bowl, and punch down the dough. 
9. Turn the dough out on to a floured work surface and cut the dough in half. Place each half in its own greased bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Set aside to proof for another 10 minutes. 
10. Meanwhile, combine the brown sugar, candied fruit, and bitters in a bowl and set aside. 
11. Working with one piece of dough at a time, roll the dough on a floured surface until you have a rectangle with ¼ inch thickness.
12. Brush the dough with the melted butter, then spread the filling lightly across the entire surface of the dough.
13. Roll the dough up into a tight cylinder, then cut into 1 ¼ inch slices.
14. Place the slices onto a lightly greased baking sheet, leaving enough space between each slice so they have room to spread out. Cover with a tea towel and set aside to rise for 30 minutes.
15. Repeat this process with the second piece of dough.
16. Preheat oven to 375°F. 
17. Bake the buns in the oven for 18-20 minutes, or until they rise and golden-brown.
18. Meanwhile, put together the glaze. Combine icing sugar and orange juice in a small bowl and whisk until smooth. The glaze should be opaque and not too runny. 
19. Remove the buns from the oven and allow to cook briefly (5-10 minutes).
20. Spoon the glaze over the buns, then remove them from the pan and place on a wire rack (with a baking sheet underneath to catch drips). Allow to cool completely. 

Nutrition

Calories308kcalCarbohydrates50gProtein5gFat8gSaturated Fat5gCholesterol39mgSodium116mgPotassium77mgFiber1gSugar15gVitamin A290IUVitamin C1.9mgCalcium32mgIron2.2mg

Nutritional information is an estimate and will vary depending on specific ingredients and brands used. Accuracy cannot be guaranteed.

Notes

Please note that the nutritional information for this recipe is only an estimate, and has been calculated using a plugin. 

Recipe adapted from: https://www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/chelsea_buns_95015

Please read the full blog post for all of my tips, variations, and recommendations for this recipe.

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Recipe adapted from: https://www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/chelsea_buns_95015