Perfect for a celebration event, from a right Royal street party to a get together with family and friends. These Chelsea Buns are sure to be a hit.

The recipe uses spring rhubarb sweetly roasted in orange and ginger, paired with a buttery pecan and ginger spiced filling.

Ingredients

For the roasted rhubarb

150g rhubarb, cut into 5cm batons

Zest and juice of one large orange

2 tablespoons dark muscavado sugar

2 teaspoons ground ginger

For the dough

500g strong white wheat bread flour

7g dried easy bake yeast

10g salt

40g sugar

0.5 teaspoon ground ginger

100g roasted rhubarb, pureed

130ml milk (full fat if possible)

130g water

1 egg, beaten 

30g butter, cubed

For the filling

100g pecans

0.5 teaspoon mixed spice

0.5 teaspoon ground ginger

50g butter, cubed

30g light brown soft sugar

To glaze (optional)

50g icing sugar

0.5 teaspoon vanilla essence

2 – 3 teaspoons water

You’ll also need one or two deep roasting dishes, lined with baking paper.

Method

Make the roasted rhubarb

1. Pre-heat the oven to 200C (390F). Line a deep roasting dish with baking paper.

2.Mix the chopped rhubarb with the orange juice and zest, sugar and ground ginger. Spread evenly across the bottom of the roasting dish. Cover with foil.

3.Roast in the oven for 15 – 20 minutes until the rhubarb is soft. Set aside to cool.

4. Once cool, blitz the roasted rhubarb in a food processor to create a puree.

Make your dough

5. Weigh out the flour, sugar and ground ginger into a large bowl.

6. Add the salt and yeast, taking care to put them on opposite sides of the bowl.

7. Mix together the dry ingredients.

8. Add in the milk, water, beaten egg and rhubarb puree. Mix all the ingredients together into a dough.

9.Turn the dough out onto an unfloured surface. Knead the dough for 10 minutes until it is smooth and elastic. Gradually add the butter in small pieces as you knead.

10. Shape the dough into a rough ball and place it back into the bowl. Cover the dough and leave it to rise for 1.5 hours.

Prepare the filling

11. Spread the pecans out on a baking tray. Roast in the oven at 150C (300F) for 8 – 10 minutes, taking care not to burn them. Set aside to cool, then chop finely.

12. Mix together the chopped nuts, spices and sugar. Set aside.

Shape and bake the Chelsea Buns

13. Once risen, pat the dough out into a rectangle about 0.5cm thick.

14. Dot the cubed butter across the dough. Then spread the nut mixture on top.

15. Tightly roll up the dough rectangle along the long edge.

16. Cut the roll of dough into buns approximately 3cm wide.

17. Lay the buns cut side up in the lined roasting tray and cover. Leave the buns to rise for 45 minutes to 1 hour, or until doubled in size. Preheat the oven to 210C (410F).

18. Once risen, bake the buns for 20 – 25 minutes until golden brown all over and baked through. Cover with foil towards the end of the baking time if the buns begin to bake too much on top. The buns should be well baked through and light and fluffy when cooled and pulled apart.

19. Mix the icing sugar, vanilla essence and enough water to make a thick, smooth icing. Pipe across the buns once cooled. Enjoy!