fruit & nut, rye cinnamon & ginger rolls

OK, so these fruit & nut, rye cinnamon & ginger rolls sound like a mouthful but actually they’re divine and relatively simple to make.  I developed them because I still have 3 large bags of rye flour leftover from a panic on-line shop during lockdown.  I’m sure we all probably have a lot of random items tucked away at the back of cupboards that we panic-purchase during lockdown.

Anyway, it means the rye flour needs using, so expect a number of rye-based recipes over the next few weeks.

for the buns

• 300ml milk
• 75g unsalted butter
• the zest of 1 orange
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1 large free-range egg
• 300g strong white bread flour
• 200g rye flour
• 30g caster sugar
• 1 tsp salt
• 7g (1 teaspoon or 1 packet) fast-action dried yeast

for the filling

• 100g unsalted butter, very soft or at room temperature
• 100g light brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon cinnamon
• 1 tablespoon ground ginger
• 1 packet of mixed fruit and nut – roughly 250g. I used the Morrisons Best Fruit & Nut Seed Medley.

for the glaze

• 150g icing sugar
• 2 tablespoons milk
• 1 tablespoon Greek Yoghurt

First make the rolls:

Put the milk, butter, zest, cinnamon and ginger into a small saucepan & cook over a low heat until all the butter has melted. Set aside until lukewarm. Put the flour, caster sugar, salt & yeast into a large bowl & set aside.

Make a well in the middle of the flour mixture, then pour in the milk mixture & add the egg. Mix with your hands to form a rough, soft dough. Tip out onto a lightly floured work surface & knead for about 10 mins until smooth and elastic. (Alternatively, knead them for 10 mins in a stand mixer, using the dough hook on low speed) then put the dough in a lightly greased bowl & cover with cling film. Leave it to rise for about 1-1½ hours or until it has doubled in size.

Next Make the filling:

Make the filling by combing the ingredients in a bowl.  Mix well until fully combined.  A few seconds in the microwave will help lubricate the mix.

Tip the risen dough onto a lightly floured work surface and use a rolling pin to roll into a 40cm x 50cm rectangle. Using a spoon or spatula, spread the spice butter all over the dough and then sprinkle over the nuts and fruit. Roll up the dough into a cylinder along the long edge, keeping the spiral tight. Using a sharp knife, cut into 12 even slices.

Grease and line a baking tin roughly 20cm x 3cm and arrange the buns snugly in the base. Cover the tin with cling film, set aside and allow the buns to prove for 45-60 minutes until risen and puffy. While the buns are proving, heat the oven to 180°C.

Once proved, bake the buns for 25-30 minutes or until golden brown. While the buns are baking, prepare the glaze by combining the ingredients until you have a thick but runny glaze.

Remove the buns from the oven and immediately brush with the milk glaze.

For more bun recipes, check these out on Dom in the Kitchen.

Eat and of course, enjoy!