Spiced Honey Butter Recipes

Steps:

• Warm the milk and orange zest in a small saucepan until steaming. Remove from the heat and add the butter, swirling the pan until the butter has melted and the milk has cooled to hand temperature.
• Mix the flour, cinnamon, sugar, yeast and 1 tsp salt in a large bowl. Pour in the milk mixture and the beaten egg, and mix with a wooden spoon until the mixture clumps together. Tip out onto your work surface and knead until smooth and elastic - the dough should bounce back when pressed with your finger. Transfer to a clean oiled bowl, cover with cling film or a tea towel and leave to rise for 2 hrs or until doubled in size.
• Dust your largest baking tray with flour. Tip the dough back onto your work surface and knead again to knock out any air bubbles. Add the dried fruit and knead to incorporate into the dough. Divide the dough into 11 equal pieces. Roll each lump of dough into a smooth ball. Arrange the balls on your tray in a ring, leaving a small gap between each one. Cover loosely with a piece of cling film and leave somewhere warm to prove again for a further 1 hr or until doubled in size, the buns should be just touching.
• Heat oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4. Brush the buns with a little beaten egg. Mix the remaining flour with enough water to make a thick paste, then transfer to a piping bag fitted with a small round nozzle, or use a sandwich bag and snip off one corner. Use the paste to pipe crosses over the buns - this is easiest if you pipe in one big circle, then put a line across the middle of each bun. Bake for 25 mins until golden and cooked through.
• Meanwhile, make the spiced honey butter. Put the butter, spices and honey in a bowl and beat with an electric whisk until smooth. Transfer to a bowl. When the buns are cooked, remove from the oven and leave to cool for 10 mins on the baking tray. Serve the bun ring warm with the butter in the centre for spreading. The buns will keep for up to 3 days in a tin or freeze for up to 3 months.

Steps:

• Warm 120ml milk and the butter in a small saucepan until melted. Leave to cool to lukewarm.
• Combine the flour, sugar, salt and yeast in the bowl of a stand mixer. Make a well in the centre and pour in the egg and warmed milk, then mix until just combined. If it seems a little dry, add an extra 20ml milk. Knead the mixture on a gentle speed using a dough hook for 5-8 mins, or until the dough is smooth and springs back when pressed. If you don't have a stand mixer, combine everything in a bowl, then knead on a lightly floured surface for 8-10 mins. Shape the dough into a ball and leave to prove in a large, lightly oiled bowl covered with a tea towel for 1 hr-1 hr 30 mins, or until doubled in size.
• To make the filling, combine the ingredients and set aside.
• Line a large baking sheet with baking parchment. Roll the proved dough out on a lightly floured surface to a 40cm square. Spread the filling evenly over the dough using a palette knife, leaving a 2cm border around the edge. Roll the dough up into a tight log, starting with the end furthest from you - it should measure roughly 40cm in length. Cut the dough log in half lengthways down the middle so you have two long pieces laying beside each other, horizontally, cut-side up. Pinch together at both ends, then pick up the ends and twist the pieces around each other, as though you're making a rope.
• Transfer the loaf to the prepared sheet. Loosely cover and let it prove in a warm place until doubled in size again, about 45 mins-1 hr. Heat the oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4.
• Put the sheet in the centre of the oven and bake for 35-40 mins, covering loosely with foil if it starts to become too dark during baking. When ready, the loaf should be golden and sound hollow when tapped on the bottom. Leave to cool slightly for 15 mins if you're serving it warm, or leave to cool completely on a wire rack.
• To make the tahini butter, mix the ingredients with a pinch of salt using a wooden spoon until combined. To make the icing, mix the sugar with 1 tbsp warm water until smooth, adding more if it's too thick. Drizzle over the loaf and sprinkle with the sesame seeds, if using. Slice the loaf and serve with the honey & tahini butter. Best eaten the day it's made.

Steps:

• Heat oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4. Butter and line a 900g loaf tin with baking parchment. Beat the butter and sugar with an electric whisk until creamy. Whisk in the honey, egg, milk, spices and a pinch of salt (don't worry if it curdles slightly, it will become a loose batter), then fold in the flour.
• Tip into the prepared loaf tin and bake for 45 mins until a skewer inserted in the middle comes out clean. Leave the cake to cool for 10 mins, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
• For the glaze, melt the butter and honey in a small pan until smooth. Leave to cool until thickened, then drizzle over the top of the cooled cake. Leave to set before serving.