STEP 1: Mix the flour, yeast, sugar and salt in the bowl of your electric mixer. Add the milk, butter and egg and mix for 10 minutes on low speed using the dough hook until the dough is soft and smooth. The dough should be elastic and not sticky.
STEP 2: Brush a little olive oil on the dough, shape it into a neat ball and place in a clean mixing bowl to rise until it has doubled in size. This will take about 2 hours.
Meanwhile, mix the butter, brown sugar, cinnamon and chocolate (if using) for the filling.
STEP 3: Turn the risen dough out onto a clean work surface and press it into a rectangular shape with your hands. Then roll it out with a rolling pin into a rectangle about 30 x 45cm in size.
STEP 4: Spread the filling evenly over the surface of the dough, then roll it up lengthwise.
STEP 5: Use a piece of string to cut the rolled-up dough into sections – about 12 buns is ideal; we cut nine. Tip: You can also use a knife, as long as the blade is razor sharp and won’t push the layers into each other.
STEP 6: Arrange the buns, cut-side up, in a lined and greased ovenproof dish in which they fit snugly. Cover lightly with a tea towel and allow to rise again until they have doubled in size. If you’ve created 12 buns, bake for 25 minutes at 180°C; if you made nine larger buns like we did, increase the baking time to 35 minutes.
TA DA!
Let the cooked buns cool on a wire rack. Sweeten 1 tub (230g) of cream cheese with 200ml icing sugar and add 5ml vanilla essence and a little lemon zest. Spread a thick layer on the buns!
TIP:
When kneading a sticky dough like this by hand, use the ‘scoop and stretch’ technique (also known as the ‘row the boat’ technique): place the dough on your work surface and use one hand to lift and stretch it in circular motions as if you’re rowing. Every so often, bring the dough together with a dough scraper and carry on kneading.
