Raisin Buns (Rosinbolle)

I've purchased a stand mixer and it's been life-changing.  Was he - I've named him Heston - necessary?  Well, yes.  I feel like he's opened up a whole new world of Italian meringues and breads for me. And he's just so pretty.

I've been trying to use him in any way I can, even unnecessarily just to make my purchase worth the money.  It's making me wish that I could take a week of holiday just to stay home and bake.  I'm definitely more of a savory cook than a baker but oh how Heston's changed my mindset and ambitions.  I just need to buy a magimix, a blowtorch and my kitchen needs are fulfilled.

So I used Heston for these delightfully soft and fluffy buns using a simple enriched dough recipe.  The original recipe is for braided Swedish buns stuffed with a sweet cinnamon and cardamom filling.  These are uh.. Norwegian inspired.  They're very satisfying because they're so simple, not overly sweet, hints of cardamom and just so soft.  They freeze well too.

Recipe adapted Leila Lindholm
Makes 10 buns
Ingredients
1 tbsp cardamom pods
300ml milk
135g caster sugar
7g (1 packet) fast action dried yeast
150g unsalted butter, softened
1/4 tsp salt
70g raisins
1 egg
660 - 720g strong flour
+ 1 egg, whisked well with a 1/2 tbsp of water for eggwash

Method
Put the raisins in a small bowl and cover with boiling water.

Crack open the cardamom pods and crush the seeds in a mortar and pestle until fine.

Place the crushed seeds in a small pan along with the milk and heat to about 45C (115F).

In a bowl of a stand mixer or just a large mixing bowl, mix together the sugar, yeast, salt, butter and egg.

Add the milk and most of the flour.  Using the dough hook, knead for a couple of minutes until the dough is glossy and soft.  Alternatively knead by hand for 5-10 minutes.  At this point, drain the raisins and add the raisins to the bowl and have it knead them through.  The dough should be a bit sticky, don't add too much flour at once.

Cover the bowl with a tea towel and leave to double in size -- about an hour.

Divide the dough into 10 portions, flatten, then roll them into smooth balls.  Place them spaced a few cm apart on a baking tray lined with baking paper. Cover with tea towel and let them rise for about 45 minutes. 

Have the oven heated to 200C.  Brush the top of the buns with the egg wash and bake in the oven for about 15 minutes.

Leave to cool slightly and enjoy.