Hackney Buns

Mix together the sultanas and Guinness in a bowl and pop in the fridge to soak overnight. Drain, set the fruit aside and reserve the syrup.

Roughly cut the butter into cubes. Heat the milk and butter in a saucepan over a medium heat, swirling until the butter is melted – don’t let it boil. Remove from the heat and leave to cool.

In a bowl, whisk together the flour, salt and sugar, mixing thoroughly to distribute the salt.

Whisk the yeast into the cooled butter mixture, then whisk in all the egg yolks until you have an even mixture.

Pour the yolk and butter mixture into the flour mix and use your hands to lightly bring it all together until you have a dough that’s sticky but not sloppy (you may need to add a little more water or flour to achieve this consistency).

Turn the dough out onto a unfloured surface and knead for 20 mins until feeling smooth and bouncy. You may need to use a bench scraper at the beginning if the dough sticks to the surface. Tip the kneaded dough into a lightly oiled bowl, cover with a tea towel then leave in a warm place to rise for 1 hour.

While the dough rises, line a 25cm square baking tin with baking parchment.

Turn the dough out onto a floured surface. Use a rolling pin to roll it out evenly into a rectangular shape until it’s about 25 x 35cm and 1cm thick.

For the topping: Melt the butter in a pot over a low heat. Brush the pastry all over with most of the melted butter, then sprinkle all over with the dark brown sugar and drained soaked sultanas.

Roll the whole thing up lengthways like a big Swiss roll – the tighter the better! Brush some of the remaining butter around the outside, then cut into 12 slices approximately 2cm wide, using a small serrated knife. Place the buns in rows in your prepared tin, leaving small gaps to allow for a further rise. Leave in a warm place to prove for 20 mins.

Meanwhile, heat the oven to 200˚C fan. Once proved, bake for 20–30 mins, or until golden brown.

Remove from the oven and leave to cool in the tin for 10 mins before transferring to a wire rack. When cooling, brush all over with the leftover Guinness syrup and sprinkle with the remaining caster sugar.