Plum and Almond Sticky Buns

Plum and Almond Sticky Buns

Soft enriched dough buns with frangipane, cinnamon sugar and roasted plums

These plum and almond sticky buns are a beautiful example of enriched dough baking at its most indulgent. Soft, pillowy dough is layered with cinnamon sugar, shaped into elegant rosettes, then filled with almond frangipane and finished with syrupy roasted plums.

They’re perfect for a slow weekend bake or as a centrepiece for afternoon tea, and they demonstrate several key pastry skills: dough development, lamination by folding, shaping, and careful finishing.

Dough

Ingredients

  • 345 g strong white bread flour

  • 5 g fast-action yeast

  • 65 g butter, softened

  • 40 g caster sugar

  • ½ tsp salt

  • 55 g milk

  • 1 egg (approx. 40 g)

  • 100 g water

Method

  1. Mix all the ingredients together until combined. The dough will be soft and slightly sticky.

  2. Knead for 15–18 minutes by hand, or about 12 minutes in a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook, until smooth and elastic.

  3. The dough is ready when it passes the windowpane test.

  4. Shape into a smooth ball, place in a lightly greased bowl, cover and proof until doubled in size, about 1½ hours.

Frangipane Filling

Ingredients

  • 100 g butter, softened

  • 100 g caster sugar

  • 1 large egg, beaten

  • 25 g plain flour

  • 80 g ground almonds

Method

Beat the butter and sugar until pale and creamy. Gradually add the egg, then fold in the flour and ground almonds until smooth. Set aside.

Cinnamon Sugar

Ingredients

  • 70 g butter, softened

  • 60 g muscovado sugar

  • 15 g ground cinnamon

Method

Beat together until soft, smooth and spreadable.

Roasted Plums

Ingredients

  • 250 g plums, pitted and cut into wedges

  • 50 g caster sugar

Method

  1. Preheat the oven to 180°C.

  2. Arrange the plums on a baking tray, sprinkle with sugar and roast for about 25 minutes until soft and syrupy.

  3. Allow to cool completely before using.

Assembling and Baking

  1. Roll the proofed dough into a rectangle approximately 70 × 25 cm.

  2. Spread a thin, even layer of cinnamon sugar over the surface.

  3. Fold the dough into thirds, then roll out again to roughly 37 × 23 cm.

  4. Cut into 10 long strips. Divide each strip into three strands, keeping them joined at the top.

  5. Plait each strip, then roll into a loose rosette.

  6. Place the buns on lined baking trays, spacing them about 3 cm apart.

  7. Add 1 teaspoon of frangipane to the centre of each bun.

  8. Cover and proof for around 1½ hours, until puffy and light.

  9. Preheat the oven to 180°C. Brush the buns with egg wash and bake for 15–20 minutes, until golden.

Finishing

While still warm, brush the buns with spiced syrup, sprinkle with flaked almonds and top generously with the roasted plums. Serve slightly warm.