Kelewele cinnamon buns
“This simple recipe is elevated with Ghanaian savoury and sweet notes (that might remind you of pumpkin spice) and an easy hibiscus glaze. You can play around with the glaze, as you can be inventive with the liquid used. Hibiscus powder is great because it’s hot pink, completely natural, and has hidden antioxidants.”
1 HOUR + RESTING + PROVING | SERVES 6 7 AS A BRUNCH EASY
DOUGH
plain flour 350g, plus extra for dusting
caster sugar 50g
fast-action dried yeast 7g sachet whole milk 120ml
unsalted butter 50g, plus extra for the tin
egg 1 large
vegetable oil for the bowl
FILLING
unsalted butter 45g, melted and cooled
ground cinnamon 1 tsp
ground ginger 1 tsp
ground cloves ½ tsp
ground nutmeg ½ tsp
soft dark brown sugar 50g
ICING
icing sugar 100g
vanilla extract ½ tsp
sobolo (cooled hibiscus tea) or milk (for unflavoured icing)
1½ tbsp
1 To make the dough, combine the flour, sugar, yeast and 1 tsp of salt in a bowl. Set aside. Tip the milk, 60ml of water and the butter into a pan. Heat until the butter has melted and the mix is warm (about 43C if you have a thermometer). Pour the wet ingredients into the dry, and gently stir with a wooden spoon until combined. Add the egg and stir until a soft, semi-sticky dough forms. Lightly flour a worksurface and your hands. Tip out the dough and knead for 2-3 minutes. Lightly oil a bowl, add the dough, cover loosely and leave to rest for 10-15 minutes.
2 Roll the dough out into a 35cm x 20cm rectangle. Brush with the butter. Combine the spices and sugar, and sprinkle all over. Roll the rectangle up tightly from a long edge. Cut into 14 pieces (each should be about 21/2cm wide). Lightly butter an 18cm round cake tin. Arrange the pieces, spiral-side up, in the tin. Cover and leave to prove in a warm place for 1 hour until doubled in size.
3 Heat the oven to 190C/fan 170C/gas 5. Bake for 25-30 minutes or until lightly browned, then leave to cool until just warm. For the icing, whisk together the sugar, vanilla and sobolo or milk. Drizzle over the rolls, and serve.
PER SERVING 7 430 kcals | fat 13.6G saturates 8.1G | carbs 68.2G | sugars 29.6G fibre 2.4G | protein 7.4G | salt 0.8G
Zoe Adjonyoh has spent 10 years showcasing African food and promoting equality in global cuisines through supper clubs, a Brixton pop-up, and her cookbook, Zoe’s Ghana Kitchen (zoesghanakitchen.co.uk; @zoeadjonyoh). Find more of her recipes on Omagazine.com.