I’m not going to lie, I bought a silly amount of spices with me home from india, and turmeric and cinnamon where just the tip of the iceberg. I have had the idea for using golden milk in the dough of cinnamon buns for months but I just hadn’t had a chance to try it out. so what with my new found spices I was inspired to bake them as soon as I got home. I bought home cinnamon in powdered form, bark form and rolled stick form and the leaves from a cinnamon tree (they are used a bay leaves) so I pretty much have cinnamon coming out of my ears so expect to see It lots of recipes. it was so interesting to see the cinnamon tree at the spice plantation I visited, even the leaves tasted of cinnamon. don’t you just love the colour that turmeric turns things, the dough was so yellow it was really vibrant. cinnamon buns are a real favourite of my partner so as compensation for me leaving him to go to India for 16 days I figured I had better make him something, especially as I promised I would not spend as much time in the kitchen when I got back over the Christmas period. I was already back in there cooking two days after I was back. (we knew that wasn’t going to last long though, I’m a foodie and I had loads of spices to play with), these seemed to soften the blow though and he really loved them. especially his big bowl of cream cheese frosting with even more cinnamon in so I could spread it on him self.

recipe for the dough

• 300ml milk
• 1 tbsp. ground turmeric
• 3 cups strong white flour (when I use cups I’m worried my measurements are not totally accurate so that’s why I say to add the liquid a bit at a time)
• 1 sachet of fast action yeast
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/3 cup caster sugar

for the filling

• 2/3 cups brown sugar
• 2 tbsp. cinnamon
• 3 tbsp. butter melted

in a pan add the milk and turmeric and heat gently for 2 minutes. pour back into measuring jug through a sieve and top up to 350ml by adding some cold water. let cool a little.(if its too hot it will scold the yeast) then in the bowl of a stand mixer add the flour, salt, sugar and yeast (on the opposite side of the bowl to the salt) using the dough hook attachment mix while slowly pouring in half of the milk, turn up the speed and slowly add more until you have a manageable dough then knead for 5 minutes (depending on the flour you may need more or less liquid so its best to add half the liquid then slowly add the rest until you recognise the dough is the right consistency you can always add more flour or liquid if needed)

oil a bowl and add the dough and cover and leave to rise for an hour.

once the dough has doubled in size tip out onto a floured surface and knock the air out and roll into a large rectangle, bush it with melted butter and then sprinkle on the brown sugar and cinnamon and fold in half. then cut into to strips. hold the dough with both hands and twist the strip and roll into a bun shape and place on lined baking tray. leave to rise again for an hour. preheat the oven to 180c then brush the buns with a beaten egg and sprinkle on some demerara sugar and bake for 25 minutes. eat as they are or with some cream cheese frosting so make this I add icing sugar and cinnamon to some Philadelphia cheese.