These sticky apple and caramel Chelsea buns are the ultimate autumn comfort bake

(For the dough)

• 40g (1.oz) butter

• 180ml (6fl oz) milk

• 500g (1lb 2oz) strong white bread flour

• 1 x 7g (0.25oz) sachet of Easy Bake yeast

• 1 tsp salt

• 1 egg

(For the apple caramel filling)

• 2 large cooking apples (choose a variety that breaks down during cooking), peeled and grated

• 75g (2.oz) soft brown sugar

• 50g (2oz) butter, melted

• Good drizzle of golden syrup

• Zest of a lemon

(For the glaze)

• 8 tbsp of milk

• 6 tbsp of golden syrup (tip: oil the tablespoon before measuring out and it’ll slip off the spoon much more easily)

• A good pinch of salt

1. Generously grease a 23cm (9 in.) high-sided baking tin and set aside.

2. Warm the butter and milk in a pan until the butter is just starting to melt. Then take it off the heat and let it sit while you measure out your dry ingredients. If the mixture gets too warm, it may kill some of your yeast and impede the rise of your buns.

3. Put the flour, salt and yeast into a bowl, make a well in the centre, break the egg into it and pour in the butter/milk mixture, then stir with a table knife until all the ingredients come together into a uniform, rather sticky dough.

4. Knead the dough on a floured surface for 10 minutes.

5. Leave to rise in a clean, lightly oiled bowl covered by a clean tea towel in a warm place for an hour. This is the first proving stage.

6. Once you’ve grated your apples, put them in a sieve and give them a squeeze or press them with a wooden spoon to remove some of the juice.

7. Put the grated apple in a bowl, add all the other ingredients for your filling and mix together.

8. Once risen to twice its size, roll the dough on a floured surface into a 25 x 40cm rectangle. Spread the filling evenly, leaving a 2cm border along the far long edge. Starting from the long edge nearest to you, roll the dough tightly away into a log, then pinch the seam along the top edge to seal in the filling.

9. Cut your dough into quarters. Cut each quarter into three pieces to make twelve buns, about 3–4cm (1–2in.) wide, and place them in your baking tin. Place them next to each other – if you push them together just a little, the final proving will result in a pleasing squareish shape with a spiral of filling: the classic Chelsea bun design.

10. Place the ends of the dough sausage into the tin to bake with the rest (just tuck them in around the edge). They’ll be slightly small and hard but will still have some filling in and are very good dipped in a mug of tea or coffee.

11. Leave your buns to rise in their tin for half an hour. This is the final proving stage. Meanwhile, preheat your oven to 180°C/360°F/gas 4.

12. Bake your buns for 30–45 minutes or until they are a deep golden brown. I cover mine with a roof of foil after 15–20 minutes or so, as they brown quite fast and sometimes catch in my oven.

13. While they’re baking, make the glaze: simply put the milk, salt and golden syrup into a pan, bring to a boil, then turn down the heat and allow to simmer very gently on a low flame for 2 minutes or so to thicken slightly. Don’t leave your glaze on the hob unattended, and keep stirring it as it can sometimes separate.

14. Remove your buns from the oven and pour the glaze over the top while they’re still warm. The glaze will soak into the dough and seep underneath the buns to form a delicious sweet-yet-sharp caramel sauce.

15. Serve to friends or loved ones in triumph, with large mugs of tea, coffee or hot chocolate. Alternatively, hoard them all for yourself and eat them when everyone’s out.