Ingredients

Step by step

1. To make the dough, put both flours, the yeast and salt into the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook. Put the milk, maple syrup and butter into a saucepan and set over a high heat. As soon as the milk feels just warm, remove it from the heat – the butter won’t have melted fully. Pour into the bowl along with the egg. Knead on a medium speed for 7-10 minutes, until very smooth and elastic. Shape into a ball, add a glug of oil and turn the dough to coat it. Cover the bowl and leave to prove until the dough has doubled in size, around 1 hour.
2. Meanwhile, make the brown butter for the filling. Melt the butter in a saucepan over a medium heat. Once melted, crank up the heat and bring to the boil. Swirl the pan every 30 seconds or so. As the bubbling starts to quieten, and a cappuccino-like foam appears on the surface, take it off the heat and pour into a shallow dish to cool and solidify.
3. When the dough has doubled in size, pop the bowl in the freezer for 15 minutes or so to firm up the dough a little, making it easier to roll out. While the dough chills, add the sugar, maple syrup, flour, cinnamon and a good pinch of salt to the semi-set brown butter, and stir to a paste.
4. Dust the worktop with flour and roll the dough out to a 45cm square. Spread the filling evenly over the square of dough, then roll up into a very tight spiral. Trim the messy ends (I bake these on a separate tray as chef’s perk) then cut the dough into 12 even portions. They will be large, but that is how they should be. Set the dough portions, spiral-side up, into a well-greased baking tin, about 20cm x 30cm. Cover loosely and allow to prove until doubled in size, around 30 minutes.
5. For the candied bacon, set a small frying pan over a medium heat and add the chopped bacon. Cook gently, just until slightly browned. Add the sugar and, without stirring, allow it to melt into a pool of amber caramel. Stir the caramel and the bacon together, just until the bacon is fairly evenly coated, then tip onto a piece of baking paper to cool and set.
6. Preheat the oven to 190°C, fan oven 170°C, gas 5. When the buns have doubled in size, bake for 20 minutes until lightly golden and cooked through.
7. For the frosting, first cream the butter then beat in the soft cheese, followed by the maple syrup, until smooth and well combined. As soon as the buns come out of the oven, spread the frosting over them. Break the candied bacon into pieces and sprinkle over the top. Cool for 10-15 minutes before eating.