Eurovision Swedish cinnamon swirl buns

In honour of Eurovision John's making Swedish cinnamon buns and he's got a very unusual kitchen tip to share.

(Makes 12)

Ingredients:

For the dough

250g plain flour, plus extra for dusting250g strong white bread flour5g salt10g caster sugar7g fast-action yeast150ml tepid water120ml milk1 large egg40g unsalted butter, at room temperatureFlavourless oil, for greasing

Filling:125g unsalted butter100g dark brown muscovado sugarZest of 1 lemon2 tbsp ground cinnamon

Topping:

100g icing sugarApproximately 2 tsp lemon juice, add a splash extra if necessary

Method:

• To make the dough, place the plain and strong flour in a bowl and stir in the salt and sugar. Add the yeast and stir it through the flour.

• Add the water, milk and egg and mix well with a wooden spoon or your hands until you have a scraggy dough. Squeeze in the softened butter, then knead until the mixture is smooth and elastic - about 10 minutes. Use a freestanding mixer a dough hook attachment if you have one to make the job easier!

• Place the dough into an oiled bowl, cover with cling and allow to rise in a warm place until doubled in size - usually an hour but could be more if your kitchen is cool.

• Once the dough has risen, flour the worktop and roll the dough out into an approximate square about 45cm

For the filling beat together the butter, sugar and lemon zest until well combined. Spread the mixture all over the dough, before dusting over the cinnamon. Roll up into a tight spiral. Trim off the messy ends, then cut the roll into 12 equal-ish slices (top tip: use dental floss to slice the buns neatly and without squashing them). Place these, spiral sides up, onto a baking sheet, leaving a little space between each one. Allow to rise for another 30 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 220C/200C fan/gas mark 8.

Bake the buns for 15 minutes, or until risen and golden. Remove from the tin immediately and place onto a wire rack to cool.

For the topping, mix together the icing sugar and lemon juice to a thick, but pourable icing. Use to drizzle over the cooled buns before serving.

TIPS:

Top tip: To slice the individual buns from the large sausage, use a length of (clean, unflavoured!) dental floss!