Pudding Cinnamon Buns

4 cups white bread flour

Pinch of salt

4 tablespoons butter

1 sachet instant yeast

3 tablespoon soft dark brown sugar

3 eggs, beaten

150ml milk

Half a packet of vanilla instant pudding

Filling

125ml butter, softened

20ml ground cinnamon

250ml brown sugar

¼  cup pecans, chopped

¼ cup sultanas

¼ cup raisins

Icing

30ml golden syrup/honey

1x250g plain, smooth cottage cheese

2 ½ cups icing sugar

¼ cup butter, softened

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 ½ teaspoons milk

Sift the flour, salt and pudding into a large bowl. Rub in the butter until the mixture resembles bread crumbs. Stir in the yeast and sugar.

Make a well in the middle and stir in the eggs and enough milk to form a soft dough.

Turn the dough on to a lightly floured surface and knead for 10 minutes. Put the dough in a bowl, cover with oiled plastic and leave to prove for 1 hour in a warm place.

Grease a rectangle baking tray and set aside. In a bowl mix together the cinnamon and brown sugar.

Roll out the dough on a floured surface to 30 cm, smear the butter on top of the dough. Sprinkle the cinnamon sugar well all over the dough and sprinkle with the pecans, sultanas and raisins.

Roll the dough over the filling like a swiss roll and cut into 14-16 slices. Arrange the slices cut side up in the baking tray, so the slices are touching. Cover with oiled cling film and leave to rise in a warm place for 30 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 220º. Bake the buns for 15-20 minutes until well risen and golden brown. Once you remove the buns from the oven, immediately brush with the syrup and set aside to cool. Cool in the pan for 15 minutes then remove and place on a wire rack, do not separate the buns, keep them together.

In a bowl cream the butter for the icing until pale and fluffy, whisk in the cottage cheese, vanilla extract and whisk well until combined. Then stir in the icing sugar, if the mixture is to thick, loosen it with the milk until a thick spreadable consistency is reached.

Spread all of the the icing thickly over the still slightly warm buns and leave to set.

Serve with tea and leave it for people to pull of each bun. Mmmm, delish!