Rhubarb sticky buns for an idyllic Scandinavian afternoon tea

Eat these buns from Trine Hahnemann’s new cookbook straight out of the oven with a coffee for afternoon tea, says Prudence Wade

Hot buns: put a sweet twist on traditional Scandinavian cinnamon and cardamom pastries (Columbus Leth/PA)

In Scandinavia, we are famous for our cinnamon and cardamom buns, made with a soft, yeasty dough,” says Trine Hahnemann, author of Simply Scandinavian.

“I decided to try them with rhubarb in place of the spices, since it is a local vegetable for me. Just like the original, these buns are soft, sweet and sticky.”

Rhubarb sticky buns

Makes: 14-16

Ingredients:

For the buns:

300g rhubarb

100g caster sugar

50g fresh yeast, or 10g fast-action dried yeast

200ml lukewarm whole milk

100g full-fat crème fraîche

1 egg, lightly beaten

650g strong white flour, plus more to dust

1 tsp sea salt flakes

100g salted butter, softened

For the filling:

100g salted butter, softened

50g caster sugar

100g marzipan, grated

Method:

1. Cut the rhubarb into one-centimetre pieces, place in a saucepan with 50 grams of the sugar and bring to the boil. Cook for five minutes, then drain through a sieve placed over a heatproof bowl. Return the juice to the pan, bring to the boil once more and cook down until you have a syrup. Leave to cool.

2. Dissolve the yeast in the lukewarm milk in a bowl, then stir in the crème fraîche and egg. Next, mix in the flour, the remaining 50 grams of sugar and the salt. Knead the butter, little by little, into the dough, then knead well on a floured work surface until smooth.

3. Put the dough in a bowl, cover with a tea towel and let it rise for one to two hours, or until doubled in size.

4. Make the filling by mixing the butter, sugar and marzipan into a smooth paste.

5. Line some baking sheets with baking parchment.

6. Tip the dough out on to a floured work surface and roll it into a rectangle measuring about 40 x 30 centimetres. Spread the filling evenly over half the dough, then arrange the cooked rhubarb pieces on top of the filling. Fold the plain side over the filled side, then cut across into two-centimetre strips.

7. Take each strip and twist it, then roll each twist into a spiral.

8. Place the rhubarb buns on the prepared trays, pressing down on each so they spread slightly. Cover and leave to rise for 30 minutes.

9. Preheat the oven to 180C/350F/gas mark 4.

10. Bake the pastries for 25-30 minutes, then remove from the oven and brush with the rhubarb syrup. Leave to cool on a wire rack before serving.

‘Simply Scandinavian’ by Trine Hahnemann (Quadrille, £27).