Caramel Apple Spelt Buns (Bread Machine)
Regular readers will know I love my bread machine. Full on, total adoration. I talked about it in my guest spot in the kitchen with…. for Foodies 100 and feel like I wax lyrical about it constantly.
And is it any wonder when it produces amazing dough for things like these caramel apple spelt buns? Soft, sweet, fragrant dough with a touch of dulce de leche and a caramel apple filling.
I’ve read though, that many people buy bread machines, use them once, then leave the poor sods to gather dust in the back of a cupboard for all eternity. I wonder why?
I have a spiralizer and several other gadgets that have met the same fate, so get the faddy buys. But my bread maker has revolutionised my life. Seriously.
I bake bread pretty much every day, and whether it is a simple loaf or a large cinnamon bun, I follow the same basic recipe.
These caramel apple spelt buns are no exception. I know it off by heart and it is only changed by adding a touch more sugar and cinnamon for sweet bread or swapping out the butter for oil.
These caramel apple spelt buns came about when gorgeous, huge apples began falling from our tree. Unlike our berry bushes, the apple tree loved the super hot summer we’ve had.
I wanted to use them up, had a tin of caramel (dulce de leche) in the cupboard and wondered if it would work to stuff an apple caramel mixture into bread. It was messy but it worked. I also added caramel to the actual dough. I know, right?
There was something just so divinely irresistible about soft caramel dough paired with more sweet caramel along with tart apples. All in one mouthful. All they needed for decoration was a sprinkling of icing sugar and a cup of hot coffee. Bliss.
Caramel Apple Spelt Buns
Ingredients
Dough
- 300ml milk
- 1 egg
- 2 tablespoons dulce de leche/caramel (I used tinned)
- 50g butter
- 450g spelt flour
- 1 tablespoon vanilla sugar
- 3 tablespoons sugar
- 7g dried yeast
- 1 teaspoon salt
Filling
- 80g ducle de leche/caramel
- ½ large apple (keep the peel on if you like)
- icing sugar (to sprinkle)
Instructions
- Make the dough in your bread machine as per manufacturer's instructions.
- For the filling: Cut the apple into small pieces. Add apples to a small pan and cook until they start to soften (around 5 minutes). Remove from the heat and allow to cool for a while then stir into the dulce de leche.
- On a baking tray lined with baking paper, plop around a tablespoon of the mixture on to the tray and repeat until you have 8. Place in the freezer until hard.
- Pre-heat the oven to 200ºC (400ºF). Take the ready dough out of the machine (it is on the sticky side so add a bit of flour to your surface to make it easier to work with). Divide into eight balls.
- Roll (or flatten) the balls out a little, place one bit of the frozen apple/caramel in the centre and pull the dough up over the sides until it is covered. Roll the dough gently until you have a fairly round shape (this bit is a little fiddly).
- Place on a baking tray, cover and let rest for about 15 minutes. Bake for around 15-18 minutes until the tops are very firm to the touch and golden brown. Allow to cool for a while and then serve warm sprinkled with icing sugar. Enjoy!