Cassia to be blunt is cinnamon’s coarse cousin, though its flavour, while reminiscent of cinnamon is more headstrong and highly aromatic with an intensity that can often overpower.

Ingredients

• 2 tblsp Surebake yeast or 2 ¼ tsp dry yeast
• 2 1/4 cups warm water
• 5 1/2 cups flour (bread making quality)
• 2 tsp salt
• 225 grams butter, softened
• 1/2 cup brown or dark brown sugar
• 2-3 tsp ground cassia
• 1 1/2 cups walnuts, toasted and chopped
• 6 tblsp caster sugar
• 1/4 cup mixed peel
• grated rind one lemon or orange

Method

1. Stir the yeast into 1 ¼ cups of warm water and allow to stand for 5 minutes until the yeast begins to froth.
2. Sift the flour and salt into a bowl. Make a well in the centre and pour in the yeasty liquid, remaining warm water and 75 grams of the softened butter. Bring together with a spoon to make a sticky dough. Use a spatula to scrap the dough into the centre and then cover with a warm clean towel and leave for 20 minutes.
3. Turn the dough out onto well- floured board and knead the dough for 3-4 minutes. Do not knead as if it is bread dough, as you do not want to over work the gluten here. Turn the dough over in a cleaned greased bowl. Cover with greased plastic wrap and then a warm towel and leave in a warm place for about 1 hour or until double in bulk.
4. Melt 100 grams of butter in a saucepan with the sugar and cook stirring over a moderate heat until the mixture forms a thick syrupy mixture where the butter does not separate out from the sugar. Spread over the base of a 23-25cm baking paper-lined square cake tin.
5. Turn the dough out and gently deflate and knead gently for one minute only. Roll out to about a 30 x 40cm rectangle. Beat the remaining butter until it is soft and spread gently over the dough, leaving a 1cm strip unbuttered at one 30cm edge. Mix the cassia with the walnuts, sugar, mixed peel and citrus rind and sprinkle evenly over the top of the dough.
6. Beginning at the unbuttered edge, roll the dough up into a tight log, pinching the ends together. Cut into 9 equal pieces and place these close together in the cake tin. Cover with greased plastic wrap, wrap in a warmed towel and set aside again for about 40 minutes or until double in bulk.
7. Bake in the centre of the oven at 200 degrees Celsius for 5 minutes and then lower the temperature to 180 degrees Celsius for a further 35-40 minutes or until the buns are well cooked through in the centre. Turn out while warm and serve hot with extra butter if wished and steaming hot coffee.