Hot Cross Buns

Hot cross buns

Make the most of the long Easter weekend and fill the house with the smell of spiced buns baking

Ingredients

  • For the dough
  • 450 g strong white flour plus extra for dusting
  • 2 x 7g sachets easy-blend yeast
  • 50 g caster sugar
  • 150 ml warm milk
  • 1 egg beaten
  • 50 g unsalted butter melted, plus extra for greasing
  • oil for greasing
  • The spices and dried fruit
  • 2 tsp ground cinnamon
  • 1 tsp mixed spice
  • 1/2 tsp grated nutmeg
  • 100 g currants
  • To decorate
  • 4 tbsp plain flour
  • 2 tbsp granulated sugar

Instructions

  1. Put the flour, yeast, caster sugar and 1 tsp salt into a large mixing bowl with the spices and dried fruit and mix well. Make a well in the centre and pour in the warm milk, 50ml warm water, the beaten egg and the melted butter. Mix everything together to form a dough – start with a wooden spoon and finish with your hands. If the dough is too dry, add a little more warm water; if it’s too wet, add more flour.
  2. Knead in the bowl or on a floured surface until the dough becomes smooth and springy. Transfer to a clean, lightly greased bowl and cover loosely with a clean, damp tea towel. Leave in a warm place to rise until roughly doubled in size – this will take about 1 hr depending on how warm the room is.
  3. Tip the risen dough onto a lightly floured surface. Knead for a few secs, then divide into 12 even portions – I roll my dough into a long sausage shape, then quarter and divide each quarter into 3 pieces. Shape each portion into a smooth round and place on a baking sheet greased with butter, leaving some room between each bun for it to rise.
  4. Use a small, sharp knife to score a cross on the top of each bun, then cover with the damp tea towel again and leave in a warm place to prove for 20 mins until almost doubled in size again. Heat oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6.
  5. When the buns are ready to bake, mix the plain flour with just enough water to give you a thick paste. Spoon into a piping bag (or into a plastic food bag and snip the corner off) and pipe a white cross into the crosses you cut earlier. Bake for 12-15 mins until the buns are golden and sound hollow when tapped on the bottom. While still warm, melt the granulated sugar with 1 tbsp water in a small pan, then brush over the buns.

Recipe Notes

Adapted from BBC

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