Hot Cross Buns
This is a yearly staple in our house. Come Easter I make these regularly, my family love them with either sultanas, currants, raisins, plain or (this one was new last year) chocolate chips…..yum.
This recipe is a compilation of various recipes either from the internet or old cooking books. I love playing around with recipes, mixing and matching ingredients until I come up with my own version of it.
These Hot cross buns are easy to make and taste absolutely delicious. Try them this year, you won’t look back.
Enjoy
Ingredients
200 ml milk - I use semi skimmed but whole will work too
55g unsalted butter
pinch of nutmeg
7g sachet powdered yeast of 20g fresh yeast
455g Bread or plain flour
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon salt
55g Caster sugar
1 large egg
75g Sultanas you can substitute with same weight of Raisins, Currants or chocolate chips
Little oil for greasing
2 tablespoons flour and water for cross decoration - see instructions
2- 4 tablespoons melted butter mixed with honey for the final glaze.
Instructions
1
Melt the unsalted butter and leave to cool. Warm the milk (warm not hot) add a pinch of nutmeg and add the yeast. Stir to incorporate, and allow to bloom for around 10 minutes or until the top of the liquid is slightly frothy.
2
Add the flour, cinnamon, salt and the Caster sugar to the bowl of your mixer, and whisk to incorporate.
3
Once the yeast mix has bloomed, add it, the melted butter and the egg to your flour bowl, and gradually whisk to incorporate using the dough hook attachment. Knead for some 10 minutes until you form a smooth ball that comes away from the sides of your bowl. You might need to add a tablespoon more flour to the mix if it's too wet.
You can also do this by hand. Mix with a wooden spoon and finally mix and knead by hand. This will take longer than with a stand mixer.
4
Remove the dough from the bowl, and grease the sides and bottom of this with a little oil. Roll the dough ball lightly in the oil, cover the bowl with a cling film and a tea towel, and place in a warm draught free place to prove for an hour or until dough has doubled in size - I usually use the inside of my microwave for this.
5
After an hour, roll out the dough with your fingers and add the Sultanas ( or fruit or chocolate you are using) Knead to incorporate ( 1 minute). Divide the dough into 12 equal pieces. Roll out each piece into a ball.
6
Place the dough balls on a lined baking dish. Losely cover with the cling film and tea towel. Allow to proof for 30 minutes or until dough has doubled in size.
7
After 15 minutes preheat your oven to 190° C.
8
Once buns have doubled in size, mix the 2 tablespoons of flour with a little water to form a paste - like toothpaste in consistency. Pour paste into a piping bag ( or zip lock bag with a side snipped to form a piping bag) and pipe a cross on each bun.
9
Bake for 15 to 20 minutes on the middle shelf of your oven. The buns should be golden brown in colour and firm to the touch. If you feel the buns are getting too browned on top, you can cover them with some foil paper to avoid further browning.
10
Allow to sit for 3 minutes then whilst still hot brush the top of the bun with melted butter and honey mixed together to glaze.
11
Mmm Yums!! Hot cross buns Cosykitchencorner style. Eat warm or cold with butter, cream, jam or simply on its own.
Delicious.
