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Hot Cross Buns
Difficulty Level Easy
YIELD Makes 15 buns
See Cooking Videos
When I was a child I always looked forward to Easter. Sure it was fun to hunt for Easter eggs on Sunday morning, and I loved the baked ham we usually had for our big family dinner, but the real treat for me was the appearance of hot cross buns. You could only get them at Easter, and that made them all the more special. I loved the smell of them toasting, with the promise of cinnamon, nutmeg and raisins, and lots of butter melted on top.
By the time my own children were old enough to appreciate hot cross buns, it was impossible to get good ones. They were either tasteless cardboard or more like cake than buns. I stopped buying them because I was always so disappointed. This year, I thought I'd try to make them myself. How hard could they be? Turns out, they are really easy and I'm kicking myself a bit that I didn't make them years ago.
The bun I had yesterday, still warm out of the oven was pretty fantastic, but the real test for me was when I toasted one for my breakfast this morning. It turned out to be everything I hoped for and it made me quite happy. I glazed my hot cross buns with my homemade crabapple jelly rather than the apricot jam called for in the recipe and I loved the little hit of tartness that it added. This is going to become a regular fixture for me at Easter from now on.
Don't worry if you don't have a cake decorating kit with a piping bag. Just put the flour and water paste into a clean little plastic bag and make a very small hole in one corner and pipe it through that. Works like a charm.
INGREDIENTS
| 1 1/4 cups | warmed milk |
| 1/4 | fine sugar sugar |
| 4 tsp | instant dried yeast |
| 1 1/2 cups | unbleached all-purpose flour, sifted |
| 1 tsp | salt |
| 1 1/2 tsps | ground cinnamon |
| 1 tsp | allspice |
| 1/2 tsp | ground nutmeg |
| 4 tbsp | butter, softened |
| 1 1/2 cups | of raisins |
| 2 | eggs |
| 60g | plain flour |
| 60ml | water |
| 2 Tbl | apricot jam, warmed in a pan over low heat and strained |
PREPARATION:
- In a bowl, whisk together the sugar, milk and yeast together until sugar has dissolved. Set aside for 10 minutes or until it becomes frothy.
- Mix the flour, salt and ground spices in a large bowl. With your fingers, rub the butter into the flour until mixed and crumbly. Stir in the raisins, egg and frothy yeast mixture until combined.
- On a lightly floured surface, knead the bread dough for about 5 minutes until smooth and elastic. Lightly grease another large, clean bowl, place the dough in and turn to coat the surface with grease. Cover in clingwrap and leave in a warm, draught-free place for 45 minutes or until the dough has doubled in size.
- When ready, remove the clingwrap and use your fist to punch down the dough. Give it a quick knead until smooth and divide into 12 rounds.
- Place the buns into a greased 20 x 30cm baking tray, cover with clingwrap and leave in warm place to rise for 15 minutes. Preheat the oven to 400F.
- Whisk together the plain flour and water to a smooth paste. Pipe crosses on top of the buns and bake at 400F for 10 minutes. Reduce heat to 350F bake for a further 15 minutes. Buns are ready when it sounds hollow when you tap the tops.
- Brush with warmed apricot jam while the buns are still warm.
From the website Citrus and Candy
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