From about half an hour after I pack away the Christmas dishes, my family start lamenting about Easter and how they can’t wait for hot cross buns.
These days the stores have them year round, but there is nothing better than making your own. The house is filled with the aroma of cinnamon and yeast dough, as you cut them open, steam rises from the centre. You can’t get that from a supermarket hot cross bun!
Give these ones a try and let me know how they are received.
Buns:
750ml white bread flour
1 sachet instant yeast
5ml salt
80ml castor sugar
300ml milk
1 large egg
60g soft butter
10ml ground cinnamon
5ml ground mixed spice
3ml ground cloves
200g fruit cake mix
Crosses:
250ml flour
25ml castor sugar
150ml water
Glaze:
60ml milk
60ml castor sugar
Place flour, sugar,salt and butter into a large mixing bowl.
Add spices and fruit cake mix, combine.
Pour yeast into milk, add egg and mix well.
Make a well in the centre of the flour and pour in the yeast mixture. Mix well, and turn out onto a floured work surface.
Knead until dough is silky. The raisins will go everywhere, this is totally normal.
Leave in a large glass bowl for 45 mins to double in size. Cover with a towel or cling film.
Turn out the dough onto a clean surface and knead for a minute. Divide into 16 equal pieces.
Roll each piece into a round bread roll and place onto a greased baking sheet, leaving some space in between for the buns to rise.
Cover with a dish towel and leave to rise for 30 mins.
Preheat oven to 200ºC.
Mix crosses ingredients and pour sticky mixture into a zip lock bag or a piping bag.
Snip the corner of the zip lock bag or piping bag and pipe crosses onto the buns.
Place buns into the oven and reduce the temperature to 180ºC. Bake for 25 minutes, until buns are golden on the top and sound hollow when tapped.
Combine the glaze ingredients and heat in the microwave for 2 minutes, stirring every 30 seconds to prevent boiling over.
Brush glaze over the buns and cool on a wire rack.
Serve with butter, cheese or jam
Sticky Hot Cross Buns
Buns:
- 750ml white bread flour
- 1 sachet instant yeast
- 5ml salt
- 80ml castor sugar
- 300ml milk
- 1 large egg
- 60g soft butter
- 10ml ground cinnamon
- 5ml ground mixed spice
- 3ml ground cloves
- 200g fruit cake mix
Crosses:
- 250ml flour
- 25ml castor sugar
- 150ml water
Glaze:
- 60ml milk
- 60ml castor sugar
- Place flour, sugar,salt and butter into a large mixing bowl.
- Add spices and fruit cake mix, combine.
- Pour yeast into milk, add egg and mix well.
- Make a well in the centre of the flour and pour in the yeast mixture. Mix well, and turn out onto a floured work surface.
- Knead until dough is silky. The raisins will go everywhere, this is totally normal.
- Leave in a large glass bowl for 45 mins to double in size. Cover with a towel or cling film.
- Turn out the dough onto a clean surface and knead for a minute. Divide into 16 equal pieces.
- Roll each piece into a round bread roll and place onto a greased baking sheet, leaving some space in between for the buns to rise.
- Cover with a dish towel and leave to rise for 30 mins.
- Preheat oven to 200ºC.
- Mix crosses ingredients and pour sticky mixture into a zip lock bag or a piping bag.
- Snip the corner of the zip lock bag or piping bag and pipe crosses onto the buns.
- Place buns into the oven and reduce the temperature to 180ºC. Bake for 25 minutes, until buns are golden on the top and sound hollow when tapped.
- Combine the glaze ingredients and heat in the microwave for 2 minutes, stirring every 30 seconds to prevent boiling over.
- Brush glaze over the buns and cool on a wire rack.
- Serve with butter, cheese or jam
