Hot Cross Buns

Hot Cross Buns / Kate Martens (p)

“This is the most delicious hot cross bun. It’s taken years of trials and, at last, I have come up with a recipe that reflects the annual celebration of Easter. Try it and see if you agree…”

— Jackie Cameron

Hot Cross Buns

Makes: 15

Buns

Ingredients:

• 300ml Full Cream Milk, plus 30ml more
• 50gr Butter
• 500gr Strong Bread Flour, plus extra for dusting
• 5ml Fine Salt
• 15ml Sunflower Oil
• 75gr Castor Sugar
• 7gr Instant Yeast
• 1 Whole Egg, beaten
• 75gr Sultanas
• 50gr Mixed Peel
• 1 Orange – Zest
• 1 Apple, peeled, cored and grated
• 10ml Mixed Spice
• 10ml Cinnamon Powder
• ½ Whole Nutmeg

For the Cross

Ingredients:

• 100gr Cake Flour, plus extra for dusting
• 75ml Water, you might not need all this

For the Glaze

Ingredients:

• 45ml Apricot Jam

Method:

1. Bring the milk to the boil, then remove from the heat and add the butter. Leave to cool until it reaches hand temperature.
2. Put the flour, sugar, oil, salt and yeast into a bowl. Make a well in the center. Pour in the warm milk and butter mixture.
3. Add the egg, mix well, and then bring everything together with your hands until you have a sticky dough.
4. Tip onto a lightly floured surface and knead by holding the dough with one hand and stretching it with the heal of the other hand, then folding it back on itself. Repeat for 5 minutes until smooth and elastic. Put the dough in a lightly oiled bowl. Cover with oiled plastic wrap and leave to rise in a warm place for 1 hour or until doubled in size and a finger pressed into it leaves a dent.
5. With the dough still in the bowl, tip in the sultanas, mixed peal, orange zest, apple and spices. Knead the dough, making sure everything is well distributed. Leave to rise for 1 hour or until double in size, again covered by some well – oiled plastic wrap to stop the dough getting a crust.
6. Divide the dough into 15 even pieces (about 75gr per piece). Roll each pieces into a smooth ball on a lightly floured surface.
7. Arrange the buns on one or two baking trays, lined with baking paper, leaving enough space for the dough to expand. Cover (but don’t wrap) with more oiled plastic wrap, or a clean tea towel, then set aside to prove for 1 hour more.
8. Heat the oven to 200⁰C. Mix the flour with about 75ml water to make a paste for the cross, adding only 15ml add a time, so you add just enough for a thick paste. Spoon into a piping bag with a small nozzle. Pipe a line along each row of the buns, then repeat in the other direction to create crosses.
9. Bake for 20 minutes on the middle shelf of the oven, until cooked and golden brown.
10. Gently heat the apricot jam to melt, then sieve to get rid of any chunks. While the jam is still warm, brush over the top of the warm buns and leave to cool.