Easter is finally here and one of the things I remember about my time in New Zealand is that Hot Cross Buns were beginning to appear in all the bakeries and supermarkets. The delicious aroma of cinnamon and sweet taste of raising and chocolate chip … mmm.
This year I decided to give it a try and make them myself. They turned out exactly how I remember them, soft, warm and sweet. Since they turned out gret on the first try, I decide to share this easy to follow recipe, so that you can try it for yourself.
Full recipe with step-by-step instructions is below. Enjoy!
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Hot Cross Buns
Equipment
- Baking dish
- Whisk
- Stand Mixer with a dough hook (optional)
Ingredients
For the buns:
- 3 teaspoons (9 grams) instant yeast
- ½ cup (110 grams) caster sugar
- 1½ cups (375 ml) milk, warmed to about 40°C (100°F)
- 4¼ cups (640 grams) all-purpose flour or bread flour
- 2 teaspoons cinnamon powder
- 2 teaspoons All spice powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1½ cups (210 grams) raisins
- zest from 1-2 medium oranges
- 50 grams butter, melted and cooled to room temperature
- + extra flour for kneading
For the crosses:
- ½ cup (75 grams) all-purpose flour
- 5 tablespoons water
For the glaze:
- 1 tablespoon honey or apricot jam
- 2 teaspoons water
Instructions
Make the dough:
- In a large bowl combine the instant yeast, sugar, all spice, cinnamon and slat. Mix through. If using a stand mixer, you can mix the dry ingredients with a dough hook on low speed.See notes for more info on yeast.
- Add melted butter, milk, eggs, raisins and orange zest.If using a stand mixer, mix for about 5 minutes until a soft and elastic dough forms. Add extra flour if required. The dough should be elastic, and should come off the sides of the bowl, will stick to your fingers but not too much.If kneading by hand, do so on a floured surface, for about 10 minutes, until a soft and elastic dough forms. The dough is ready when it does not break when stretched. I kneaded by hand, to get a better feel of the dough.
- Place the dough in a lightly oiled clean bowl, cover with plastic food wrap and allow to stand in a warm place for a bout 1 – 1½ hours to rise. It should double in size.
- After the dough has risen, knead it down a bit to get the air out. Split the dough into 12-18 equal pieces.Form each into a ball. Line a baking tray with parchment paper, make sure to leave some overhang.
- Place the balls into the prepared baking tray. Lightly oil a piece of plastic food wrap on one side. Carefully place it over the tray.Place the tray in a warm place for 30-45 minutes to allow the dough balls to rise again, they should only rise by about 75%.Halfway through the second rise, you can start warming the oven to 180°C (350°F).
Make the crosses:
- in a small bowl combine flour with water and mix through until thoroughly combined and there are no lumps.Transfer the slurry into a pastry bag, or a plastic bag and cut off the corner.
Bake the buns:
- Once the dough has risen for the second time, carefully remove the plastic wrap and draw the crosses. Draw them slowly, so that it hugs the curves.
- Place in the preheated oven and bake for about 20-25 minutes, or until deep golden brown. It took me 23 minutes.You can do a toothpick test to be sure they are cooked through.
Make the glaze:
- In the meantime you can prepare the glaze. In a bowl combine water and honey or apricot jam. Mix thoroughly. I only had honey on hand, so used that.
- Once the buns are baked, take them out of the oven and brush the ops with the prepared glaze. Remove from the baking tray and place on the wire rack to cool down.
- Allow to cool to warm before serving. Enjoy!
Notes
- Mix dry active yeast with 2 tablespoons sugar and warm milk until yeast completely dissolves. Leave to stand for 5-10 minutes to foam up.
- Add the remaining ingredients, minus the 2 tablespoons sugar used above and knead the dough.
Nutritional Facts:
Calories: 213 kcal, Total Fat: 3.3 grams, Saturated Fat: 1.8 grams, Cholesterol: 17 mg, Sodium: 128 mg, Total Carbohydrates: 40.5 grams, Dietary Fiber: 1.5 grams, Total Sugars: 10 grams, Protein: 5.3 grams, Vitamin D: 3 mcg, Calcium: 39 mg, Iron: 2 mg, Potassium: 93 mg
Servings: 18
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