Hot Cross Buns

It's that time of year again guys! Easters within the week so I can finally give in and start enjoying some homemade Hot Cross Buns. In a few days we'll be catching up with family to consume seafood, roast dinners, delicious desserts and a trail of Easter Eggs. The supermarkets have been selling Hot Cross Buns for months now but to me their just not as special as the ones you make yourself. 

I flicked through many recipe's before deciding to make Kingsley Sullivan's Hot Cross Buns from New Norcia Bakery in Perth. This recipe is published in one of my cherished cookbooks, Baker, by Brettschneider and Jacobs.

 

The fruit is soaked the day before to hydrate it so your buns stay nice and soft. I used a mixture of craisins, sultanas and currants.

Then you mix your dough using flour, salt, sugar, butter, yeast, egg and milk.

After a rest the spices and drained fruit are added, I like to do this part by kneading on a lightly oiled bench.

The dough is then placed in an oiled bowl and covered with cling film to prove in a warm place for an hour or until doubled in size.

On a warm day I place mine outside in the shade and it's done in no time at all.

Next lightly spray the surface of your bench with oil & tip your dough out. Divide into 12 portions, knock back and form into round buns.

Tray up 3 x 4 per lined tray, lightly spray with oil and cover loosely with cling film. Now is the time to heat your oven to 200 degrees fan forced while your buns are proving for 30-40 minutes.

The buns are proved when their just beginning to touch or are almost double in size. With a mixture of flour and water the crosses are piped on and then their into the oven for 15-20 minutes.

Piping hot straight out of the oven a syrup of sugar and water is brushed over before allowing to cool on a wire rack.

Serve with lashes of quality butter and try not to devour the whole batch yourself.

They come up beautiful toasted the next day.....



Or serve Pain Perdu style for a special Easter Sunday breakfast.

Hot Cross Buns

Recipe adapted from Kingsley Sullivan of New Norcia Bakery

Ingredients:

Dough

100g sultanas

75g currants

75g craisins

The zest of one orange

500g Strong bakers flour

10g (2 tsp) table salt

65g unsalted butter, cubed, softened

25g (2 Tbsp) caster sugar

10g (1 Tbsp) dry yeast

1 egg

250ml milk, slightly warmed

1/2 tsp ground nutmeg

1 tsp ground cinnamon

1 tsp mixed spice

Cross Mixture

3 Tbsp flour

2 1/2 Tbsp water

Glaze

40ml water

80g sugar

Method:

Dough

1. In a bowl place sultanas, currants and craisins. Cover with warm water for 10 minutes, drain into a sieve and let sit covered overnight.

2. Place Flour, salt, sugar & softened butter in your mixing bowl and mix using the dough hook to disperse ingredients. Add yeast, egg & warmed milk and gently mix for 2 minutes on low, then 7 minutes on medium high.

3. Rest covered for 10 minutes to relax your dough. Sprinkle over nutmeg, cinnamon & mixed spice and knead for 6-7 minutes on medium high.

4. Add fruit & zest and gently mix for until combined. (I like to do this part on a lightly oiled bench, it's always fun to get your hands in there.)

5. Grease your bowl and place the dough back in, cover with cling film and set aside in a warm place to double in size, about 1 hour.

6. Preheat your oven to 200 degrees fan forced, (220 degrees convection oven).

7. Tip your proved dough onto a lightly oiled bench and divide into 12 portions at approx 95g each. Taking one portion flatten it out to release the air, then gather into a ball using your hand in a cupping motion pressing down on the dough to form a smooth ball.

8. Place the balls 3 x 4 on a lined tray measuring approx 30cm x 40cm. Spray lightly with oil and cover loosely with cling film, then set aside in a warm place for 30 to 40 minutes. (You don't want to let any air in but you need to leave room for them to grow in size). 

 9. Mix together your flour and water using a whisk to form the cross mixture, lump free. In a small pot combine sugar and water over low heat to dissolve, then boil for a further minute. If you want a Krispy Kreme glaze effect, boil 2 minutes longer until you have a thick syrup, (do not caramelise).

10. Once the buns are doubled in size gently remove cling film. Using a paper piping bag pipe a steady stream of mixture from one end of the tray to the other, forming crosses. Bake for 15 - 20 minutes, rotating if necessary for an even bake. 

11. Remove from oven and immediately brush with your glaze. Cool on a wire rack to prevent the bottoms becoming soggy. 

12. Serve warm with butter and a cup of tea. Makes 12.

* When working with dough I find it easier to spray the bench with canola oil instead of using flour, that way you don't end up with it everywhere and you can handle the dough better.

* Feel free to experiment and change the fruit or spices to your personal taste.

* If your not handy with a piping bag fill a zip lock bag and snip the corner off.

Hot Cross Buns with a Krispy Kreme glaze.