To celebrate the coming of Easter we are making Hot Cross Buns. For this recipe I have used slightly more flour (4 cups) to make it easier for the kids to mix and shape the dough. If you are confident with dough reduce this to 3½ cups of flour and you will end up with a more tender bun.
Equipment
Season: All year
Type: Breads
Difficulty: Intermediate
Serves: 12
Fresh from the garden: eggs
Recipe source: Majura Kitchen Garden
Equipment
metric measuring spoons and cups
scales
bowls – 2 small, 1 medium, 1 large
whisk
wooden spoon
tea towel
pastry scraper
baking dish
large plastic bag
small spoon
piping bag or ziplock bag
small saucepan
pastry brush
wire rack
Ingredients
4 cups strong flour
3 teaspoons mixed spice
1 teaspoon salt
60 g butter
1 cup raisins
¾ cup currants
¼ cup hot water
3 teaspoons yeast
¼ cup brown sugar
1 cup warm milk
1 egg
Paste
3 tablespoons flour
2 tablespoons water
Glaze
¼ teaspoon gelatine (optional)
2 tablespoons water
1 tablespoon caster sugar
What to do
- Set out your equipment and ingredients.
- Preheat the oven to 200oC.
Make the fruit mix
- Combine the raisins, sultanas and ¼ cup hot water in a small bowl and allow to the fruit to soak up the water while you make the dough.
Make the dough
- Combine the flour, spice and salt in the large bowl. Make a well in the middle of the flour.
- Break the egg into the small bowl and whisk lightly.
- Melt the butter.
- Combine the egg, butter, sugar, milk and yeast in the medium bowl.
- Add the milk mixture and the fruit mixture to the flour mixture and stir together with the wooden spoon.
- Cover the dough with a tea towel and leave for 10 minutes.
- Lightly flour the bench. Tip the dough out onto the bench and knead for 5 minutes. While you are doing this lightly oil the bowl.
- Put the dough back in the bowl and cover with a damp tea towel and leave till the dough has doubled its volume.
Shape the buns
- Lightly flour the bench. Tip the dough out onto the bench and using the pastry scraper divide the dough into twelve equal pieces.
- Shape each piece into a ball and place in the baking dish.
- Cover the baking dish with a large plastic bag, making sure the bag does not touch the dough and leave for 20 minutes.
Make the crosses
- Combine the flour and water for the paste in the other small and beat with a small spoon until a smooth paste is formed.
- Fill a small piping bag and just before baking pipe the paste into a cross on each bun.
Bake the buns
- Bake the buns in a hot oven for about 15 minutes.
Make the glaze
- While the buns are baking sprinkle the gelatine over the water in a small saucepan. When soft dissolve over low heat. Add the sugar and stir until dissolved.
- Remove the buns from the oven and brush with the warm glaze while still hot.
