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Purely Delicious Hot Cross Buns
What's great about it
Delicious and indulgent, this is one of those recipes that you just need to make on those special occasions. What I love about it is that it’s very simple to make and the lush ingredients of honey, citrus, quality butter and organic eggs give a fragrant and light dough that just melts in the mouth.
Ingredients
Makes 24 buns
380 g wholemeal organic spelt flour
10 g fresh yeast (or 1 teaspoon/5 g dry yeast) - I use fresh bought from a local bakery
2 tablespoons raw honey
2 tablespoons milk
6 organic eggs
Zest from 2 oranges
2 teaspoons vanilla bean paste
5 g sea salt (1 teaspoon)
250 g unsalted butter, softened at room temperature
1 cup golden raisins
Crosses
50 g wholemeal spelt flour
70 ml milk or cold water
Method
Day 1
- Combine the flour, yeast, honey, milk, eggs, orange zest, vanilla and salt into the bowl of your bench top mixer.
- Mix with a dough hook at low speed until incorporated then increase the speed to medium and mix for about 8 minutes or until smooth.
- Add the butter slowly, a little at a time until it is all incorporated into the dough. Take your time and don't add too much at once.
- Add the raisins and mix gently until just incorporated then turn off your mixer and remove the bowl.
- Cover your bowl with plastic wrap and allow to rest at room temperature for about 1 hour.
- Place the dough into the fridge overnight to rest and develop for a further 12 hours. This dough is quite sturdy, so if you go over 12 hours, that’s ok, so long as you cook the dough the following day. Resting also loosens the dough so you end up with light and fluffy hot cross buns.
Day 2
- Divide dough into 24 even size portions - you can also spoon them into lined muffin tins.
- Leave to prove in a warm place for about 2 - 3 hours. This depends on the warmth of your kitchen....I usually turn the oven on just to warm the kitchen and help them prove and they should at least double in size.
- Preheat oven to 180 C.
- Make an egg wash using 1 whole egg and 2 tablespoons of milk.
- Brush tops of the buns with egg wash.
- Combine the cross ingredients and mix into a smooth paste.
- Pour the paste into a home made paper piping bag....I made mine from baking paper.
- Pipe the topping over the buns to resemble a cross.
- Bake for 35 – 40 minutes or until golden and baked through.
- Cool and enjoy.
Notes and Inspiration
Start the recipe the day before you need them. Make a double batch because these won't last long! These tasty buns are not very difficult to make. After combining the ingredients the most important part is to allow the buns to rest and develop in the fridge overnight – at least 12 hours. Serve warm or toasted and enjoy on Easter morning! You can also see my other Hot Cross Bun recipes HERE.
Add 2 finely diced sautéed apples and a pinch of cinnamon which combines wonderfully with the raisins.
Bake in individual paper baking tins.
Serve with ricotta and a little honey.
Serve topped with whole fruit jam.
Top with almond or macadamia nut butter.