Hot Cross Buns

I make hot cross buns every year, usually early on Good Friday in time for morning tea.  These buns are on the heavier and fruitier side. The dough is also very good made into a fruit loaf. If you have leftovers they make a delicious bread and butter pudding.

 Hot Cross Buns

Bun Mixture 4 cups plain flour 2 teaspoon salt 2 tablespoons brown sugar 3 tablespoons compressed yeast or 1 ½ dried yeast 1 tablespoon cinnamon 1 tablespoon mixed spice 4 tablespoons oat bran 1 cup sultana 1 cup currants 1/2 cup mixed peel finely grated rind of 2 mandarins 375 ml warm milk 1 tablespoon melted butter 2 eggs

Cross Mixture 1/2 cup flour 1 tablespoon oil 1/4 cup water Whisk all ingredients together until smooth. Lemon Glaze Juice and rind of 1 lemon 1 tablespoons water 1/3 cup sugar Combine all ingredients in a small pan and boil until the sugar has dissolved and the mixture slightly thickened. Allow to cool.

 Method

Put warm milk, sugar, yeast and melted butter in a bowl, Whisk and set aside until mixture becomes frothy, approximately 10 minutes

Combine remaining dry ingredients in a bowl.

Add yeast mixture and eggs to dry ingredients. Mix well, you may need a little extra water. The dough should be firm, moist and soft but not sticky.

Turn dough out onto a lightly floured or oiled board/bench and knead until smooth and elastic.

Place dough into an oiled and clean bowl. Allow the dough to prove/ double in size. You can do this overnight in the fridge, put it in a warm place or if in a hurry stand bowl in a sink of hot water.

Turn dough out onto a board and knead until smooth.  Divide the dough into 18 even sized pieces. Approximately 95g – 100g in each ball of dough.

Roll and shape each piece of dough into a smooth ball, slightly square the corners and place onto a lightly greased tray or tray lined with cooking parchment. 

Brush each bun with egg wash and allow to prove/double in size.

Pipe the crosses onto the buns, do one direction on each row and then come back to finish the cross.

Bake in a hot oven (200 deg Celsius) and cook for 10 mins then reduce the heat and cook for a further 15 minutes or until done. Buns will sound hollow when tapped on the bottom.

Place buns on to a cooling rack and brush with the glaze.

Serve warm with butter. Can be split and toasted if preferred.