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Hot Cross Buns

by Bake |
Published on

Preparation Time

45 minutes (2 hours to rise)

Serves

Makes 14

Nutrition

N/A

Puree

N/A

Finger Food

Toast and butter a bun then chop into bite-sized pieces

Ingredients

  • 125 ml lukewarm water

  • 40g fresh yeast (available in bakeries or online)

  • 500g strong white flour, plus extra for dusting

  • 2 tsp milk, plus extra for brushing

  • 2 eggs

  • 60g sugar

  • ½ tbsp salt

  • 85g butter, softened, plus extra for greasing

  • 100g sultanas

  • ½ tsp cinnamon

  • ½ tsp mixed spice

  • Pinch of nutmeg

  • Butter and marmalade, to serve

  • To decorate

  • 60g plain flour

  • 1 tsp icing sugar

  • 4 tbsp water

These buns are traditionally served around Easter, but leave off the cross decoration and you can eat them anytime as teacakes

  1. Pour the water into a large bowl, crumble in the yeast, stir in 100g of the flour, then cover the bowl with a dish towel and leave to stand for 20 minutes.

  2. Add the milk, eggs, sugar, salt and the remaining flour and knead using the dough hook of a food processor or electric whisk until smooth.

  3. Stir in the butter, sultanas, cinnamon, mixed spice and nutmeg. Cover with a damp tea towel and leave to rise for about 1 hour, until doubled in size.

  4. Meanwhile, to make the decoration, mix together the flour, sugar and water in a small bowl.

  5. Grease two large baking trays. Turn out the dough on to a lightly floured work surface, knock back, then divide into 14 pieces. Roll each piece into a ball and place the balls on the prepared trays.

  6. Fill a disposable piping bag with the flour mixture, cut off the tip and pipe a cross on to each ball, then gently brush some milk over the tops of the buns. Leave the buns to rise for 40 minutes, then brush with milk again.

  7. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 190°C/Gas Mark 5. Bake the buns in the preheated oven for 15–20 minutes until golden.

  8. Serve warm with butter and marmalade.

Recipe from ‘BAKE’ part of Parragon Books’ range of Love Food cookbooks

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