Hot Cross Buns

it’s chocolate time folks, it’s time to indulge in eggs & baked good. it’s a time for bunnies & easter egg hunts. oh the fun we’ll have.

the hot cross bun recipe is here & it’s delicious. these babies taste better than anything for the store. it’s safe to say that, thanks to karen, i’ll never be buying my buns again.

easter is just around the corner. everyone is eating chocolate & waiting for their days off to relax. you’ve got sometime to get your bake on. why not try making these hot cross buns? they really ARE great. it’s totally worth it.

Hot Cross Buns

recipe from citrus and candy

makes 12 buns

Ingredients:

310ml warmed milk

60g caster sugar

16g instant dried yeast (about 4 teaspoons)

600g plain flour, sifted

1 tsp salt

1.5 tsps ground cinnamon

1 tsp allspice

1/2 tsp ground nutmeg

60g butter, softened

1.5 cups of raisins / sultanas – or to taste

2 eggs

To finish

60g plain flour

60ml water

2 Tbl apricot jam, warmed in a pan over low heat and strained

Directions:

in a bowl, whisk together the sugar, milk and yeast together until sugar has dissolved. cover and set aside for 10 minutes or until it becomes frothy.

mix the flour, salt and ground spices in a large bowl. With your fingers, rub the butter into the flour until mixed and crumbly.

stir in the raisins/sultanas, egg and frothy yeast mixture until combined.

on a lightly floured surface, knead the bread dough for about 5 minutes until smooth and elastic. lightly grease another large, clean bowl, place the dough in and turn to coat the surface with grease. cover in clingwrap and leave in a warm, draught-free place for 45 minutes or until the dough has doubled in size.

when ready, remove the clingwrap and use your fist to punch down the dough (this was seriously exciting). give it a quick knead until smooth and divide into 12 rounds.

place the buns into a greased 20 x 30cm baking tray, cover with clingwrap and leave in warm place to rise for 15 minutes.

preheat the oven to 200°C/390°F.

whisk together the plain flour and water to a smooth paste. pipe crosses on top of the buns.

bake at 200°C/390°F for 10 minutes. reduce heat to 180°C/355°F bake for a further 15 minutes. buns are ready when it sounds hollow when you tap the tops.

brush with warmed apricot jam while the buns are still warm.