Recipes

Homemade Hot Cross Buns

Recipe Homemade Hot Cross Buns

Ingredients

Buns

  • 3 teaspoons instant or rapid rise yeast (9 grams)
  • 1/2 cup (110g) caster sugar
  • 1 1/2 cups (375ml) milk, warm
  • 4 1/4 cups (640g) bread flour
  • 2 tsp cinnamon powder
  • 2 tsp All Spice OR Mixed Spice
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1 1/2 cups (210g) sultanas
  • 1 – 2 oranges, zest only
  • 50g / 3.5 tbsp unsalted butter, melted and cooled
  • 1 egg, at room temperature

Extra Flour for Dough

  • 1/4 cup (35g) Extra bread flour

Crosses

  • 1/2 cup (75g) flour
  • 5 tbsp water

Glaze:

  • 1 tbsp apricot jam
  • 2 tsp water

METHOD:

  1. Place flour, yeast, sugar, all spice, cinnamon, and salt in a large bowl. Briefly mix with stand mixer fitted with a dough hook.
  2. Add butter, milk, egg, sultanas and zest.
  3. Standmixer: Mix until a smooth, elastic dough forms – 5 minutes on Speed 2 of standmixer. After 1 minute, add extra flour if required, just enough so the dough comes away from the side of bowl when mixing and doesn’t stick to your fingers.

Hand kneading: Alternatively, dust a work surface with flour and knead by hand for 10 minutes. Dough is kneaded enough when it’s smooth and does not break when stretched.

  1. Place dough in a bowl, cover with cling wrap and place in a warm, wind free place to rise until doubled in size. This will take anywhere between 30 minutes to 1 1/2 hours depending on how warm it is.
  2. Line a 31.5 x 23.5 cm / 9 x 13″ tray with baking paper with overhang.
  3. After the dough has risen, remove cling wrap and punch dough to deflate.
  4. Dust work surface with flour, place dough on work surface and shape into a log – this will deflate the air. Cut into 12 equal pieces.
  5. Take one piece and press down with palm, then use your fingers to gather into a ball, then roll the dough briefly to form a ball. This is how you get a smooth side to the buns. Place the ball with the smooth side up on the tray. Repeat with remaining dough. Line them up 3 x 4.
  6. Spray a piece of cling wrap lightly with oil (any), then loosely place over the tray.
  7. Return tray to warm place and leaver 30 – 45 minutes, until the dough has risen by about 75% (less than double in size).
  8. Partway through the dough rising, reheat oven to 180°C.

To make the crosses:

  1. Mix flour and water until a thick runny paste forms.
  2. Spoon into a round 3 mm piping bag or small ziplock bag then snip corner.
  3. Remove the cling wrap and pipe crosses onto the buns. Go slow so it hugs the curves.

To bake & glaze:

  1. Bake for 22 minutes, or until the surface is a deep golden brown. The surface colour is the best test for this recipe. Meanwhile, place jam and water in a bowl, microwave for 30 seconds. Mix to combine.
  2. Remove buns from oven. Use overhang to lift buns onto a cooling rack.
  3. Brush with jam mixture while warm. Allow to cool to warm before serving.

(Recipe sourced & adapted from recipetineats.com)