Hot cross buns, hot cross buns
One a penny, two a penny hot cross buns.
As a huge fan of all yeast dough goodies I couldn’t miss the opportunity to make these for Easter. That’s interesting how in different cultures Christians have the same understanding of what makes bread festive. Greek Tzureki, Italian Pannetone, Russian Kulich, British Hot Cross Buns – all have it in common. Spices. And orange zest. And raisins.
I cooked Kulich dozens of times, and Tzureki, and Pannetone as well, but it’s my first time with British Easter bread. I always wondered how the crosses on top are made. Is it white chocolate? Do they bake the buns first and add the crosses at the end? Ha ha, now I know how it’s done. And I was surprised how easy the method is.
Even though I’m not an experienced hot cross bun baker I couldn’t have settled with some classic taste and recipe. So here are my Easter buns with chocolate and prunes.
Recipe:
(makes 9 tall buns, prep and cooking time 40 minutes, proving and rising – about 2 hours)
For the dough:
450 g strong bread flour
7 g (1 sachet) dry yeast
2 tsp mixed spice
zest of 1 lemon
230 ml whole milk
50 g butter
3 tbsp sugar
1 egg
For the filling:
120 g soft prunes
60 g milk chocolate chips
40 g dark chocolate chips
1 tsp ground cinnamon
2 tbsp sugar
For the glaze:
Juice of 1/2 lemon
2 tbsp sugar
For crosses:
50 g flour
3 tbsp water
In a large bowl mix together flour, yeast, spice and lemon zest.
In a proper sized jug heat the milk and butter until very warm, but not hot (around 50-60°C). The butter should melt completely. Add sugar and mix until it dissolves. Beat in an egg.
Pour the milk mixture into the flour and yeast. And mix thoroughly to make soft dough. Gather the dough into a ball and knead it for 3-5 minute.
Grease a clean bowl with a little olive oil and put the dough there. Cover with cling film and leave in a warm place for 1 hour. The dough should double in size.
Mix together all the ingredients for the filling.
Roll the dough into a rectangle about 20×30 cm. Spread the filing evenly and wrap it in the dough. Knead it for a few minutes until the filling is distributed evenly.
Divide the dough into 9 buns about 120 g each. Make them nice and round. Cover a baking tray with parchment paper or silicon paper and arrange buns inside, leaving some space between them. I used a 20×20 cm cake tin.
Cover the tray with cling film and leave to rise for 30-40 minutes.
Make the paste for crosses. Mix together water and flour. Put the mixture into a piping bag. Snip off the end when you are ready to pipe.
Pipe the crosses over the risen buns.
Bake at 190°C for 30-35 minutes until you are happy with the colour.
Heat lemon juice and sugar in a microwave. Mix well.
Brush the syrup over the buns while they are hot.
Enjoy!
- 450 g strong bread flour
- 7 g (1 sachet) dry yeast
- 2 tsp mixed spice
- zest of 1 lemon
- 230 ml whole milk
- 50 g butter
- 3 tbsp sugar
- 1 egg
- 120 g soft prunes
- 60 g milk chocolate chips
- 40 g dark chocolate chips
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- 2 tbsp sugar
- Juice of 1/2 lemon
- 2 tbsp sugar
- 50 g flour
- 3 tbsp water
- In a large bowl mix together flour, yeast, spice and lemon zest.
- In a proper sized jug heat the milk and butter until very warm, but not hot (around 50-60°C). The butter should melt completely. Add sugar and mix until it dissolves. Beat in an egg.
- Pour the milk mixture into the flour and yeast. And mix thoroughly to make soft dough. Gather the dough into a ball and knead it for 3-5 minute.
- Grease a clean bowl with a little olive oil and put the dough there. Cover with cling film and leave in a warm place for 1 hour. The dough should double in size.
- Mix together all the ingredients for the filling.
- Roll the dough into a rectangle about 20x30 cm. Spread the filing evenly and wrap it in the dough. Knead it for a few minutes until the filling is distributed evenly.
- Divide the dough into 9 buns about 120 g each. Make them nice and round. Cover a baking tray with parchment paper or silicon paper and arrange buns inside, leaving some space between them. I used a 20x20 cm cake tin.
- Cover the tray with cling film and leave to rise for 30-40 minutes.
- Make the paste for crosses. Mix together water and flour. Put the mixture into a piping bag. Snip off the end when you are ready to pipe.
- Pipe the crosses over the risen buns.
- Bake at 190°C for 30-35 minutes until you are happy with the colour.
- Heat lemon juice and sugar in a microwave. Mix well.
- Brush the syrup over the buns while they are hot.
