Hot Cross Buns
It’s here! Hot Cross Bun Season - although lets be real, Woolworths and Coles started the season after Xmas (lol). Easter vibes are probably my favourite time of the year. The air is fresh but the sun is warming, the only time in the year I consistently see the sun rise (thanks to daylight savings) and the smell of hot cross buns baking fill the house every weekend.
It has been a few years making these every few weekends in the lead up to Easter. Each year they seem to get better and better. I started using yeast as my way to rise these babies and they were amazing. I now use my sourdough starter and love the taste it gives these buns!
I wanted to share this recipe with you using both sourdough starter AND yeast if you want to try these at home! There is honestly nothing better than slowing down and spending the weekend making hot cross buns (or anything for that matter). Using food to slow down and connect back to the present moment can be very therapeutic and satisfying. And however they turn out - they still taste amazing with a fresh coffee or tea!
Nothing better than a fresh hot cross bun with a good lashing of butter!
Recipe
Makes 8 buns
Equipment:
- Baking dish
- Kitchen aid (option)
- Large mixing bowl
- Scale
- Dough Whisk
- Bowl
- Measuring cup + spoon
- Piping bag OR zip lock bag
- Pastry brush
- Dough scraper
Ingredients:
Dough
500g Bakers Flour
300mL Milk
50g Butter (softened)
100g starter (or 7g Yeast)
50g Sugar (caster or brown sugar)
10g Salt
Filling
Fruit Buns
150g Sultanas
10g Cinnamon
1 Tbsp Marmalade
1/4 tsp Nutmeg
Chocolate buns
150g chocolate chips
1 tsp cinnamon (optional)
Crosses
75g Flour
15g Oil (olive or vegetable)
65g Water
Glaze
2 tbsp brown sugar
1/2 cup boiling water
Method:
Dough
Add your sultanas into a smaller bowl and cover with boiling water. Leave for 30 min.
Add milk, starter (or yeast), sugar and softened butter into mixing bowl. Using a dough whisk or normal whisk, mix until combined and you have no lumps/butter pieces.
Add flour and mix through until all the flour is incorporated.
Now drain the water from the sultanas and add in cinnamon, nutmeg, salt and marmalade. Mix until combined.
Now add the sultana mix to your dough by squishing the dough together. After the sultanas are throughout the dough, leave covered with a damp tea towel for 30 min.
After 30 min, your dough will have relaxed and now we want to knead it for 5-10 minutes.
After kneading your dough, roll into a ball shape and leave in the bowl, covered over with a damp tea towel.
If using sourdough starter - you will leave your dough for 6-8 hours (or until it has doubled in size).
If using yeast - your dough will rise quicker (~3-4 hours or until doubled in size).
After your dough has risen - grab your scales and portion your dough out using a knife or bench scraper and measure 150g dough balls.
Once you have your dough measured out into 8x ~150g portions - fold your dough together into a tight round ball shape and place into your baking dish.
Option to now place into the fridge and leave to slowly ferment overnight OR leave out for a further 1-2 hours (until the buns have risen again) before baking.
If putting the buns into the fridge overnight, when you get them out the next day - leave them on the bench for 1-2 hours to reach room temperature again.
Crosses:
In a bowl, mix together flour, oil and water using a fork until well combined. Now transfer into a piping bag or a zip lock bag (cut a small hole in the corner to pipe out mixture).
Pipe crosses or your own design onto the buns.
Bake:
Pre-heat your oven to 200°c (fan-forced) for 20 min.
Bake your buns for 25-30 minutes or until golden.
Take out of the oven and transfer onto a cooling rack to glaze.
Glaze:
Add sugar and boiling water into a bowl and mix until the sugar as dissolved.
Whilst the buns are still hot, using your pastry brush, cover your buns with the glaze!
Now your hot cross buns are ready to be lathered in butter and enjoyed!
Courtney xx
If you have any questions - email me below or send through your hot cross bun creations!
