The dough for the Hot Cross Buns developed by Chrissie and me way back in 1990 when we opened The Gourmet Grocer is a light brioche dough made with milk, butter and eggs. They are therefore unashamedly rich and deliver a beautiful mouthfeel. We are traditionalists hence the sultanas, currants and mixed peel and there are generous amounts of them. You can, of course, go your own way after making the base dough. We did make chocolate and almond Hot Cross Buns for those who didn’t like the fruit. We simply substituted the fruit with 200gms of milk chocolate buttons and 100gms of slivered almonds.
Some people don’t like mixed peel (I don’t know why!) so just leave it out. You could also add some cocoa to the mix if that is your want.
Don’t be put off by the ten steps I have broken the recipe down to; it has only been done to make the process clearer. It took me just over 3 hours in total from start to eating. After making your first batch you will understand the rhythm of the process.
I have provided a list of the equipment you will require so that you suddenly don’t get to a stage of saying “Oh damn, I didn’t think about a piping bag!”
Whichever way you make them I am sure you and your family will love them.
Dough Ingredients
650gms baker’s flour
15gms salt
80gms unsalted butter
350mls full cream milk
30gms castor sugar
1 egg
30gms fresh yeast or 15gms dried yeast
Fruit and Spice Ingredients
200gms sultanas
100gms currants
25gms mixed peel
1.5 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1.5 teaspoons ground nutmeg
0.5 teaspoon ground cloves
Piping Ingredients
100gms baker’s flour
2gms salt
20mls (1Tablespoon) vegetable oil
100ml water
Sugar Syrup Ingredients
2 tablespoons water
2 tablespoons castor sugar
strip of fresh lemon peel
Equipment Required
Electronic scales in 1gm increments.
Large mixing bowl for mixing dough and proving
Medium mixing bowl for fruit and spice
Wooden spoon
Small saucepan for heating milk, mixing sugar, yeast and egg and, making the sugar syrup
Whisk for above and making piping paste
Damp teatowel to cover dough while proving. You can use clingfilm
Scraper or knife to divide the dough
330mm X 240mm baking sheet and baking paper
Piping bag with 3mm nozzle
Pastry brush to apply glaze
Step 1
Assemble all your ingredients
Step two
Place the sultanas, currants, mixed peel and spices into a bowl and set aside.
Step three
In a saucepan warm milk to just below blood temperature; 25C to 27C is ideal. Add 30gms castor sugar and crumble in the fresh yeast. If you are you are using dry yeast sprinkle this into the warm milk. Break and add the egg then briefly whisk all these ingredients together. Set aside for ten minutes until frothy.
Step four
In a large bowl stir together 650gms of baker’s flour and the salt. Rub the butter into the flour and salt.
Step five
When the milk mixture is frothy stir this into the flour mixture with a wooden spoon until combined. The mixture should be quite wet and sticky. Don’t add extra flour because the dough needs to be soft and moist, as the fruit will draw up some of the liquid. When the dough is combined tip it onto your workbench and knead until smooth and very elastic. This should take 10 to 15 minutes. Add an extra tablespoon or two of milk if required to ensure the dough is very soft. Different flours absorb different amounts of liquid.
Step six
Pat the dough into a flat oblong then tip the fruit and spice mix onto the dough. Fold the dough over the fruit and spice then start gently kneading until all ingredients are evenly combined. This should take 5 to 10 minutes. Place back into the mixing bowl and cover with clingfilm or a damp cloth then set in a warm space away from draughts to double in size. This will take from 1 hour to 1.5 hours. This is a very good time to have a cup of tea or coffee.
Step seven
Prepare a baking sheet (approx 330mm x 240mm) by lining with baking paper. Tip the dough out onto your workbench and divide the dough into 100gm pieces. You should get 15 pieces. Form the pieces of dough into balls making them as tight as possible and place onto the baking sheet, three across and five deep. Keep them close together; about 10mm apart so they touch and join as they rise. Cover with a damp cloth and leave to prove for 30 to 45 minutes until double in size and soft to the touch with just a little spring.
Set your oven at 220C.
Step eight.
Using a whisk combine all the ingredients of the Cross Paste mix beating until there are no lumps and the mix is like a thick pancake batter. Pour the mixture into a piping bag with a 3mm nozzle. In one long squeeze pipe a line of paste down the centre of the long line of buns. Now do five shorter squeezes across the long line of buns so that a cross is formed on the top of each bun. You will have paste left over but it is much better to have too much than not enough.
Bake for 20 minutes at 200C. I turn the tray around after 10 minutes because most ovens are hotter at the back. They should be a rich golden colour.
Step nine
Place the water, sugar and strip of lemon peel in a small saucepan and bring to a boil then turn down to a low simmer to keep hot.
Step ten
When baked, remove the buns from the oven and slide from the tray onto a close woven cooling rack then slide out the baking paper. Immediately brush generously with the hot glaze.
Your Hot Cross Buns are now ready to eat with butter. They can be reheated in a 170C oven for 5 minutes the next day or toasted. They also freeze very well.
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