HOT CROSS BUNS

This recipe is a twist on one I found last year in the newspaper by Adam Liaw, his version is super chocolatey and delicious, it is the perfect way to get through the last of your Easter eggs. I made them last year and they turned out perfect, which says a lot because I’m not great at making bread! This year, I craved something more traditional with just a small change. I swapped out sultanas (since I can’t stand them) for candied peel, which I love for how it pairs with the spices. I also picked up Gewürzhaus’ Hot Cross Bun mix—it’s totally worth it, saving you from buying a bunch of spices that will just go stale by next year!

Ingredients

• 375ml lukewarm milk

• 7g dried yeast

• 50g unsalted butter, melted, plus extra for greasing and to serve

• 1 egg, beaten

• 600g plain flour, plus 60g for the crosses

• 100g caster sugar

• 1⁄2 tsp salt

• 2 tbsp Hot Cross Bun Spice

• 1 cup mixed peel

Brown sugar glaze

• 60g unsalted butter

• 80g caster sugar

• 1 tsp vanilla extract

• 2 tbsp milk

• flake salt, to scatter

Method

Step 1

Combine milk and yeast in a bowl and set aside until it foams, about 10 minutes.

Step 2

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook, combine the melted butter and egg with the milk and yeast mixture. Add the 600g flour, sugar, salt and spices and knead on low speed until combined into a sticky dough. Add the chopped Easter eggs and mixed peel to the dough and knead until evenly distributed.

Step 3

Place dough in a greased bowl and cover with a clean tea towel. Place in a warm, draft-free place and allow to rise for about an hour, or until doubled in size.

Step 4

Once the dough has risen, punch it down and divide into 12 equal pieces. I think it is really important to weigh the total amount of dough and divide it by 12 and weight each bun to that weight. Roll each into a ball and place on a lined baking sheet, leaving about 2cm between each. Cover with a cloth and let them rise for another 30 minutes.

Step 5

Heat oven to 170C fan-forced (180C conventional). Mix the remaining 60g flour and 3-4 tbsp water to make a paste for the crosses. Transfer paste into a piping bag (or small press-seal bag with a corner cut off) and pipe a cross over each bun. Bake buns for 20 minutes, or until they spring back when touched.

Step 6

While the buns are baking, mix the glaze ingredients in a small saucepan and bring to a simmer. Simmer for 2 minutes until combined. Brush glaze over the warm buns as soon as they come out of the oven and scatter with flake salt. Allow buns to cool for a few minutes before serving (with butter).