Easter Recipe - Hot Cross Buns

I love Easter time for many reasons.

The long weekend, quality family time, springtime, chocolate eggs and of course yummy food!

Easter Is a great time to get together and enjoy a BBQ, weather permitting, a traditional lamb dinner, simnel cake or even just a hot cross bun in the afternoon.

This week I am going to share some of my favourite Easter recipes.

Today it is hot crossed buns.

I have made both traditional fruit filled hot crossed buns and more child friendly chocolate filled ones.

This is what I did...

Hot Cross Buns

Ingredients

400g strong white flour
6g salt
60g caster sugar
7g yeast
30g unsalted butter, melted
1 egg, at room temperature
100mls of full fat milk or 80mls semi skimmed milk and 20mls cream
75 - 100mls water
2tsp ground cinnamon
60g mixed fruit with candied peel
40g chocolate drops, I used milk chocolate but you can use whichever you like


For the cross

50g plain flour
50mls water

For the glaze

Lemon curd

Method

1 -Place the flour into a large bowl, add the salt, sugar, cinnamon to one side and the yeast on the other

2 - Add the melted butter, the milk, cream if using, egg and half of the water and begin to mix, I use my mixer with the dough hook as it can be hard to knead with it being an enriched dough

3 - Mix until it has a smooth elasticated texture

4 - Place in a lightly oiled bowl, cover with cling film and prove for about an hour, or until it has doubled in size

5 - Knock the air out by kneading and divide into two dough balls

6 - Take one of the pieces of dough and flatten out into a rectangular shape and sprinkle on the dried fruit

7 - Knead until the fruit is evenly distributed throughout the dough

8 - Cut the piece into 4 pieces, shape into a ball and flatten with the palm of your hand and place on a lined baking tray

9 - Do the same with the other piece of dough but knead in the chocolate drops

10 - Cover and leave to prove for about an hour or until doubled in size

11 - Pre heat the oven to 200C

12 - Mix the flour and water together to make a paste for the cross

13 - Place the flour paste into a piping bag and using a fine end pipe on the lines for the cross

14 - Place in the pre heated oven and bake for 10 - 15 minutes or until golden

15 - For the glaze mix a tea spoon of the lemon curd with a little water and brush over the buns as soon as the come out of the oven, place on a cooling rack to cool

These are delicious served when still a little warm from baking, toasted or with just a little butter!

Keep an eye out for more Easter recipes this week!

Enjoy x

 

I am sharing my recipe with Casa Costello's Bake of the Week pop over and take a look at Helen's delicious Raspberry, Almond and White Chocolate Loaf Cake.