Wednesday 20 March 2013

Hot Cross Buns




Ohhhhkay. So, it's been a while.
Sorry.
(I wonder how many of these posts have started similarly to this one?)

So, funny story, I actually made these hot cross buns weeks ago.
Another funny story, I completely forgot to put sultanas in them.
A third funny story? I've had so many assignments / tests / homework that my brain has really just been like "assignment, revision, test, sleep, more assignment, homework, sleep, sleep, sleep". So...yeah. That's my excuse as to why I've not uploaded this earlier - you can decide how much of it is truth :P

But it's all good, guys. I've managed to find time to type this out, I'm listening to the Les Mis soundtrack, and I just finished To Kill A Mockingbird (such a good book. Go read it. Now.)

So yeah - here we go, just in time for Easter! Just make sure you remember to put sultanas in.



Hot Cross Buns

4 cups of flour
1 generous teaspoon of mixed spice
1/2 generous teaspoon of cinnamon
1 teaspoon of salt
60g of butter
1/4 cup of currants or sultanas
30g of fresh yeast OR 7g / 2 1/4 teaspoons dried yeast
1/2 cup of caster sugar
1/2 cup of lukewarm water
1/2 cup of lukewarm milk
1 egg, lightly beaten

4 tablespoons of self-raising flour
2 tablespoons of cold water

1/4 teaspoon of gelatine
2 tablespoons of water
1 tablespoon of caster sugar


  1. Sift the flour, mixed spice, cinnamon and slat into a bowl. Rub in the butter, then mix in the currants or sultanas. Make a well in the mixture.
  2. Mix the yeast and sugar with a little of the warm water until dissolved, then add the rest of the water and the milk. Add the yeast mixture with the beaten egg to the flour mixture, and stir to form a soft dough.
  3. Turn onto  lightly floured board, and knead until smooth and elastic. Shape the dough into a ball, place it into a clean, greased bowl, and turn over so that the top is greased. Cover and leave to rise for about 1 1/4 - 1 1/2 hours, or until doubled in bulk.
  4. Turn the risen dough back onto the floured board, press out into a rectangle until 1 cm thick, and cut into 16 equal pieces (for large buns) or 20 equal pieces (for smaller buns). Shape each piece into a small ball.
  5. Place the buns on lined baking trays, cover, and leave to rise for a further 20 - 30 minutes.
  6. Meanwhile, make the mixture for the crosses by mixing the self-raising flour and water together to make a thick paste. Spoon into a piping bag or Snap-Lock bag with the corner cut off. When the buns are fully risen, make a slight indentation in the shape of a cross on each bun, with a knife. Pipe the paste onto the buns in the shape of crosses, and bake for 15 minutes at about 200C. 
  7. To make the glaze, sprinkle the gelatine over the water in a small saucepan over a low heat. Once the gelatine is softened, add the sugar and stir until dissolved. Brush this glaze over the hot cross buns as soon as they come out of the oven. 
(Just to note: I made these hot cross buns weeks ago. Meaning, I wrote half of this three weeks ago, and it's been sitting up in a tab on my computer for all of that time and I only just finished typing it up. I apologise. And I blame exams.) 

  




6 comments:

  1. ohhh - I'm planning to make hot cross buns this easter. :) Your blog post came at the perfect time. These look scrumptious!

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    Replies
    1. Hehe - no problem! Even if it was, well, unintentional. But thank you :)

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  2. YUM, they look good Kenzie! Even without the sultanas :)
    My life's been pretty much that too...get up, school, more school, eat, go to bed, get up etc. I'll be glad when the holidays come!
    Miss you! xoxo

    ReplyDelete
  3. Oooohhh they look so delicious.

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