Easy Hot Cross Buns Recipe
Indulge in the delightful taste of speculoos and currants with this Easy Hot Cross Buns Recipe. With a Marmalade Glaze, these buns are perfect when toasted and generously spread with butter.
Servings: 12
Calories: 269kcal
Equipment
- 2 Baking Trays
- Baking Parchment
Ingredients
- 200 ml Milk Plus extra for glazing
- 85 g unsalted butter chopped into cubes
- 450 g strong white bread flour plus extra for dusting
- 3 teaspoons Fast Active Dried Yeast
- 50 g caster sugar
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 4 teaspoons speculoos or ground mixed spice or to taste.
- 2 eggs lightly beaten
- 150 g Currants or mixed dried fruit
For the glaze and Crosses Topping
- Marmalade or Apricot Jam
- 100 g plain flour
- Water
Instructions
- Scald the milk to kill off the enzyme that affects how the yeast works. Place the milk in a pan over a moderate heat. Take the pan off the heat when you see bubbles appear on the edge of the pan. Add the cubed butter, give a gentle stir and leave the butter to melt in the milk. Leave to cool.
- In a large mixing bowl, add the flour, yeast, sugar, salt and spices along with the mixed dried fruit and give everything a good mix.
- Make a well in the centre, add the lightly beaten eggs and enough milk & butter mixture to make a soft slightly sticky dough. Note: I used all of the mixture.
- Knead until you have a soft smooth dough. This could take 5 - 10 mins depending on whether you are kneading by hand or by machine. The mixture will be a little sticky, but persevere and it will all come together. TIP: If using an electric mixer remove the dough from the bowl and knead by hand for the final few minutes to bring it together as a smooth round ball of dough.
- Place in a lightly floured bowl and cover with a pan lid or cling film and leave to rise in a warm place until the dough has doubled in size. This could take a couple of hours depending on how warm your kitchen is.
- Grease and line two baking trays with baking parchment.
- Turn the dough out onto a lightly dusted surface and knead for a few seconds by hand. Divide the dough into 12 equal portions and shape them into small round buns. Using a sharp knife, make a cross on the top of each Hot Cross Bun. Place each bun on the prepared baking tray, cover with cling film and leave to rise and double in size in a warm place.
- While the hot cross buns are rising for the second time on the baking trays, mix the flour with enough water to make a smooth thick paste. This is used to make the crosses on the top of each bun. Place the paste in a piping bag and cut the end to a ¼ inch opening. Leave to one side until you are ready to use.
- Before you are ready to bake, preheat the oven to 190 deg fan oven.
- Brush the tops with a little milk then pipe a cross over the top of each bun with the flour paste that you made earlier.
- Bake in the oven for 15 - 20 minutes or until baked with a golden colour on top. Glaze with melted or soften apricot jam or marmalade and leave to cool.
Notes
Storage
Freshly made Hot Cross Buns are best eaten on the day they are made. Just like bread, they can become dry and hard after a day or so. However, there is no need to waste them, toast them for breakfast or turn them into a bread and butter pudding.
Top Tips
TIP 1 - Scald the milk (heat to blood temperature) before making the dough.
TIP 2 - For deliciously baked Hot Cross Buns, it is recommended to begin early in the day, giving the dough enough time to rise.
FAQ.
Why Are My Hot Cross Buns Hard?
It is important that hot cross bun dough is on the sticky side, to begin with, as adding too much flour is likely to cause the dough to be tough and hard when baked
Nutrition
Calories: 269kcal | Carbohydrates: 42g | Protein: 7g | Fat: 8g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 2g | Trans Fat: 0.2g | Cholesterol: 45mg | Sodium: 119mg | Potassium: 131mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 7g | Vitamin A: 253IU | Vitamin C: 5mg | Calcium: 44mg | Iron: 1mg