Hot Cross Buns

Serves: n/a (Makes 12 buns)
Approx cost: €2.50
Approx calories (per bun): 250
Approx preparation and cooking time: 2.5 hours

I thought I’d write a post on something I love about Easter for today. There’s a great many variations on Hot Cross Buns floating around on the internet – buns with chocolate chips, buns with the cross replaced by icing or even pastry – but I really think you can’t beat the most traditional method. Sticky, soft, delicately spiced buns with juicy, plump raisins. Eat them warm or toasted with a little butter for an awesome Easter treat! Even if Easter over, they’re still great to eat so I hope you have a chance to enjoy some. Happy Easter everyone!

Ingredients

Ingredients you'll need for this dish

– 450g + 3 tbsps Plain Flour
– 2 tsps Ground Nutmeg
– 1 tsp Ground Cinnamon
– 1 tsp Ground Cardamom
– 1 x 5g sachet, Dried Yeast
– Zest of 1 Lemon
– 30g Butter
– 160g Dried Raisins
– 300 ml + 3 tbsps Milk + 1 tbsp Milk
– 2 tbsps + 2 tsps Honey
– 1 Egg + 1 Egg Yolk
– 2 tsps Sunflower Oil

You’ll also need
– A Baking Tray
– A Pastry Brush

Instructions

1. Start off by mixing the Flour, Yeast and Spices in a large bowl. You can also add in a teaspoon of Salt if you want to at this point. Grate the Lemon Rind into the flour and stir well.
   
   
   
   




2. Heat 300 ml of Milk gently in a pan and stir in the butter until it melts. Add in the 2 tbsps of Honey and the whole Egg and mix well before adding the raisins into the milk and stirring around gently.
   
   
   
   




3. Pour the milk and raisin mixture into the flour and stir well to create a soft dough. If necessary, you may need to add a little extra flour. Turn out the dough ball onto a floured surface and knead for a few minutes before returning back to the mixing bowl, covering with a clean cloth and allowing to rise in a warm place, for an hour or so.
   
   
   
   




4. Take out the risen dough and fold it over a few times just to make it a little more manageable and then divide into 12 pieces. Form into balls and flatten slightly before placing on a large, lightly greased Baking Tray, allowing space for each bun to spread.
   
   
   
   




5. Cover again and return to a warm place for around 45 minutes to rise again, before removing and then gently cutting a cross into the top of each bun. Turn the oven on to ~200 degrees Celsius. Mix the 3 tbsps of Flour with the 2 tbsps Milk and Sunflower Oil and mix well until you have a smooth paste. If too solid, add a little extra water and mix well.
   
   
   
   




6. Place the flour and milk mixture into a small plastic bag (or Icing Bag if you have one), and cut a tiny hole out of the corner… about 3 or 4 mm in width. Holding the bag from the top and squeezing gently, pipe out the paste into the cross shapes you’ve cut. Mix the Egg Yolk with 1 tbsp Milk and gently brush the buns with the  glaze.
   
   
   
   




7. Bake in the oven for ~20 minutes, until risen and golden brown on the top. When removed from the oven, while still hot, mix 2 tsps of Honey with 2 tsps Water and brush over the hot buns with a Pastry Brush. Allow the buns to cool a little before enjoying!

Nom nom