Hot Cross Buns

Homemade Fruity and Spicy Hot Cross Buns

Posted by Jamie.B.x

About

Homemade fruity and spicy hot cross buns.
Sorry i didnt take photos while making these.
Ill happily answer any questions.

Ingredients:

To reactivate your yeast (if you used dried active yeast)
100ml of cold water
50ml of boiling water
1 tsp of granulated sugar
15g of dried active yeast

For the dough
50g of butter
pinch of salt (optional)
1 tsp of mixed spice
1 tsp of ground cinnamon
1 tsp of ground nutmeg
500g of strong white flour (plus extra for when you knead your dough)
200ml of milk
75g of caster sugar
50g of dried mixed fruit (the ones with sultanas, raisins and mixed peel in)
1 apple (cored and cut into chunks)
1 orange (zest only)
1 egg

For the cross
5 tsp of plain flour
7 tsp of water

For glazing
3 tsp of marmalade or apricot jam (boiled)

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You Will Need (8 things)

  • 1 Apple cored and chopped
  • 1 tsp Nutmeg
  • 1 tsp Oil
  • 500 g Strong White Flour
  • 5 tsp Plain Flour
  • 15 g Active Dry Yeast
  • 1 tsp Mixed Spice
  • 50 g Butter

Steps (5 steps, 180 minutes)

  1. 1

    First i had to reactivate my yeast as i used allinsons dried active yeast.

    I reactivated my yeast with 100ml of cold water and 50ml of boiling water and 1 teaspoon of sugar. I stirred that for a few mins and then sprinkled in my 15g of dried active yeast, whisk this till the yeast starts to dissolve, cover and put in a warm dark place for a few mins or until it starts to froth like what you get on the top of a beer, this can take up to 15 mins.

  2. 2

    While your waiting for your yeast to activate weigh out your, strong white flour, caster sugar, nutmeg, mixed spice, cinnamon and butter. add this into a bowl.
    Make a well in the middle of your ingredients and add your egg, then your yeast (once it has frothed up), then you can start adding your milk, do this slowly as you may not need all of it, i did find i had to use about 100 ml more though but please add 100ml or so at a time until you get a sticky dough.
    Then core and chop your apple into small chunks and add the chopped apple, add your mixed fruit and orange zest too.

    Start to kneed it for about 5 mins or until smooth and elastic.

  3. 3

    Slightly oil a bowl and put your dough in and cling film over the bowl or just put a towel over it and put it in a warm dark place for an hour or until it has doubled in size.

  4. 4

    After the hour has passed divide the dough into 12 pieces and roll each piece into a smooth ball on a lightly floured surface (use your strong white flour for this). Put the buns on a baking tray lined with parchment/baking paper, leaving enough space so that the buns just touch when they rise and expand. Set aside for another hour.

  5. 5

    After an hour heat the oven to 220C/425F/Gas 7. I used an electric oven and found i had to have it at 200C/375F/ Gas 6.

    Boil your marmalade and then brush it onto the buns.
    Mix up your flour and water to make the cross, you need the flour and water to be able to just hold itself so a bit thicker than a yorkshire pudding batter, put this into a piping bag and cut the end off, start off of the parchment and pipe a line along each row of buns, then repeat in the other direction to create your crosses.

    Bake for 20-25 minutes on the middle shelf of the oven, or until golden-brown.

    Then take them out and enjoy.