Good Friday: Hot Cross Bun Recipe
The Easter weekend is here and what I better way to start it than by enjoying some freshly baked hot cross buns?
The spiced sweet buns made with raisins and currants, marked with a cross on top, are traditionally eaten on Good Friday. Although I’ve never made hot cross buns before, I wanted to give them a try this year.
I must confess they are not hard to make, however you need to be very patient and allow enough time for the dough to rise. It took me four hours in total, from measuring the ingredients to enjoying some freshly baked hot cross buns.
If you are also making hot cross buns for the first time, my top tip would be to let the dough double in size after kneading and after shaping into rolls. You will be rewarded by your patience as soon as you cut the hot cross buns and enjoy it with your favourite toppings.
- 250ml semi-skimed milk
- 50g butter
- 500g strong bread flour, I used Asda Organic Bread flour
- 1 tsp mixed spice
- 1 tsp cinnamon, I used Asda Ground Cinnamon
- 1 tsp salt
- Zest 1 orange
- 1, 7g sachet easy bake yeast
- 75g caster sugar
- 150g mixed dried fruit, I used Asda Mixed Dried Fruit
- 1 egg, lightly beaten
- 50g plain flour
- 1 tbsp icing sugar
- 3 tbsp apricot jam, I used Hartley’s Apricot Jam
- Bring the milk to the boil, then remove from the heat and add the butter. Leave to cool until it reaches hand temperature. Put the flour, salt, sugar and yeast into a bowl and mix them well. Add the mixed dried fruit and orange zest. Make a well in the centre.
- Pour in the warm milk and butter mixture, then add the egg. Using a wooden spoon, mix well, then bring everything together with your hands until you have a sticky dough.
- Tip on to a lightly floured surface and knead by holding the dough with one hand and stretching it with the heal of the other hand, then folding it back on itself. Repeat for 5 minutes until smooth and elastic.
- Put the dough in a lightly oiled bowl. Cover with oiled cling film and leave to rise in a warm place for 1 hour or until doubled in size and a finger pressed into it leaves a dent.
- Divide the dough into 20-24 even pieces. Roll each piece into a smooth ball on a lightly floured work surface. Arrange the buns on one or two baking trays lined with parchment, leaving enough space for the dough to expand. Cover with more oiled cling film, or a clean tea towel, then set aside to prove for 1 hour more.
- Heat oven to 220C/200C fan/gas 7. Mix the flour with the icing sugar and about 5 tbsp water to make the paste for the cross – add the water 1 tbsp at a time, so you add just enough for a thick paste.
- Spoon into a piping bag with a small nozzle. Pipe a line along each row of buns, then repeat in the other direction to create crosses. Bake for 20 mins on the middle shelf of the oven, until golden brown.
- Gently heat the apricot jam to melt, then sieve to get rid of any chunks. While the jam is still warm, brush over the top of the warm buns and leave to cool.
- Enjoy with your favourite toppings.
I must say I was impressed with the buns, they were soft and fruity. The whole family was very pleased with them, so I will be definitely making this recipe again soon.
The buns are slightly sweeten, so they are perfect for breakfast or afternoon tea. We tried hot cross buns with fruity Hartley’s Best blueberry jam for breakfast, hot cross buns with rich Merchant Gourmet dulce de leche caramel sauce make a lovely afternoon tea.
The dulce de leche reminds me of the Brazilian ‘doce de leite’ I used to enjoy at my grandmother’s house when I was a child. Simply delicious!
Do you like hot cross buns? What do you enjoy it with?
The products were provided free of charge for reviewing purposes, however the opinions expressed in this post are honest and my own.