While the little ones tuck into yet another chocolate Easter egg or nest cake, there’s nothing better than indulging in a delicious homemade Hot Cross Bun. Traditionally enjoyed on Good Friday these Hot Cross Buns are so tasty we think you’ll be tucking into these all weekend long and whether you prefer them toasted or simply warmed up, we think these will be a massive hit every household.
Baking Hot Cross Buns may sound daunting but these are actually very simple to make – all you need is a little patience and a steady hand to pipe those crosses! There are two phases of proving with these Hot Cross Buns for an hour each time so if you’re planning on enjoying these on the same day that you make them, make sure you start nice and early so there’s plenty of time to allow these to expand properly or you could end up with dense and heavy buns as a result.
All you’ll need is a large mixing bowl, a baking tray, a wooden spoon, a tea towel, piping bag and a pastry brush to whip up a batch of these, and trust us when we say that the scent these little guys will fill your home with is to die for and will have lots of hungry tummies running to the kitchen!
We think the best way to serve these is warm and sliced with a thin spread of butter but you could use a little more of the apricot jam for a seriously sweet treat this Easter. If you’re looking for other recipes to get your teeth into this Easter, how about mastering a traditional roast leg of lamb?
- 300 ml full fat milk
- 50 g unsalted butter
- 500 g strong white flour
- 75 g caster sugar
- 1 tbsp sunflower oil
- 7g g fast action yeast
- 1 egg (beaten)
- 75 g sultanas
- 1 orange (zest)
- 2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1 tsp mixed spice
- 1 tsp nutmeg
- 75 g plain flour
- 6 tbsp water
- 3 tbsp apricot jam
- 1 tbsp boiling water
- Add the milk to a pan and bring to the boil before removing from the heat and stirring in the butter until smooth. Allow to cool to a temperature you can touch.
- Pour the flour, sugar, sultanas, spices and orange zest into a large mixing bowl and stir together to the sultanas are evenly distributed.
- Make a well in the centre and add the butter and milk mix followed by a beaten egg and mix to form a sticky dough. It should come away from the sides of your bowl once it's ready to knead.
- Lightly flour a surface with plain flour and knead the dough for approximately 10 minutes. The dough is ready when you can pull the dough apart and it stretches without ripping.
- Using a pastry brush, oil another mixing bowl with sunflower oil and add the dough, flipping once to ensure it has an even coat of oil to avoid it preventing a crust.
- Top the bowl with an oiled piece of cling film and leave to prove in a warm room for 1 hour.
- Punch the dough to knock out the air, and then split into 16 even pieces of an even weight (this is important for even hot cross buns at the end!).
- Using the palm of your hand roll into a ball and line a baking tray lined with greaseproof paper with the balls of dough, leaving enough space between each to expand a little.
- Cover with a clean tea towel and leave to prove for 1 hour and heat your oven to 220°C.
- Mix the plain flour with about 6 tbsp of water to make the paste for the cross. Add the water a little at a time until you have a thick paste that you can pipe that isn't too runny or it will slide off the top of your buns.
- Pipe one long line along the top of each row, followed by a line in the opposite way to make your crosses.
- Bake for 15 minutes in the oven until golden brown.
- Add a little boiling water to the apricot jam in a small bowl and mix before using a pastry brush to paint the warm hot cross buns with the sticky glaze.
- Leave to cool and enjoy.
I would love to win this baking kit! My family love hot cross buns at Easter and I have never tried my hand at making them…this kit would also mean i could make them any time of year I wanted!
Hi Charlotte,
Oops – sadly we aren’t giving away a baking kit on our blog. There is a competition being held by Northern Life Magazine to win a baking kit, which you can find here: http://northernlifemagazine.co.uk/win-baking-kit/. Don’t hang around though as entries close in two days time!