Easy Fruity Hot Cross Buns

Made for tearing and sharing.

Tear and share these fruity Hot Cross Buns. Follow the step by step recipe using currants or any dried fruits you may have. Glaze with marmalade and eat warm from the oven. This recipe for How To Make Buttermilk Soda Bread is also delicious, eaten warm from the oven.

Interesting Fact about Hot Cross Buns:

'In 1592, during the reign of Elizabeth I of England, the London Clerk of Markets issued a decree forbidding the sale of hot cross buns and other spiced bread, except at burials, on Good Friday, or at Christmas. The punishment for transgressing the decree was forfeiture of all the forbidden products to the poor.' source Wikipedia

Ingredients and Substitutions.

This is just an overview of the ingredients I used for making this recipe, with possible alternatives and why I may have used them. A full list can be found in the instructions below.

Make this recipe for hot cross buns using the following ingredients. Use whatever dried fruit you have and mix of spices. Tip: Omit the dried fruit if you want to make hot cross buns without fruit.

• Butter - Unsalted and cut into cubes will make the butter melt quicker in the warm milk.

• Milk - Whole of semi-simmed milk is fine. When making bread, I like to heat the milk to kill off any enzymes that may inhibit the growth of yeast.

• Dried Fruits - Currants and candied peel are traditionally found in Hot Cross Buns. Use whatever you have in your cupboards. For this recipe, I used currants and chopped dried Apricots instead of candied peel.

• Spices - Mixed ground spice is ideal, but you can mix up your own combination of nutmeg, cinnamon, ginger and cloves. All ground up and mixed together.

• Soft Brown Sugar - Brown and dark brown sugars give a slight toffee flavour. You can use caster sugar as an alternative. However, the flavour may differ slightly.

• Eggs - Medium sized, free range and organic if possible.

• Dried Active Yeast - This can be added straight to the other dry ingredients. There is no need to activate it in liquid first.

• Flours

  • Strong White Bread Flour - As this is a bread recipe, strong white flour is best.

  • Wholemeal flour - Any wholemeal flour is fine. However, if you can get hold of strong wholemeal flour, use that.

  • Plain White Flour - This is used to create a paste that is piped over the top of each Hot Cross Bun. You can use the strong white flour if that's all you have.

• Salt - Any Salt is fine, although I prefer using crushed rock salt or sea salt.

Step by Step Instructions

Follow these step-by-step instructions to make this simple hot cross buns recipe.

Equipment

• 1 Baking Tray or large baking tin

• Baking parchment

Ingredients

• 200 ml Milk plus extra for glazing

• 85 g butter chopped into cubes

• 400 g strong white bread flour plus extra for dusting

• 50 g spelt wholemeal flour or any wholemeal flour

• 3 teaspoons Fast Active Dried Yeast This can be added straight into the flour.

• 50 g soft brown/or dark brown sugar

• ¼ teaspoon salt

• 3 teaspoons of ground mixed spice. or pumpkin spice/Speculaas.

• 120 g Currants or mixed dried fruits

• 30 g Dried Apricots. Finely chopped (see ingredient list for alternatives

• 2 eggs lightly beaten

For the Topping and Glaze (optional)

• 100 g plain/all purpose flour

• 4 - 5 tablespoons cold Water

• 2 teaspoons Marmalade optional

Step 1: Heat (scald) the milk gently until you see tiny bubbles appear at the side of the pan. Tip: This small amount of heat will kill off the enzyme within milk that affects how yeast works. Take off the heat and add the butter. Give the milk a gentle stir and leave the butter to melt in the milk. When melted, leave to one side to cool.

Step 2: Mix the flour, (dried) yeast, sugar, salt and spices, along with the mixed dried fruit and chopped apricots, in a large mixing bowl and give everything a good mix until all the ingredients are well combined.

Add the lightly beaten eggs and enough of the milk & butter mixture to make a soft dough. A food mixer will make the job easier. The dough will be a little sticky, so it helps to scrape down the sides of the bowl as you go along. Note: You may not need to use all the butter and milk mixture.

Step 3: As you knead, the fruit and flour will begin to take up more of the liquid, and the dough will become less sticky. Add any remaining liquid if needed. Knead until you have a soft, smooth, firm dough. This could take up to 10 minutes. TIP: If using an electric mixer, knead the last few minutes by hand to achieve a smooth round ball of dough.

Place the dough in a lightly floured bowl and cover it with a clean tea towel or large pan lid.

Step 4: Leave the dough to rise in a warm place until it has doubled in size. Depending on how warm your kitchen is, this could take a couple of hours.
Tip: If your kitchen is very cold, place the covered bowl of dough in the oven with just the light on and the oven door open. Keep checking to ensure the dough does not over-proof.

Step 5: Grease and line a baking tray with baking parchment. Turn out the dough and knead by hand for a few seconds on a lightly floured surface. Depending on how large or small you want the Hot Cross Buns, divide the dough into 12 - 16 equal portions and shape them into small round buns.

Step 7: Place each bun on a baking tray, then using a sharp knife, make a cross on the top of each one.

Step 8: Cover with a clean tea towel or cling film and leave to rise in a warm place. Mine took about an hour. Tip: If your kitchen is cold, place the covered tray in the oven with just the light on and the oven door open.

Step 9: To make the crosses on the top of Hot Cross buns, mix the flour with enough cold water (about 4-5 tablespoons) to make a smooth, thick paste. Pour the flour paste into a piping bag and cut the end to a ¼-inch opening.

Step 10: When ready to bake, preheat the oven (Moderately Hot) to 190c/375f. Gas 5.
Brush the tops of the Hot Cross Buns dough with a little milk before piping a cross over the top of each one with the flour paste.

Step 11: Bake in the oven for 15 - 20 minutes or until baked with a golden colour on top. Tip: Baking times will differ depending on the size and how many hot cross buns you make.
To add the (optional) glaze, soften the marmalade with a splash of cold water in a small pan over low heat and glaze the tops of each Hot Cross bun. Leave to cool before serving.

Storage

Store in an airtight container or bread bin. They are idealy eaten while still warm on the day they are made, and will taste equally delicious when toasted and spread with butter. Turn any leftover buns into a Panettone Bread and Butter Pudding.

Tips and Faq

• Heating milk will kill off the enzymes within milk that affect how yeast grows and works.

• If using an electric mixer, knead the last few minutes by hand to achieve a smooth round ball of dough.

• If your kitchen is very cold, place the covered bowl of dough in the oven with just the light on and the oven door open. Keep checking to ensure the dough does not over-proof.

• Baking times will depend on the size and how many you make.

• Omit the dried fruit if you want to make hot cross buns without fruit.

What Are Hot Cross Buns?

Hot Cross Buns are spiced fruit buns, often made with dried fruits, and are most eaten around Easter time.

As always, Happy Baking.

Lynn x