Recipe Easter - Hot Cross Buns

Morning Glory

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I learned recently that in the United States, quite often the crosses on hot cross buns are made from icing. In the UK they are always made from just plain white flour and water. I so much enjoy making these and always mean to make them, 'not just at Easter' but then never get round to it. This is my failsafe recipe.

IMGP0182.jpg


Ingredients
120 ml semi skimmed milk (room temperature)
50g melted butter
500g strong bread flour
1 tsp salt
70g caster sugar
10g Instant yeast
2 beaten eggs
125g mixed dried fruit
2 tsp ground cinnamon
Luke warm water as required (about 100 ml)
A little apricot jam heated in the microwave (to glaze)

For the cross:
70g plain flour
70 ml water

Method
  • Mix the melted butter into the milk. Put the flour, salt, sugar, cinnamon and yeast into a large bowl. Add the warm milk and butter, then eggs. Mix well, adding just enough water to bring the mixture together into a sticky dough.
  • Knead the dough on a floured surface until smooth (about 10 mins). Put the dough in a lightly oiled bowl covered with clingfilm and leave to rise until doubled.
  • Add the dried fruit to the bowl and fold the dough over it. Then knead the dough again on a floured surface until the fruit is well distributed. Leave to rise again until doubled.
  • Divide the dough into 10 pieces. I do this by rolling it into a sausage and then cutting even sized pieces off and shaping them into balls. Place the buns on a baking tray , cover with clingfilm and allow to rise for another hour.
  • Heat oven to 180C. Mix flour and water together for the crosses and then pipe the crosses over the buns. Bake for 20 mins until golden brown.Brush the tops of the buns with the melted jam to glaze.
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Last edited:
Hot cross buns are something of a tradition where I lived before moving to Jamaica. Here it is spiced easter buns and cheese everywhere. I definitely am going to give this a try to mix it up. I'm a tad bit late but these will be a hit anyhow. I always saw these in the bakeries and they looked so fancy I never expected them to look to simple to make. I'm not much of a baker but I guess I shouldn't hang by basket too high. I'll go try the recipe before I say it is easy.

PS: For something that isn't made here in Jamaica it sure resembles it!

Flag_of_Jamaica.svg


Haha..
 
We have to get love buttons like Facebook did. I love hot cross buns. One more holiday day left and I have done nothing in the baking department.........

I thought I had posted this yesterday. It's my last Easter holiday day and last night I baked simple rock cakes but still nothing challenging like hot cross buns
 
They actually look very much like the buns we have here except I think for expediency, the stores offer the buns with a thin stripe of icing on them instead of flour. I have never tried to make them at home. They are fun to have for Easter but if I have people here I am usually cooking a number of other things. So baking these buns when I can grab some at the store are something I probably wouldnt do, but thanks for the recipe!
 
I learned recently that in the United States, quite often the crosses on Hot cross buns are made from icing. In the UK they are always made from just plain white flour and water. I so much enjoy making these and always mean to make them, 'not just at Easter' but then never get round to it. This is my failsafe recipe. Baked and photographed today.

View attachment 2489 Photographed in natural light
Ingredients
120 ml semi skimmed milk (room temperature)
50g melted butter
500g strong bread flour
1 tsp salt
70g caster sugar
10g Instant yeast
2 beaten eggs
125g mixed dried fruit
2 tsp ground cinnamon
Luke warm water as required (about 100 ml)
A little apricot jam heated in the microwave (to glaze)

For the cross:
70g plain flour
70 ml water

Method
  • Mix the melted butter into the milk. Put the flour, salt, sugar, cinnamon and yeast into a large bowl. Add the warm milk and butter, then eggs. Mix well, adding just enough water to bring the mixture together into a sticky dough.
  • Knead the dough on a floured surface. Put the dough in a lightly oiled bowl covered with clingfilm and leave to rise until doubled.
  • Add the dried fruit to the bowl and fold the dough over it. Then knead the dough again on a floured surface until the fruit is well distributed. Leave to rise again until doubled.
  • Divide the dough into 10 pieces. I do this by rolling it into a sausage and then cutting even sized pieces off and shaping them into balls. Place the buns on a baking tray , cover with clingfilm and allow to rise for another hour.
  • Heat oven to 180C. Mix flour and water together for the crosses and then pipe the crosses over the buns. Bake for 20 mins until golden brown.Brush the tops of the buns with the melted jam to glaze.
View attachment 2490
I learned recently that in the United States, quite often the crosses on Hot cross buns are made from icing. In the UK they are always made from just plain white flour and water. I so much enjoy making these and always mean to make them, 'not just at Easter' but then never get round to it. This is my failsafe recipe. Baked and photographed today.

View attachment 2489 Photographed in natural light
Ingredients
120 ml semi skimmed milk (room temperature)
50g melted butter
500g strong bread flour
1 tsp salt
70g caster sugar
10g Instant yeast
2 beaten eggs
125g mixed dried fruit
2 tsp ground cinnamon
Luke warm water as required (about 100 ml)
A little apricot jam heated in the microwave (to glaze)

For the cross:
70g plain flour
70 ml water

Method
  • Mix the melted butter into the milk. Put the flour, salt, sugar, cinnamon and yeast into a large bowl. Add the warm milk and butter, then eggs. Mix well, adding just enough water to bring the mixture together into a sticky dough.
  • Knead the dough on a floured surface. Put the dough in a lightly oiled bowl covered with clingfilm and leave to rise until doubled.
  • Add the dried fruit to the bowl and fold the dough over it. Then knead the dough again on a floured surface until the fruit is well distributed. Leave to rise again until doubled.
  • Divide the dough into 10 pieces. I do this by rolling it into a sausage and then cutting even sized pieces off and shaping them into balls. Place the buns on a baking tray , cover with clingfilm and allow to rise for another hour.
  • Heat oven to 180C. Mix flour and water together for the crosses and then pipe the crosses over the buns. Bake for 20 mins until golden brown.Brush the tops of the buns with the melted jam to glaze.
View attachment 2490


Those look so good!!

I may try your recipe. Thanks fore the info!! :wink:
 
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