Best Ever Hot Cross Buns

Hot Cross Buns are a wonderful seasonal treat and so easy to make at home. Why not get the kids into the kitchen to lend a hand and make Ms Dimitra’s incredible recipe.

The smell of freshly baked buns wafting through your home is worth the effort alone.

Best Ever Hot Cross Buns

Recipe by Dimitra Alfred

Course: Snacks / Cuisine: Sweet treats / Difficulty: Easy

Ingredients

• 4 cups white bread flour (*see Note), plus a little extra for kneading
• 1 cup wholemeal plain flour (*see Note)
• 2 sachets (14g) dry yeast
• ½ cup sugar (white, raw or caster sugar)
• 250ml water
• 2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1 tsp ground allspice (*see Note)
• 1 teaspoon salt
• Grated rind of 1 orange
• 1¼ cups sultanas
• 375ml – 400ml milk, approximately
• 60g butter or 60ml canola or sunflower oil, plus a little extra for greasing
• 1 egg, lightly beaten
• Flour Paste
• ⅓ cup plain flour
• 60ml (¼ cup) water

Glaze

• 55g (¼ cup) sugar
• 2 tablespoons water

Equipment

• Metric measuring spoons
• Metric measuring jug
• Metric measuring scales
• 1 large bowl
• 1 medium bowl
• A few small bowls
• Small saucepan
• Zester
• Mixing spoon
• Plastic wrap
• Butter knife
• Large baking tray
• Baking paper
• Piping bag fitted with small plain nozzle or small clean snap lock bag
• Pastry brush

Directions

1. Measure out all the ingredients before you start.
2. Place the milk into a small saucepan and heat gently until lukewarm NOT HOT! To test, dip in your finger, it should feel just warm.
3. Remove from heat and add the butter (or oil), allowing the butter to melt in the warm milk.
4. Set liquid ingredients aside for a few minutes while preparing the dry ingredients.

Mixing the dough

1. In the large bowl combine the white and wholemeal flours, yeast, sugar and spices. Stir in the salt, orange rind and sultanas.
2. Make a well in the centre of the dry ingredients and pour in the warm milk mixture and beaten egg.
3. Use one hand draw the flour mixture into the centre and mix to a soft sticky dough. You may need to add more milk – this will depend on the flour – a soft dough will make soft and moist hot cross buns.
4. Sprinkle a little flour over the bench.
5. Tip out the dough and use your hands to squash it all together into one lump.
6. Clean your hands and then knead the dough for 5 minutes, only sprinkling it with flour if it feels too sticky. Keep your hands relatively clean (dough will stick to doughy hands!) and resist adding too much flour to the bench when kneading. (The dough needs to be soft to make soft and spongy hot cross buns).
7. Lightly oil a bowl and place the ball of dough into the bowl, turn over the dough to cover with oil, cover it with plastic wrap and leave it for 1 hour in a warm spot to double in size.

Shaping and Baking

1. Preheat oven to 180C. Line the large baking tray with baking paper, allowing the paper to come slightly up the sides.
2. Punch the dough down once to release the air.
3. Roll the dough into a long sausage and use a bread and butter knife to divide dough into 12 even sized pieces. Shape each piece into a ball and place close together, but not quite touching onto the prepared tray.
4. Set aside in a warm place for 20-30 minutes or until well risen.

To make the flour paste

1. Place the flour and water in a bowl and beat until smooth, adding more water if the paste is too thick; spoon into a piping bag or small plastic bag.
2. Now you are ready to pipe the crosses. If using a bag, snip a small hole in the corner of the bag and pipe the flour paste to form crosses over the buns.
3. Bake in preheated oven for about 20 minutes or until well browned and risen. You may need to cover with foil after about 15 minutes to prevent over browning.

While buns are baking, make the glaze

1. Heat the sugar and water in the small saucepan until the sugar dissolves. Simmer uncovered, for 30 seconds. Remove from heat.
2. Brush the glaze over the hot buns.
3. Use the paper to help lift the buns out of tray ready for serving.

Notes

If bread flour or wholemeal plain flour is unavailable, simply use plain white flour.

If you don’t have allspice in your cupboard, you can leave it out or replace with 1 teaspoon mixed spice.

Try these buns toasted with Ms Dimitra’s Homemade Butter. For a lemony zing you could also spread on some homemade Lemon Curd (recipe from Stanmore student Riley). Delicious!