“Hot cross buns, hot cross buns, one ha’penny, two ha’penny, hot cross buns”. And for the 10th time, the apparently beloved nursery rhyme fills my ears with no hope of escape. It’s a beloved bun that I have never heard of until a few years ago. Forgive me; but where I’m from we rave about a sweet deep-fried leavened dough known as mandazi. Which I should probably share a recipe for soon.
How To Make The Best Hot Cross Buns
But let’s give this blessed bun it’s due. As it has stood the test of time with its origin dating back centuries. It is traditionally made during Easter to be devoured hot with an optional spread of butter and jam.
The cross? It represents the crucifixion of Christ. The cross was usually made with a paste of dough, however, there are recipes that use basic icing.
The spices? Are said to represent the spices with which Christ was embalmed after his death.
What Makes Easy My Hot Cross Buns Recipe Special?
Fragrant: The cinnamon combined with the orange zest yields a scent not to be missed. Your home will smell heavenly!
Pillowy softness: I have to say these buns were hailed for their softness by my testers. That was of course after they would not stop raving about the scent.
Glaze: The syrup is made with simple water, sugar, and my secret ingredients that elevate these hot cross buns to an epic level: drumrolls…. vanilla extract.
How To Make Hot Cross Buns
Step 1: I first knead the dough until it passes the windowpane test. And only then, do I add the sultana. Why? because a lot of stretching is required and this cannot be properly done without squishing the sultana which would just be wrong.
So I knead in the sultana and leave the dough to proof in a lightly oiled bowl, covered in cling film and a kitchen towel. It was cold so I put the dough in the oven with the lights on.
Step 2: The dough had risen to double the size, I tipped it onto the counter and portioned it into 12 buns. Rolled them into tight balls and arranged them adequately spaced out on a baking tray lined with parchment paper. This was then covered with cling film and a cloth to proof a second time, this took 1 hour.
Step 3: Buns were then lightly glazed with an egg wash, and left to sit for about 5 minutes. Then completed with the piping of the cross, to be baked for 25 minutes at 185°C/365°F rotating the baking tray halfway through.
Do not put too much egg wash on the buns, this will not only make it hard to pipe the flour paste. But it would also form an unsightly pool of egg at the foot of the buns.
Step 4: And finally the buns were finished with a light brush of the vanilla syrup while hot off the oven.
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Soft and fragrant hot cross buns
(+20 rating, 4 votes)
Loading...Delicious and soft hot cross buns made with spice, sultana and finished with a vanilla syrup that will make your hot cross buns SING!
Ingredients
- 264ml (1 cup plus 3 tablespoons) full-fat milk
- 60g (1/4 cup) granulated sugar
- 8g (1 and 1/2 teaspoon) active dry yeast
- 75g softened unsalted butter
- 80g (1/2 cup) sultana
- 360g (3 cups) bread flour (plus 2 and 1/2 tablespoons for kneading)
- 1/8 teaspoon cinnamon powder
- 14g (1 tablespoon) sea salt
- zest of 1 orange
- FOR THE CROSS
- 75g (1/2 cup) bread flour
- 82ml (1/3 cup) water
- 7ml (1 tablespoon) vegetable oil
- FOR THE VANILLA SYRUP
- 41ml (3 tablespoons) water
- 50g (2 3/4 tablespoons) granulated sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
MAKE THE DOUGH***
Add the sugar and yeast to the milk, stir and leave to activate for about 5 minutes or until frothy.
Make a well in the middle of the flour, add in the orange zest and mix in with the flour- almost as if to coat. Add the salt to the outer ring of the flour then pour in the yeast mixture to the 'well', and mix just until it forms a shaggy dough.
Knead the dough for 5 minutes before incorporating the butter into the dough. Knead until smooth and it passes the windowpane test, add no more than 2 and 1/2 tablespoons of flour during kneading. Finally, knead in the sultana.
Tip the dough into a lightly buttered bowl and cover with cling film and a kitchen towel to proof until doubled in size.
When the dough is ready, knockback and portion into 12 equal-sized buns. Roll each one into a tight dough ball and leave to rise again on a parchment-lined baking tray. Make sure to space out the buns as they will expand and spread out during proofing and baking.
Preheat the oven to 185°C/365°F
After an hour, lightly glaze the buns with an egg wash (whisk 1 small egg with 2 tablespoons of milk), let that sit for 3 minutes. In the meantime, prepare the paste
MAKE THE PASTE***
Pour the oil into the water, then pour that into the bowl with flour and whisk until smooth with no lumps
Tip the paste into a piping bag and snip to have a small hole or use a nozzle with a small rounded opening
Draw a cross on each bun and bake for 25 minutes in the middle rack. Rotate the baking tray halfway for even browning. While the buns bake, make the syrup at least 10 minutes before the buns are ready
MAKE THE SYRUP***
Add the sugar and water into a pot over medium heat and bring to a boil until the sugar dissolves, wait another minute then take the syrup off the stove before it starts to thicken. Let it cool before stirring in the vanilla
Immediately glaze the hot cross buns with the vanilla syrup once they are out of the oven.
Store in an airtight bag or container to retain softness.
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