RECIPES
Hot Cross Buns…
There’s nothing quite like home-made so give these buns a try for the Easter holidays! They make an awesome breakfast, tea-time treat and even a delicious pudding.
Servings: 12 people
Prep time: 20 min
Cooking time: 20 min
WHAT YOU NEED
65 g caster sugar or white sugar
500 g white flour
8 g dried active yeast
50 g unsalted butter (¼ cup)
225 ml whole milk
½ tsp salt
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsps ground ginger
1 tsp ground nutmeg
2 eggs
200 g raisins
HOW TO DO IT
Warm milk in a pan until it’s steaming. Mix your spices and baking ingredients – the flour, cinnamon, salt, ginger, sugar, nutmeg and yeast –into a bowl. Add butter to the mix and rub between your fingers until the mixture looks like breadcrumbs.
Add the warmed milk, raisins and eggs, and combine with the mixture. Knead the mixture until it’s smooth and has an elasticity to it. Put the dough into a lightly oiled bowl and cover with cling film, leaving it to rise for an hour or two until it has doubled in size.
Once the dough has risen, remove from the bowl and knead it on a floured surface. Split the dough evenly into 12 balls and place on a lined tray, with at least a centimetre gap between them.
Lightly oil some cling film and cover the buns, leaving the dough to rise again while your oven preheats to 200°C, or 180°C if you’re using a fan oven. When the oven is ready, whisk together some flour and 30 ml water and pipe it onto the buns to form the traditional crosses.
Bake in the oven for 20 minutes. Leave to cool fully, and then dig in!
HANDY HINT
You can glaze the buns with honey or jam
to give them a real sticky, shiny look.
For Chocolate Hot Cross Buns
IN ADDITION TO THE ABOVE RECIPE YOU WILL NEED
50 g cocoa powder
100 g chocolate chips
(to replace raisins)
HOW TO DO IT
Sift cocoa powder into the bowl mixture along with your spices. During the kneading process, roughly stretch and flatten the dough before sprinkling chocolate chips over, then knead for a few more minutes until smooth.
Hot Cross Bacon Buns
A new twist on the classic hot cross bun.
Servings: 4
Prep time: 5 mins
Cook time: 5 mins
WHAT YOU NEED
8 rashers smoked back bacon
4 large eggs
Maple syrup
4 hot cross buns
Baby spinach leaves
A little oil for frying
4 tsp tomato sauce
HOW TO DO IT
Brush both sides of the bacon rashers with maple syrup then place on a grill rack. Cook under a hot grill for 6 minutes, turning until they are crisp and golden on both sides. Drain on kitchen paper.
Split and toast the hot cross buns under the grill. Spread the base of the buns with tomato sauce, top with spinach, bacon and you can add a fried egg on top if desired. Serve straight away.
Chocolate Hot Cross Bun Pudding
Delicious ideas for using up left over or stale hot cross buns.
WHAT YOU NEED
6-8 hot cross buns (halved)
200 g milk chocolate (slab)
300 ml milk
275 ml double cream
2 medium eggs
3 tbsp caster sugar or white sugar
1 tsp vanilla
100 g chocolate chips
HOW TO DO IT
Preheat your oven to 180°C and grease a large baking tray. Halve your Hot Cross buns and put a few chunks of chocolate in the middle of each and close them.
Lay all the buns next to each other in the dish. In a bowl, whisk together the milk, cream, eggs, sugar and vanilla until combined. Pour over the Hot Cross buns, and sprinkle over the chocolate chips. Bake for 40 minutes, remove and leave to cool for 10 minutes before indulging!
Hot Cross Bun Treacle Pudding
Delicious ideas for using up left over or stale hot cross buns.
WHAT YOU NEED
Butter, for greasing
1 egg, beaten
4 hot cross buns, torn into pieces
Pack rolled shortcrust pastry
425g golden syrup
1 orange, zested and juiced
1 tsp mixed spice
Cream or ice cream to serve
HOW TO DO IT
Line a greased 20cm tart tin with the pastry and trim to fit. Dust a rolling pin with flour. Put the hot cross bun pieces in a food processor and blitz to fine crumbs. Heat the golden syrup in a pan gently until melted. Remove from the heat and stir in the crumbled hot cross buns, egg, orange zest and juice, and mixed spice. Pour the syrup mixture into the pastry case. Bake for 35 mins. Allow to cool in the tin and serve warm or cold with cream or ice cream.
