Spring has sprung and Easter is just around the corner, so I thought it was time to upload a traditional Easter recipe.
I was browsing through various hot cross bun recipes but the majority of them included proving for 3-4 hours on the same day of serving - ain't no body got time for dat! So, I found the perfect solution, an overnight prove! This meant I could do all of the prep work the day before and serve up these beauties with only 1 hours work in the morning.
The spices in this recipe are divine - if you love cinnamon, cardamon, nutmeg, cloves and vanilla then you're in for a treat.
Makes: 15 buns
Preparation time: 1 hour - 1 hour 30 mins
Waiting time: 4 hours (dough to rise) and 12 hours (overnight prove)
Baking time: 30 minutes
Ingredients
Dough
-4g fresh yeast (or 2g active dried yeast)
-190ml milk
-3 tbsp caster sugar
-370g strong bread flour
-pinch of salt
-90g unsalted butter (room temperature)
-1 egg
-100g mix of raisins / sultanas, cranberries and candied orange peel
- 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
- 1/2 tsp ground cloves
- 1/2 tsp ground cardamon
Sugar Glaze
-60ml water
-75g caster sugar
-1 large orange
-1 stick of cinnamon
-1 vanilla bean
- 5 pods of cardamon
White Cross Paste
-6 tbsp flour
-8-9 tbsp water
1 tsp caster sugar
-pinch of salt
Egg Wash
-1 egg yolk
-1 tbsp milk
Method
Dough (day before serving)
1) Heat 50ml of milk in a pan until slightly warm. In a small bowl, mix the warm milk with the yeast and a tablespoon of sugar and stir slightly until dissolved. Set aside.
2) Mix the four, remaining sugar, salt and spices in a bowl.
3) In a separate bowl, combine the remaining milk with the egg. Set aside.
4) Add both milk mixtures to the dry ingredients and mix using a wooden spoon or a stand mixer (on a low speed) with a hook attachment. The dough should start to develop some body.
5) Begin adding a small piece of butter at a time, incorporating it will before adding the next piece. Mix for another 5-10 minutes until the dough becomes smooth and elastic (if using a stand mixer, keep it on a low speed).
6) Add in the fruit to the mixture and mix until well incorporated.
7) Form the dough into a ball and place it in a lightly oiled bowl. Cover with oiled cling film and a kitchen towel and leave to rise in a warm place for 4 hours, or until it has doubled in size.
8) Once the dough has risen, divide the dough into 15 equal pieces. Use a set of scales if you want to be accurate.
9) Roll each piece into a ball, place on a baking sheet or a tray covered with a lightly oiled piece of baking paper. Remember, this must fit in the fridge, so it can't be too big! Leave a 1cm gap between each bun for the dough to expand.
10) Cover with oiled cling film and a kitchen towel and put the tray in the fridge for an overnight rise.
Sugar Glaze (day before serving)
1) Place the sugar, water and spices in a small pan. Squeeze the juice from the orange and add it with some peel into the same pan.
2) Heat the mixture over a low heat until the sugar dissolves.
3) Simmer for an additional 5 minutes, then remove from the heat and set aside to cool. Once it has reach room temperature, place in the fridge overnight - this really brings the flavours out!
White Cross Paste & Egg Wash (Day of serving)
1) Place a small baking dish on the bottom of the oven and preheat the oven with the baking tracy inside to 220 C fan.
2) For the paste, mix together the flour, water, salt and sugar until you have a smooth paste. If it is too thin, add more flour, if it's too thick, add more water.
3) Transfer the paste into a piping bag fitted with a small nozzle or cut the end off the piping bag.
4) For the egg wash, mix together the egg yolk and milk and brush each risen bun with the mixture.
5) Pipe crosses onto each of the risen buns.
6) Then, place the baking tray with the risen buns into the oven. Quickly pour a cup of very hot water (or a handful of ice cubes) into the baking dish at the bottom of the oven - this will create steam inside the oven. Bake for 10 minutes then reduce the oven to 180C fan and cook for a further 17-20 minutes until golden brown.
7) Remove from the oven and brush the buns with the sugar glaze whilst they are still hold. Let cool for 10 minutes and serve.
These are best eaten on the day they are baked. Alternatively, you can freeze them for up to 1 month in an airtight container (to defrost, wrap the frozen buns in tin toil and place in the oven at 180C fan for 15-20 mins).
Serving suggestion: serve warm cut in half with jam, or leave to cool slightly, cut them open and grill them and serve with jam.
Credit to: Baking with Anastasia