Sunday, March 8, 2015

SRC - Hot Cross Buns

Time for another Secret Recipe Club reveal, and due to some computer problems this is my first reveal for 2015. This month I was assigned the blog  searching for spice  by Corina and immediately I was very excited to see lots of familiar English recipes.  I was tempted by Jamie Oliver's favourite chicken curry because I do love a good curry, but after finding the hot cross buns  I was sold on making some.  

I have had one complaint with the hot cross buns I have found here in the states... they all have crosses made out of icing.  The only way to eat a hot cross bun in my opinion is toasted and buttered, throw a slice of english cheddar on there and and it's even better, but toasted is a must, and that's why I have issues with the icing crosses.  So I was very excited to see that Corina's recipe had the crosses made the traditional way with flour and water and baked onto the bun.

After looking at the recipe I realised that one thing missing that I know is in English buns was mixed peel.  Now I know I am not going to find that here in Houston, and I also couldn't find currants, so I had to make do with lemon and orange zest and raisins.  I was definitely concerned that the substitutions would affect the flavour, but as soon as I started kneading the dough I could smell that familiar hot cross bun smell.  I knew they would be good, and I have definitely been enjoying my first batch of toasted Emglish hot cross buns in 13 years!



500g plain flour
300ml whole milk
75g sugar
7g yeast
50g butter
1 egg beaten
zest of an orange
zest of a lemon
150g sultanas/raisins
2 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp salt
apricot jam for glazing

Crosses:
2 tbsp flour
Water

Bring the milk to a boil, remove from heat and leave until just warm.  Add the yeast and sugar.

In a large bowl, mix together the flour, salt, butter and egg.  Slowly add the milk mixture until a soft dough forms.

Add the sultanas/raisins, orange and lemon zests and cinnamon.  
Knead the dough for about 5 minutes.  Place in a greased bowl, cover and leave to rise for one hour.

Once the dough has doubled in size, knock it back, tip out onto a floured surface and divide into 12 pieces, roll each onto a ball and place on a parchment lined baking sheet.  Leave to rise for 1 more hour.

Heat the oven to 350.

To make the crosses mix the flour with enough water to make a thick paste, pipe the crosses onto the buns and bake for 20 minutes, until golden brown.

Melt some apricot jam and once the buns come out of the oven, glaze them with the warm jam.   

    
 



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12 comments:

Unknown said...

Great recipe, I am anxious to try it!

Miz Helen said...

Hi Sarah,
Your Hot Cross Buns look great,I love making them. Hope you have a good week, its always fun cooking with you in the SRC!
Miz Helen

Corey @ Learning Patience said...

I never had Hot Cross Buns before but totally am going to make some for Easter now that I'm living in London! Great SRC choice, stopping by from group B..
xoxo from London

Corina said...

So glad you liked these. I'll have to make them again. I always have to miss out the mixed peel from any recipes I make as my husband hates it!

Heather @ fit mama real food said...

I have not made hot cross buns in such a long time. They look great!!

A Day in the Life on the Farm said...

I have never heard of the cross being made by flour. Being raised here, as you noticed, we always use icing. Thanks for the culture lesson....it is one of my favorite parts of sharing recipes with others.

Renee Paj said...

I only make hot cross buns once a year and I do love them...and have to admit, I love the icing on them! haha I'll have to give this recipe a chance for a nice change!

Camilla M. Mann said...

I love that the cross is not icing! Thanks for sharing that.

Rebekah said...

Yum! Those sound amazing!! Pinning for a try soon.

Unknown said...

I learned something! I didn't realize the crosses weren't supposed to be made of icing, which actually makes me happy as in the ones I've tried I haven't cared for the icing. These look wonderful!

Unknown said...

These are beautiful. I always wondered why the buns usually had icing crosses--I though they were supposed to be more savory than something that called for icing. Thanks for the education!

Maria said...

These look amazing! I used to love hot cross buns when I lived in England, maybe I'll try making some this Easter. These are so beautifully baked and look delicious!