Hot Cross Bun Adventures

So, on good friday we rocked up at our local nature reserve, got out our windbreak, stove, kettle and teapot (yes, teapot) and grilled our hard won breakfast. I think the look on Toby's face says it all,

This is the first year i've made my own hot cross buns, it seemed that they took all day; it's a long and involved process starting with a ferment, and after 2 rises finally you pipe a cross on the top with a runny dough mix. They were WELL worth it though, and were especially yummy eaten outside.

The recipe came from Andrew Whitley's 'Bread Matters' book, my absolute bread making bible it is extremely well thumbed since we decided we wouldn't  buy any bread ever again (well, very nearly)

The ferment
20g sugar
10g yeast (I use dried)
280g milk (tepid)
140g stoneground wholemeal flour (I buy mine from Mountpleasant Windmill, Kirton Lindsay)

dissolve the sugar and yeast in some of the milk and make a paste by adding some of the mix to the flour. gradually add the rest of the milk and whisk till it's smooth(ish) leave in a warm place till it has risen to it's full extent and then started to drop again.(an hour or so depending on how warm it is)

Main dough
ferment from above
200g strong white flour
110g stoneground wholemeal flour
10g ground mixed spice
50g butter
35g sugar
1 egg
5g salt

Mix everything together and knead for about 10 mins, it will be quite sticky but try and work with it, as if you add flour to make it easier to work with, your buns will be much denser.

about 10 minutes after kneading, the dough will have relaxed a little, and you can fold in 260g of sultanas that have been soaked for at least an hour in 40g of hot water or fruit juice. Gently fold and press the fruit in to the dough until it is fairly evenly dispersed.

Set the dough somewhere to rise until it has doubled in size. (I put it back in to the bowl and cover it loosely with a clean carrier bag).

when it has risen, pull off equal sized pieces and roll them on the worktop in to buns.


top tip: roll them under cupped hands, this makes really tight buns that will stay rounder, rather than spread out and go flat.

put the buns about 5cm apart on a baking sheet lined with baking parchment. let them rise until they are nearly touching.

to make the cross, mix together a runny dough and pipe the cross on to the buns just before they go in to the oven.

50g plain white flour
1g baking powder
5g veg oil
50g cool water

preheat the oven to 180 deg., they will go brown quite quickly because of the sugar in the dough, check them after 15mins, you want the buns to be brown, but the cross to still be white.

As a final flourish, and to get that unctous stickiness;  when they come out of the oven and are still hot, brush them with a glaze.  (dissolve 25g sugar in 25g water and add a beaten egg).