Recipe: Hot Cross Buns

Hit Cross Buns

Aside from the chocolate eggs, hot cross buns would have to be one of our favourite things about Easter! Even better – they’re not that difficult to make yourself. Deb, our in-store cook, whipped up a batch of Hot Cross Buns in the Peter’s Demonstration Kitchen recently, so we asked her for her recipe…

Ingredients:
  • 4 cups plain flour
  • 2 x 7g sachets dried yeast
  • ¼ cup caster sugar
  • 1½ teaspoons mixed spices
  • A pinch of salt
  • 1½ cups mixed fruit
  • 40g butter
  • 300ml milk
  • 2 eggs, lightly beaten

Flour paste

  • ½ cup plain flour
  • 4 to 5 tablespoons water

Glaze

  • ⅓ cup water
  • 2 tablespoons caster sugar
  • Butter, to serve

 

Method:
  1. Combine flour, yeast, sugar, mixed spices, salt and mixed fruit in a large mixing bowl. Melt butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. Add milk. Heat for 1 minute, or until lukewarm. Add warm milk mixture and eggs to fruit mixture. Use an electric mixer with a dough hook to mix until dough almost comes together.
  1. Turn dough out onto a floured surface. Place into a lightly oiled bowl. Cover with plastic wrap. Set aside in a warm, draught-free place for 1 to 1½ hours, or until dough doubles in size.
  2. Line a large baking tray with non-stick baking paper. Punch dough down to its original size. Knead for 30 seconds on a lightly floured surface until smooth. Divide into twelve even portions. Shape each portion into a ball and place on to a lined tray, about 1cm apart. Cover with plastic wrap. Set aside in a warm, draught-free place for 30 minutes, or until buns double in size. Preheat oven to 190°C or 170˚C fan-forced.
  1. To make flour paste,  mix flour and water together in a small bowl until smooth, adding a little more water if paste is too thick. If you don’t have a piping bag, spoon paste into a small resealable plastic bag and snip off one corner. Pipe flour paste over tops of buns to form crosses. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until buns are cooked through.
  1. To make the glaze, place water and sugar into a small saucepan over low heat. Stir until sugar dissolves. Bring to the boil. Boil for 3-4 minutes. Brush glaze over hot cross buns. Serve warm with butter or at room temperature.
Equipment

Here are just a few of the products Deb uses to make her Hot Cross Buns:

  • Kenwood Chef Sense Dusted Blue Kitchen Machine. These brilliant mixers are new to Peter’s, and we’re in love. This machine includes the dough hook you’ll need to make dough for this recipe, as well as a bowl, Kenwood’s signature K-shaped beater, a balloon whisk, and much more. Plus, for a limited time only, it includes a bonus food processor attachment!
  • Cuisena Cake Decorating Set. It’s not a hot cross bun without the cross! This easy-to-use piping set is perfect for simple tasks and includes a selection of different nozzles so you can get fancy decorating your own cakes and cupcakes once you’ve mastered the art of the hot cross bun.
  • Chicago Metallic Commercial Cookie Sheet. This big, heavy duty baking sheet should have more than enough room for even the most generous batch of hot cross buns!

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