Happy Easter! These hot cross buns have been spiced up a little so the results are tones of just a hint of sweetness, light caramel taste from the muscovado sugar, sticky buns from the glaze, the perfect Easter treat! Slightly larger than expected but pleasantly surprised. Light and fluffy and with this step by step method you can't go wrong so let's get started!
We quite honestly don't celebrate every holiday but we love and always celebrate Easter. I think as a child it's all about the food, Easter eggs and bunnies and finding those eggs to see who would find the most amongst your siblings. So that tradition was carried out to our children and they loved it even more than we did!
WHY WE CELEBRATE EASTER
For Christians Easter is about the crucifixion and the resurrection of Jesus Christ. It's about Jesus Christ paying the penalty for our sins. Easter is three days after the crucifixion of Jesus Christ and the Sunday before Easter is Palm Sunday which marks the arrival of Jesus in Jerusalem. Celebrating with Pickled Fish A South African Easter Tradition and hot cross buns is a part of the tradition and also makes it fun 🙂
SPICED HOT CROSS BUNS
This recipe is made with my mother in mind. After chit chatting with her on the phone this week about Easter and yes the recipe too, I can't help remember how wonderful her hot cross buns were. They always came out of the oven piping hot and I believe the aroma was incredible by my rather large family swooning into the kitchen. Do you know that we were not allowed to eat those hot cross buns until the next day with was Good Friday? I can imagine how difficult it was for my mother to say you cant have any and still sneak us one for now and then you got chased out the kitchen to think about them until tomorrow.
One more on this......is that the the significance of hot cross buns was the end of suffering. The end of lent whereas the cross over the hot cross buns symbolizes the crucifixion, and the spices refer to the balm of Jesus. Referenced here
what makes these hot cross buns special
My mother and my mother in law have been my greatest influencers in the kitchen and this hot cross bun recipe is what we grew up on but the spiced version is our version of spicing it up! That was a no brainer since our Smell & Taste Spice Launch.
I smile as I write this because when I mentioned to my mother that we've decided to add these spices on she said 'oh my they are going to be so good my child" SO much love❤
LET'S MAKE AMAZING HOT CROSS BUNS
Please note that hot cross buns can be done in a cake stand mix or by hand. It just takes a bit longer by hand and a whole lot of arm exercise. In this recipe I add the ingredients by section and as I add them I use a spatula to mix. Only after all the ingredients are roughly combined with the spatula do I then run it in the cake stand mixer for about 2 minutes.
To make it easy for you I have divided it into sections and this is how it will look.
- Mix the dry ingredients except the yeast
- Set the yeast to rise
- Measure and add the wet ingredients
- Roll the dough out for 2 min
- 1st Dough rise
- 2nd Dough Rise
- Egg wash
- Bake
- Egg wash
- Piping crosses
- Glaze
- Enjoy!
WHAT YOU WILL NEED
Okay? That's how easy this is going to be for you and all you need to do is follow as we go. Let's start with what you are going to need so that you get sorted before you even start. I've added these items in the equipment section of the recipe as well but just in case let's go through it.
SCALE - First things first, a scale! Why? Accurate measurements friends, accurate measurements.
MIXING BOWL - A fairly large mixing bowl- this would be the bowl of the cake stand
2ND BOWL - Another fairly large mixing bowl where the dough is going to rest so that it can rise.
KITCHEN TOWEL/DISH CLOTH - A clean kitchen cloth to cover the dough when it's in an unlit oven to rise and while you at it, put the oven rack in the center for baking.
TIP TIME!
Psssst....I usually have a few dish cloths around just in case as well as kitchen paper towel roll to wipe that piping mix that seems to come out from the top so don't over fill your piping bag but we're getting there!
Another Quick Tip
PIPING BAG - Open it, let it sit in a cup and fold the top half of the bag over the rim of the cup/mug if it can while you fill it up, just try not to overfill it because it flows out. If that does happen simply tie the top with some kitchen twine.
On the occasion that I don't use a piping bag and nozzle I used a basic freezer bag and cut a small slit on the corner. Just so you know what I'm talking about here's one of the many recipes where the freezer bag works brilliantly. In this Spinach Ricotta Cannelloni (Video) and blog post.
A sift for the flour
Small little bowls for measuring your spices and salt into
Measuring jug for the milk preferably one that goes into the microwave otherwise use a microwave proof container to heat the milk. I don't use the stove to heat the milk because I don't have a thermometer (yes yes I need one) therefore I have no control of the temperature so I have timed it perfectly in the microwave.
There are other little things like spatula but those are the key kitchen equipment items you will need.
MIX THE DRY INGREDIENTS
From the images above you can see, sifted flour into the bowl, add the muscovado sugar, spices and salt.
SET THE YEAST TO RISE
Microwave the milk, add the yeast, set it aside.
MEASURE OUT AND ADD THE WET INGREDIENTS
Add the butter, egg and vanilla essence and use a spatula to combine the ingredients. Add the milk & yeast last. Use a spatula again to mix.
here's your dough
ready for the 2 to 3 minute stand mix
Let's do it! Connect the dough hook and go....
get THE DOUGH OUT onto A FLOURED SURFACE
ROLL THE DOUGH OUT FOR 2 MIN
IST DOUGH RISE
GET THE AIR OUR AND START ROLLLING THE bun shapes
Punch the dough down to get the air out and start rolling the buns. There is no fancy trick to making balls. It is exactly how our mothers and grandmothers have done it. Watch the video to see how I make the balls. Old fashioned and it works!
2ND DOUGH RISE
And that's your second dough rise friends! We almost there and you already smiling right? Oh by the way, I use a regular table knife to cut cross shapes, not deep ones just visible enough. The reason I do this is because I cant for the life of me draw a straight line so it helps me when piping 🙂 wink wink …look at these gorgeous pre bake rolls!
And that's another TIP!
I
egg wash
PIPING
I've shared a bit earlier on about the piping the only other thing I can say is that it's not actually difficult to keep going once you start with the icing. It's good to have the icing hug around each bun. Once you start it keeps coming out the challenge is actually to stop it from coming out 🙂 But it really is all fun and I really hop that you enjoy making these hot cross buns.
If you do try them don't forget how much I love hearing from you so snap a shot and tag it #anosmickitchen or @anosmickitchen or how about leaving a comment below this post and I've even got a REVIEWS tab now on my this blog so please leave me some feedback, xoxo
You can also watch the video here. It's pretty basic. Use a piping bag and put a nozzle in. I use the one with a very small hole (don't ask me sizes). You can use one of those freezer bags like I did when I made this Spinach Ricotta Cannelloni however, please don't cut a big hole because this is a flour paste and it runs out too much so rather go with a small cut for the hole.
BAKE
GLAZE
WATCH HOW TO MAKE THESE HOT CROSS BUNS AND THE RECIPE IS BELOW.
If you love this Hot Cross Bun Recipe…..then you must try my Pickled Fish Recipe next!
Recipe
The Best Hot Cross Buns Recipe
Ingredients
DRY INGREDIENTS (BUNS)
- 235 grams cake flour
- 200 grams unbleached bread flour
- 2 Tablespoons granulated sugar (regular table sugar)
- ½ cup dark brown sugar (used here - Muscovado sugar)
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon nutmeg
- ½ teaspoon cardamom spice
- ½ teaspoon mixed spice
- 10 grams instant dry yeast
- 1 cup mixed dry currents
WET INGREDIENTS
- 1 cup milk
- 60 grams unsalted butter
- 1 egg
- 1 Teaspoon vanilla essence
- 2 Tablespoons Amaretto liquor (optional and can also use another liquor)
- 1 Teaspoon vegetable oil (for rubbing the inside of the bowl)
Extra Flour For Dusting
- ¼ cup
JAM GLAZE
- 2 Tablespoons apricot/peach jam
- 2 tablespoon boiling water
EGG WASH
- 1 egg
- dash of milk
PASTE FOR CROSSES
- 2 Tablespoons flour
- 2 Tablespoons water
Instructions
INSTRUCTIONS
- Heat the milk in the microwave for 50 seconds. Add the dry yeast and set aside for 5 to 10 minutes while you prepare the rest of the ingredients. When the yeast is activated you should see a creamy foam on the surface of the milk.
- Weigh the flour out on a scale for accuracy.
- Sift the both flours into the bowl of a stand mixer.
- Add the rest of the dry ingredients except the yeast/milk and the dried currants.Whisk to combine everything together. Set aside.
- Measure out the extra flour for dusting and set aside.
DRIED CURRANTS
- Add the dried currants into a microwave bowl. Add the liquor and microwave on high for 30 to 40 seconds until slightly softer. Set aside.
WET INGREDIENTS
- Add the soft butter, egg and vanilla essence into the dry ingredients. Use a spatula to mix until all the ingredients are combined.
- Pour the milk and yeast in and continue mixing with the spatula. This is just get all the ingredients combined before starting the cake mixer.
- Add the currants and liquor, mix them in with the spatula.
LET'S PULL IT ALL TOGETHER (Get your cake stand hook out and set in place)
- Set the speed on medium and mix for 2 minutes. Increase the speed to slightly higher and mix for a minute.
THE DOUGH
- Take the dough out of the bowl onto a floured surface. (your extra flour for dusting)
- Knead the dough for about 5 minutes using the inside top of your hand. See the video for this.
- Oil the inside of a bowl and place the dough into the bowl, covered with a clean dish towel/cloth and place in a turned off oven for 2 hours to rise.
Rise No. 2
- Line a baking tray with parchment paper for the balls. Set aside.
- Take your dough out the oven, remove the cloth and now the dough should've risen and not necessarily double in size, just bigger than when you started. Punch the dough down to get the air out, take it out and place it on a floured surface.
- Knead it for a minute and while kneading shape into a long roll shape. (like a swiss roll)Cut the dough into sections and then into slices (more or less the same size) and then shape each one into balls. See notes below or watch the video on how to shape the balls. Very easy old fashioned way of rolling in all the edges and shape into a bun round shape.
- Place the buns smooth side up on the baking tray.
- Cover the buns and leave set aside to rise for an hour - 2nd rise.
- 10 minutes before the hour is up for the 2nd rise, if the buns are in an unlit oven then you have to remove them and place them on the kitchen counter so that you can heat your oven to 180 Celsius. (if your microwave is big enough you can also let them rise in there)
BEFORE BAKING AND AFTER THE 2ND RISE
- Start preparing the piping paste. Get it into a bag, test the nozzle or the plastic bag to make sure the paste is not too runny. See more below under 'crosses'Set it aside and go on with the egg wash.
EGG WASH
- Whisk the egg, add a drop of milk and brush the egg wash over the buns.
CROSSES
- Mix the flour and water into a thick paste.If the paste is runny add flour and vice versa although the measurements work perfectly so start with that first. Try and use quite a small nozzle to place into a piping bag which you will fill with the paste. You can also use a plastic freezer bag and cut a slit/hole on the end to squeeze the paste out but just be careful to not make the hole too big! Do a small test before squeezing it on the buns. Pipe crosses, one line at a time over each bun. As you do the piping, it may not stop coming out so just go with it carefully from one to another as long as you doing the same line continuously. The paste will kind of hug each bun then you do the other way. It's loads of fun so enjoy 🙂
BAKE
- Bake for 18 to 22 minutes max or they start getting too dark on top and can stick to the baking paper. Set the timer for 18 minutes.Have a slight peep and they should already be a light golden color. Leave them another minute or 2 but keep a close watch. Once they are a shade darker take them out. Try and get them off the baking paper while they are hot because if you've left them a minute too long they will stick to the paper. Let them cool and mix your jam.
- Simply add about tablespoon of boiling water to your jam, mix and brush onto the buns.
- Give them a light brush over with the jam while still warm and cooling.
- Please Enjoy! Miranda xoxo
Notes
Leave a Comment & Rate this Recipe
If you love this recipe, please consider giving it a star rating when you post a comment because the star ratings helps other people like you find my recipes online and that means so much to me thank you! Miranda, xoxo
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