Breakfast – Hot Cross Buns
Try telling us heathens that hot cross buns are traditionally eaten on Good Friday – we’ve been eating them for weeks now, as any supermarket retailer can tell you.
If you love them, then consider making a batch of your own. In a breadmaker they are a doddle to make and making them by hand, while a bit more work, is still an easy job.
Makes 16
INGREDIENTS
1/3 cup caster sugar; 2 rounded tsp dried yeast; 1 ½ cups warm milk; 600g plain flour; ½ tsp salt; 1 ½ tsp ground cinnamon; 1 tsp mixed spice; 60g butter, melted; 1 egg, lightly beaten; 2/3 cup currants
Paste: ½ cup plain flour; 1/3 cup (80ml) water; 2 tsp caster sugar
Glaze: 1 tbsp boiling water; 1 tsp gelatine powder; 1 tbsp caster sugar
METHOD
If using a Breadmaker: Add the ingredients to the pan in the following order: milk, egg, butter, flour, yeast, sugar, salt, mixed spice and cinnamon. Set the machine to ‘Dough’ setting to mix and prove the dough. When the machine beeps halfway through the setting, add the currants and continue to the end of the cycle.
If making by hand: Combine caster sugar, yeast and milk in a bowl and stir until smooth. Cover and rest in a warm place for 10 minutes or until frothy.
Sift flour, salt, cinnamon and mixed spice into a large bowl. Stir in yeast mixture, melted butter, egg and currants until well combined. Cover and rest in a warm place for 45 minutes or until mixture has doubled in size.
Turn dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth and elastic (about five minutes).
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Preheat oven to 220°C. Lightly grease a large square cake tin (at least 30cm x 30cm) or a 28cm x 18cm slice tin and line with baking paper so that the sides overhang two sides.
Divide dough into 16 even pieces and roll into balls. Place balls into the prepared cake tin. As they rise, they will fit snugly together. Rest covered for 10-15 minutes or until balls have doubled in size.
Paste: Combine ingredients in a small bowl and, using a piping bag fitted with a small plain nozzle or a plastic bag with a snip off one corner, pipe crosses over buns.
Bake for about 20 minutes or until well browned and cooked.
Glaze: Combine ingredients in a small bowl and stir until sugar is dissolved. Brush buns with warm glaze and cool on a cake rack.
COST
$3.50 for 16 buns
Awesome. They look like they turned out beautifully.
YUM! (and much less than $4-something per dozen) Oh and how much Mixed Spice? its in the instructions but no amount on the ingredients list
It was 1 teaspoon. Recipe has been corrected. xx
Just wondering where the bread maker instructions resume after adding currants?
cheers
ooops – a bad spacing error! I’ve drawn a line to separate the instructions, it should make things clearer.
If I have the 7g packets of dry yeast, how many should I use?
Two sachets Sarah.
Would it be the same if I put chocolate chips in, instead of all the currants and stuff? Sacriligious I know, but I don’t like currants
Go right ahead
These is the best recipe I have tried for hot cross buns, I also make them with chia seeds, apricots and raisins……..great healthy treats for the childrens snacks and lunchboxes. I also butter them first, wrap in glad wrap and freeze, so there are always some to grab! I did have a go at mocha buns, adding two shots of expresso and a couple of handfuls of choc chips……mmm…..delicious!!!!!!!
Will you all lynch me if I skip the crosses part and jump straight to the sugar glaze? Ever since I can remember I’ve pulled the crosses off.
it’s one of the great privileges of making your own Marjorie … go for it.
Thank you for this recipe. I’ve never made hot cross buns before but I will this week! They look sensational.
made these yesterday, yummy. I don’t think I will just make these at Easter time. I love them all year round. I am going to give them a go with coffee and dates. Bakers Delight used to make a coffee and date bread that I could not get enough of.
I made a batch this morning and they turned out perfectly! Yummo. Thanks Sandra.
I didn’t have currants so I used sultanas and mixed peel. They turned out perfect! I don’t do crosses either, just go straight to the glaze.
Hand made, no crosses and didnt use gelatine for glaze but just been told – hmmm they wont last long – and there is just the 2 of us!!!!
Might up the anti on the spices and fruit for next batch though or try a chocolate variation. Thanks again Sandra.
Just took these out of the oven and they are great! Thanks for the recipe, will definitely be making them again as I don’t think they will last long in this house!
Hi Sandra,
I made this this afternoon. My daughter had a sad ceremony last week when the last of the frozen buns from Easter went into her lunch box.
I stumbled across your recipe this afternoon and – yummy!
I dragged my bread maker out too, it has not been used for about 4 years, so that was an added bonus.
I didn’t have mixed spice so used all spice. I presume they are very different entities but the end result has been a hit at my place