This is a recipe found in a Waitrose magazine that was brought over by Granny and Grandad visiting from England. I think that it's originally by Edd Kimber who won the 'The Great British Bake Off' a few years ago.
Homemade hot cross buns might take a bit more time than buying the from a shop but the smell and taste is well worth the effort.
Mix the bread flour, salt, spices, sugar and yeast in a large bowl.
In a small pan, warm the milk and butter over a low heat until the butter is melted.
Add the zest and raisins and leave to cool for 2 - 3 minutes until just warm, then beat in the egg. Make a well in the flour mixture and pour in the milk mixture, stirring to make a soft dough
Tip the dough onto a lightly floured work surface. Knead for about 5 minutes or until smooth and elastic.
Form into a ball and put in a lightly oiled bowl; cover with clingfilm.
Leave in a warm place to rise for 1 hour, or until doubled in size.
Tip the risen dough onto a lightly floured work surface and flatten to knock out some of the air.
Divide it into 9 pieces (around 100g each) and roll into balls. Place about 2cm apart on a baking tray lined with baking parchment; lightly cover with greased clingfilm. Leave to rise for about 40 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 200˚C, gas mark 6, and remove the clingfilm.
For the crosses, mix the plain flour and 5 tbsp water into a thick paste. Spoon into a piping bag fitted with a small nozzle (or use a plastic food bag with a bottom corner cut off ) and pipe on the crosses. Bake for 20 - 25 minutes. Gently heat the golden syrup in a pan and brush over the warm buns.
Cool a little before serving.
It's a lovely recipe that the kids can help out with. Mixing, zesting, beating the egg and shaping the dough into buns. They also love piping the crosses onto the finished buns.
Variations
Apparently you can add chopped dark chocolate but we haven't tried it. If you have, let me know what it was like!
Ingredients
Directions
Mix the bread flour, salt, spices, sugar and yeast in a large bowl.
In a small pan, warm the milk and butter over a low heat until the butter is melted.
Add the zest and raisins and leave to cool for 2 - 3 minutes until just warm, then beat in the egg. Make a well in the flour mixture and pour in the milk mixture, stirring to make a soft dough
Tip the dough onto a lightly floured work surface. Knead for about 5 minutes or until smooth and elastic.
Form into a ball and put in a lightly oiled bowl; cover with clingfilm.
Leave in a warm place to rise for 1 hour, or until doubled in size.
Tip the risen dough onto a lightly floured work surface and flatten to knock out some of the air.
Divide it into 9 pieces (around 100g each) and roll into balls. Place about 2cm apart on a baking tray lined with baking parchment; lightly cover with greased clingfilm. Leave to rise for about 40 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 200˚C, gas mark 6, and remove the clingfilm.
For the crosses, mix the plain flour and 5 tbsp water into a thick paste. Spoon into a piping bag fitted with a small nozzle (or use a plastic food bag with a bottom corner cut off ) and pipe on the crosses. Bake for 20 - 25 minutes. Gently heat the golden syrup in a pan and brush over the warm buns.
Cool a little before serving.
