Monday 8 April 2013

Hot Cross Buns and Spiced Honey Butter


The dissertation is in. I have slept. And now I can face reading and writing again. 

This recipe is lovely, the buns are fluffy and soft, and they smell wonderfully sweet and spicy. You can add any fruit or spices you like, I think diced apple would work lovely next time. 



I think it is important to try and do these things for hot cross bun success!
1. prepare all the ingredients before you start, it will get messy
2. keep the dough sticky by not adding hardly any more flour than stated in the recipe
3. knead the dough for at least 15 mins, otherwise the buns will be heavy.
4. leave the buns to prove for plenty of time, the dough will be pillowy and light when it is ready to be shaped.
5. If you are not sure if the buns are cooked, an extra 5 mins in the oven wont hurt. They will just have a harder crust on them.

The bun recipe is from River Cottage, the ring shape and honey butter is from GoodFood

For the buns:
250g strong white bread flour, plus extra for dusting
250g plain white flour
125ml warm water
125ml warm milk
5g powdered dried yeast
10g salt
50g caster sugar
1 medium free-range egg
50g butter
100g raisins, currants or sultanas (or a mixture)
Finely grated zest of ½ orange
1 tsp ground mixed spice
   
For the crosses
100g plain white flour
100ml water

To finish
1 tbsp apricot (or other) jam, sieved
1 tbsp water

For the butter:
200g salted butter , softened
1½ tsp cinnamon
½ tsp ground ginger
4 tbsp clear honey

1. Combine the flours, water, milk, yeast, salt and sugar in the bowl and fit the dough hook. Add the egg and butter and mix to a sticky dough. Now add the dried fruit, orange zest and spice and knead until silky and smooth.
2.  This can be done in a food mixer or by hand. The dough is VERY sticky, don't be tempted to add to much extra flour, just keep kneading  Even after 15 mins the dough will still be sticky but it will be kneaded enough so, cover the dough a leave to rise in a warm place for about 1 hour or until doubled in size.
3. Knock back the risen dough and divide into 11 equal pieces. Shape into rounds and dust with flour. Place on a floured board in a ring shape, leaving a little space in between. Cover with plastic or linen and leave to prove for about half an hour until roughly doubled in size.
4. Preheat the oven to 200°C/Gas Mark 6.
5. To make the crosses, whisk together the flour and water until smooth, then transfer to a greaseproof paper piping bag and snip off the end to make a fine hole.
6. Transfer the risen buns to a baking tray or a pizza tray and pipe a cross on top of each one, then bake in the oven for 25-30 minutes. They will be cooked when they sound hollow when tapped, and they feel light.
7. Meanwhile, melt the jam with the water in a pan. Brush over the buns to glaze as you take them from the oven.
Transfer to a wire rack to cool. Serve warm or toasted.

To make the spiced honey butter:
Put the butter, spices and honey in a bowl and beat with an electric whisk until smooth.


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