[schema type=”recipe” name=”Home Made Hot Cross Buns – Jamie Oliver Recipe” author=”Rachel Howard” pubdate=”2015-04-06″ image=”http://www.sundaybaking.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/Hot-Cross-Buns-2-700.jpg” description=”Classic Hot Cross Buns. A sweet spiced bun with dried fruit – a perfect addition to a cup of tea, toasted and covered in butter! ” prephours=”1″ prepmins=”30″ cookmins=”15″ yield=”12″ ]
“According to ancient superstition, baking your own hot cross buns on Good Friday will help you win friends, influence people, protect against kitchen fires, and guarantee that all bread baked in your kitchen turns out perfectly…”
I made mine on Easter Sunday – does that still count?! ha ha.
I have never made hot cross buns before so as I had Easter Sunday to myself I decided to whip up a quick batch. They are quite easy to make really and taste a lot better than the shop bought ones.
There are lots of various recipes out there, but I decided to go with Jamie Oliver. I have followed quite a few of his recipes and find they always come out well and these didn’t disappoint.
Before starting I soaked my dried fruit in hot water for 30 minutes to make them swell and keep my buns moist.
[callout title=Ingredients]
- 200ml milk (the recipe asked for semi skimmed but I used whole milk)
- 55g unsalted butter
- 2 x 7g sachet dried yeast
- 455g strong bread flour (I used plain flour)
- 1 tsp sea salt
- 1 tsp mixed spice
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/2 a nutmeg
- 55g caster sugar
- 2 pieces of stem ginger (I had to use crystallised as it’s all I had)
- 1 large egg
- 2 tbsp plain flour
- 55g raisins or sultanas
- 30g dried cranberries (optional – just add more currants if you don’t want cranberries)
- 2 tbsp mixed peel
- runny honey
[/callout]
Method:
- Put the milk and 50ml water into a pan and heat gently for a few minutes
- Add butter to a separate pan and melt on a low heat – set aside
- Transfer the warmed milk to a bowl, stir in the yeast and set aside
- Sift the flour into a large bowl and add the salt, spices, nutmeg and sugar – mix well
- Finely chop the ginger and add to the mix
- Make a well in the middle of the flour mix and add the butter and yeast mix
- In a separate bowl, beat the egg and add it to the flour mix
- Using a fork, mix everything together
- Dust your work surface with flour and knead for 10 minutes
- Return the dough to the flour dusted bowl and bash with your fist
- Sprinkle over the fruit and knead for a further 2 minutes
- Preheat the oven to 190C and line a large baking tray
- Divide the dough into 12 evenly sized balls and place on the baking tray
- Cover with a clean tea towel and place somewhere warm for 30 minutes. They should double in size
- Meanwhile, mix the plain flour and 2 tbsp water together to make a thick paste.
- When your buns are twice the size, pat them down and mark a cross using the flour paste (I put mine into a sandwich bag and snipped the corner off to give myself a piping bag)
- Bake in the oven for 15 – 20 minutes
- Brush over a little honey while they are still warm
I love the smell that fills your house when baking hot cross buns – it’s so comforting!
I don’t think I let my buns prove for long enough – they didn’t quite double in size as I don’t think where I left them was warm enough. This meant they weren’t quite as light and fluffy as I had wanted, but still lovely.
Kieron just had a couple toasted for his breakfast – he has instructed me not to give the rest away so we are going to freeze them.
Here are some tips from Jamie as to how to make the perfect hot cross bun!
Happy Easter everyone!
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