Create - 13 Apr 2020

Hot Cross Buns

There are two foods that remind me of Easter. Hot Cross Buns and Easter Eggs. It is a little ridiculous that they are available in the supermarket pretty much straight after Christmas though. If like me, you love a hot cross bun, why not whip these up for your friends and family instead.

Now the recipe for hot cross buns are pretty tried and tested, so I figure why mess with perfection. Instead, I’ve tweaked the recipe to make it a healthier version. It still utilises plain flour, so it is not gluten free and instead of cane sugar it uses coconut sugar – a low GI form of sugar. GI or glycaemic index is a list of foods and their impact on blood sugars. It is not the only factor that matters when it comes to whole food, I also review the GL or glycaemic load alongside. But when it comes to sugar GI is the only marker.

Hot Cross Buns (makes 10-12)

Ingredients

Buns

4 cups organic unbleached plain flour
1 TBS or sachet of organic bakers yeast
¼ cup coconut sugar
½ cup currants
½ cup sultanas
300ml milk
40g grass fed butter
2 eggs
1 tsp cinnamon
¼ tsp nutmeg
¼ tsp ginger
pinch of salt
zest of an orange

Crosses

½ cup organic unbleached plain flour
4 TBS water

Glaze

2 TBS maple syrup

Directions

Combine flour, yeast, sugar, spices, salt, sultanas, currants and orange zest in a large bowl.
Melt butter in a small saucepan over low heat. Add milk. Heat for 1 minute, or until lukewarm.
Whisk the eggs.
Add the warm milk mixture and eggs to flour mixture.
Use a flat-bladed knife to mix until dough almost comes together. Use clean floured hands to finish mixing to form a soft dough.
Turn dough out onto a well floured surface. Knead for 10 minutes, or until dough is smooth.
Place dough into a lightly oiled bowl. Cover with plastic wrap. Set aside in a warm, wind-free place for 1 hour, or until dough doubles in size.
Line a large baking tray with non-stick baking paper.
Punch dough down to its original size (about 30secs).
Empty onto a lightly floured surface and nead again for 30secs on until smooth.

Divide into 10-12 even portions.
Shape each portion into a ball.
Place balls onto lined tray, about 1cm apart. Cover with plastic wrap.
Set aside in a warm, wind-free place for 30 minutes, or until buns double in size (they will join and rise together at this point).
Preheat oven to 190°C.
Mix flour and water together in a small bowl until smooth to make the crosses.
Spoon the crosses mixture into a small piping bag. Pipe flour paste over tops of buns to form crosses.
Bake for 25 mins, or until buns are cooked through.
Remove from the oven and allow to cool for about 10mins before brushing with maple syrup for the glaze.