Hot Cross Buns

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Family (1525) Snack (848) Baking (674) Breakfast (581) Bread (238) Easter (33) Cranberries (24) Sultanas (20) Hot Cross Buns (2)

Nothing beats eating a hot cross bun straight out of the oven. These buns are delicious, soft and better than store bought ones. Serve warm with butter and jam for breakfast, brunch or morning tea.

Preparation Time: 2 hours
Cooking Time: 25 minutes
Serves: 12

Ingredients
For the hot cross buns

7g active dry yeast

1/2 cup caster sugar

1 1/2 cups milk, warm

4 1/4 cups flour, sifted

1 tsp nutmeg

3 tsp ground cinnamon

50g unsalted butter, melted

1 egg, lightly beaten

1 1/2 cups sultanas

1/2 cup cranberries (or sultanas if you prefer)

Extra flour for dusting

For the cross

1/2 cup flour

1/3 cup water

For the glaze

1 tbsp water, hot

2 tsp gelatine powder

1/2 cup caster sugar

1/4 cup water

Method
To make the dough

Place milk, 2 tbsp sugar and yeast in a bowl and set aside for 5 minutes. The mixture will start to foam as the yeast is activated.

Add the butter, sugar and egg to the yeast mixture and gently stir.

Put the flour, sugar, nutmeg, cinnamon, cranberries and sultanas into a large bowl and gently stir to combine. Add the yeast mixture and stir to combine until a dough is formed.

Lightly dust the bench top with flour. Turn the dough out on to the bench top and knead the dough for 8-10 minutes, until it becomes elastic.

Place the dough into a lightly oiled bowl, cover with a wet cloth and set aside for 1 hour in a warm, draught free spot, or until doubled in size.

The dough has doubled in size and ready to be formed into buns

Divide the dough into 12 portions and roll into balls. Place the rolled dough into a baking tray lined with baking paper, cover with a wet cloth and set aside for 30 minutes in a warm, draught free location to rise.

The cut dough is ready to be rolled

Roll the dough into balls

To make the cross

In the meantime, while the buns are rising, preheat the oven to 200 degrees.

Combine the flour and water for the cross and place in a piping bag or plastic bag with the corner chopped off.

Pipe the cross onto the buns and place in the oven for 25-30 minutes to bake, or until golden brown.

Piping the cross

To make the glaze

Dissolve the gelatine in 1 tbsp of hot water. Stir and set aside for 2 minutes.

Add 1/4 cup of water and sugar to a saucepan on medium heat. Stir for 2 minutes until dissolved. Add the dissolved gelatine and stir for 2 minutes on medium heat.

Use a pastry brush to glaze the buns when they are warm.

Serve the buns with butter and jam.