Easy Hot Cross Buns

Hot Cross Buns

Ingredients

4 cups all purpose white flour
2½ teaspoons instant yeast
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
2 teaspoons salt
4 tablespoons sugar
1½ cups mixed dried fruit (aka raisins) or chocolate chips
1 lemon Zested
1 orange Zested
1/3 cup of melted Wilson’s Coconut Oil at room temperature
1 cup milk
¾ cup water

For the crosses

5 tablespoons all purpose white flour
Enough water to make a thick pipe-able paste

For the glaze

2 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons boiling water

Make it Fancy (Optional)

10 Easter Eggs and / or Hollow white Easter Eggs

Method:

In a large bowl, add the flour, yeast, spices, salt and sugar and mix together well. Then add the fruit / chocolate and zest.

Add your Wilson’s Coconut Oil to the milk, stir, then pour into the bowl with the other ingredients. Then add the water and stir really well with a spoon until everything is combined and there is no dry flour visible.

If it looks like a sticky, lumpy, looking mess, you are on track.

Cover with cling wrap and leave on the kitchen counter for a maximum of 5 hours. Do not refrigerate and do not leave anywhere really warm. Just normal room temperature is fine.

After the time has elapsed the dough will be swollen and puffy. Dust a clean, dry, work surface with some flour and turn out the dough onto it making sure you scrape the bowl out well. Try not to tear the dough as it will damage the structure that has developed. It will be sticky but that is normal. Dust the top of the dough with some flour and form it into a rough round then cut into 10 pieces.

Shape each piece into a smooth ball using floured hands.

PAUSE:

If you are wanting to make your Hot Cross Buns Fancy, then this next step is for you.

Easter Egg Addition: roll out your dough and flatten your Easter Egg. Place the flattened Easter Egg in the middle of the dough and then hide the Easter Egg inside the dough by covering it/rolling your dough back into a ball.

Hollow White Easter Egg: Dig a whole in the middle of your dough ball and add your Hollow White Easter Egg to it. Almost like it is an egg in a nest.

Continue as per the below:

Place the buns gently on a lightly floured, or parchment lined baking sheet. Have them so they all gently touch each other.

Take a dish towel, run it under the tap and then wring it out so that it is just damp. Cover the dough with the dish towel and leave for 30 minutes while you preheat the oven to 200°C.

After 30 minutes has passed, make the flour and water paste for the crosses. Just add enough water to the 5 tablespoons of flour to make a thick pipe-able paste. Remove the towel from the buns, fill a piping bag or piping syringe (or a ziplock bag with a nip in one corner) with the paste and pipe a cross shape on each bun.

Place the buns in the preheated oven and bake for around 20 minutes. Once done they should be starting to turn golden and if you tap on one of them you will hear it’s bottom sounds hollow.

Remove from the oven and immediately mix up the glaze. 2 tablespoons of sugar with 2 tablespoons of boiling water. Stir until the sugar dissolves then brush the top of each bun generously.

Transfer to a cooling rack and be sure to eat one while it’s hot!