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An orange butter sugar glaze and icing. Dried mulberries, cranberries, sugar frosted tangerines in place of citrus peels and just a sprinkling of the more traditional sultanas and raisins are in these Hot Cross Buns.
They would appear only once a year around Good Friday and if we forgot to buy them that year, no one fretted. I remember peeling into my hot cross buns to pick out the citron peel. I disliked and still dislike them. They taste acrid and artificial.
Oddly, the only bit I rather enjoyed was the tasteless flour and water paste that was used to make the cross on the buns. It was fun separating the cross from the bun. For nostalgia sake, I am including the recipe and instructions on how to make those in addition to the much tastier Orange Butter Icing.
These Hot Cross Buns are soft and rich. I do like the taste and assortment of the less than conventional dried fruits in it - you never know what you are next going to bite into.
Make yourself some coffee. Get yourself a hot cross bun. Slice it into half and wedge in a slab of butter. Settle into your favourite chair. Don't count your calories. Put bun to lips and enjoy.
Make yourself some coffee. Get yourself a hot cross bun. Slice it into half and wedge in a slab of butter. Settle into your favourite chair. Don't count your calories. Put bun to lips and enjoy.
HOT CROSS BUNS
Prep:
|
30 minutes
|
Cook: | 20 minutes |
Inactive: | First rise ~ 2 hours +. Second rise ~ 45 to 60 minutes. Last rise ~ 15 to 30 minutes. |
Level: | Intermediate |
Makes: | 15 buns |
Oven Temperature: | 430 F (220 C) 5 minutes, 390 F (200 C) next 15 minutes |
Can recipe be doubled? | Yes |
Make ahead? | Keeps well tightly covered and refrigerated up to 3 days. |
Just the ingredients
The dough
1 cup (4.93oz) (140g) mixture of dried fruits 1/4 cup orange juice OR 1/4 cup rum 5 Tablespoons Sugar Frosted Tangerines OR 4 Tablespoons mixed citrus peel
4 cups (17.91oz) (508g) bread flour
1 Tablespoon vital wheat gluten
2 and 1/4 teaspoons instant yeast
1/2 cup (4.05oz) (115g) sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon (optional)
1/8 teaspoon cloves (optional)
OR substitute cinnamon and cloves with 1/4 teaspoon of ready-mixed spice powder (optional)
Orange Butter Sugar Glaze
2 Tablespoons (1oz) (28.34g) unsalted butter
1 and 1/4 cup (300ml) milk
1 egg (1/4 cup)
Extra butter for buttering hands
4 Tablespoons butter
3 Tablespoons orange juice
4 Tablespoons sugar
1/8 teaspoon citric acidFlour and water paste
3/4 cup + 2 Tablespoons (3oz) (75g) bread flour
1/2 cup waterPinch of salt Orange Butter Icing
5 Tablespoons Orange Butter Sugar Glaze
16 Tablespoons icing sugar
1/8 teaspoon citric acid |
The dough
Examples: Raisins, cranberries, mulberries, sultanas, strawberries, cherries, currants, strawberries, mango, soursop, ginger, sugared coconut strips cut into smaller pieces (I used quite a bit of this in my earlier post, A Chocolate Hazelnut Ball In A Banana Coconut Cupcake) or some Sugar Frosted Winter Melon Strips. I used the latter in my Ginger Tea. There's a picture and a short write up of those yummy strips in that post.
For the hot cross buns pictured, I used a mix of: flame raisins, sultanas, mulberries, cranberries and sugar frosted tangerines (picture below).
1/4 cup orange juice OR rum
5 Tablespoons Sugar Frosted Tangerines or 4 Tablespoons mixed citrus peel
I buy the tangerines from Traditional Chinese Medicine shops. It comes in the shape of a flattened tangerine. One piece would give you about 5 Tablespoons of diced tangerine peel.
They are really nice eaten as candy. I also use it in combination with chinese tea leaves, chrysanthemum, wolfberries/goji berries, red dates, ginseng etc. to brew a special blend of tea.
To use, cut into wedges like I did and remove any seeds or hard pith. Sometimes there will be none of these, other times plenty! Then, cut into smaller pieces.
Dry ingredients
4 cups (17.91oz) (508g) bread flour
4 cups (17.91oz) (508g) bread flour
1 Tablespoon vital wheat gluten
Vital wheat gluten is derived from the endosperm of the wheat berry and is often added to a bread dough mix to help bake a loaf with more volume.
Vital wheat gluten can be purchased at better stocked supermarkets. I use Bob's Red Mill Vital Wheat Gluten. This does come in a 1 lb 6 oz (623g). It is a large bag so keep sealed and refrigerated. I use it often in my wholemeal loaves. Take a look at my recipe for Moroccan Inspired Wholemeal Round Loaves. It bakes beautiful, light wholemeal loaves with the addition of vital wheat gluten.
For the same reason, I add vital wheat gluten into another sweet loaf, Braided Stollen With Three Logs Of Marzipan. It is a sweet loaf studded with fruits and threaded with marzipan. Delicious.
This recipe will work without the vital wheat gluten. It will taste the same but you might not get the same rise and softness.
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon (optional)
1/8 teaspoon cloves (optional)
OR substitute cinnamon and cloves with 1/2 teaspoon of ready-mixed spice powder (optional)
I prefer hot cross buns without any of these spices. You add it in if you like them. Do not add too much cinnamon, cloves or ready-mix spice as it can inhibit bread rise.
2 and 1/4 teaspoons instant yeast
1/2 cup (4.05oz) (115g) sugar
1 teaspoon salt
Wet ingredients
2 Tablespoons (1oz)( 28.34g) unsalted butter melted and cooled
1 and 1/4 cup (300ml) milk
1 egg (1/4 cup) slightly beaten
Extra butter for buttering hands when shaping dough
Extra flour for tossing drained dried fruits with
Extra butter for buttering hands when shaping dough
Extra flour for tossing drained dried fruits with
To make Orange Butter Sugar Glaze
4 Tablespoons unsalted butter
4 Tablespoons unsalted butter
3 Tablespoons orange juice (that has been strained of pulp)
4 Tablespoons sugar
1/8 teaspoon citric acid
Find out more about this natural ingredient by scrolling down to the section,'Tips'.
To make a flour and water paste cross
3/4 cup + 2 Tablespoons (3oz) (75g) bread flour
1/2 cup water
Pinch of salt
To make Orange Butter Icing for cross
5 Tablespoons Orange Butter Sugar Glaze
16 Tablespoons icing sugar
1/8 teaspoon citric acid
Method
Pour the orange juice into the dried fruits (not the Sugar Frosted Tangerines or Sugar Frosted Winter Melon strips - [if you are using] nor mixed citrus peel). Microwave 30 seconds on high. Stir. Microwave another 30 seconds. Stir to mix, cover with plastic wrap and set aside.
Alternatively, soak the dried fruits overnight to allow it to plump up.
Mix the wet ingredients: egg, milk and melted butter together. Set Aside.
Combine all the dry ingredients into mixer bowl. Attach dough hook to beater shaft. Start mixer at low speed to prevent the flour from flying out of bowl and all over the kitchen counter. You just want to mix the dry ingredients at this stage. Stop the machine.
Add the wet ingredients. Start the machine on low speed and work it up slowly to medium high speed.
After 3 to 5 minutes, if the mixture seems dry and does not seem to be coming together to form a dough, with the machine running, add 1 Tablespoon of water and let the machine go at it for 1 minute. Work in more water the same way if required. Err on the side of a more moist dough. Keep in mind that the final dough will be a sticky dough and the sides of the bowl will not be cleaned of dough.
If the dough is too wet, do not add flour unless it is impossibly sticky.
Do not flour but oil/butter your hands and a dough scraper.
With the help of the dough scraper, scrape sides of bowl clean, pick the dough up and form into a round ball. Tuck loose ends under the dough. Before returning dough to mixer bowl, oil/butter the bowl. Return dough to mixer bowl. Cover with plastic wrap.
Before you go off to do something else, drain the pre-soaked fruits in a strainer. Set aside and let it continue to drain.
Working dough by hand
Place dry ingredients on a flat working surface or in a very large bowl. Stir to mix well.
Create a well in the centre of dry ingredients. Pour the wet ingredients in it and work it in slowly into the dry ingredients.
To start kneading, you have to work with pushing the dough out with the palm of your hand and pulling it back with your fingers.
At any point, if the dough is too dry or wet to work, you can add 1 Tablespoon of water or flour and work it in completely before adding more water or flour. Err on the side of a moist and not a dry dough.
This is a very wet and sticky dough so your kneading surface would not be entirely cleaned of dough at any point. Use a buttered/oiled dough scraper to help you clean the kneading surface as you work. You might want to butter/oil your kneading surface if the dough gets too sticky. I would try to hold off the flour otherwise you might end up with very dry hot cross buns.
You will know you are doing well when you find yourself working with a smooth elastic ball.
Shape into a round ball, tuck loose ends under the dough. Do not be tempted to add more flour, instead butter/oil your hands if it gets too sticky.
Oil/butter your bowl which should be large enough to allow the dough to almost double in size. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and let it rise in a warm place until almost double in size.
Before you go off to do something else, drain the pre-soaked fruits over a strainer. Set aside and let it continue to drain.
The dough will rise exponentially.
Have the Sugar Frosted Tangerines/Sugar Frosted Winter Melon strips/mixed citrus peel ready and also keep some butter nearby to butter your hands.
With the machine running on low-medium, add the dried fruits and the tangerines/winter melon/mixed citrus peel in three intervals. Work fast and do not over knead as the fruits will likely get smashed up.
I usually stop the machine in between intervals and use my buttered hands to help turn the dough over to help distribute the dried fruits and tangerine /winter melon evenly and then turn the machine back on to further mix dried fruits evenly into dough. It should take you no longer than 5 minutes. The final mixing is better done with your buttered hands.
If you take too long to mix and over work or over knead, the liquid from the pre-soaked dried fruits will start to seep out, making the dough stickier and more difficult to work with.
Whether you use the machine or your hands to mix in the ingredients, work lightly, quickly and with buttered hands.
If it should get impossible to work with the dough, rest the dough for 10 minutes and return to work on it.
Making the orange butter sugar glaze
Dissolve the butter, add orange juice, sugar and citric acid. Stir to dissolve. If you like it more tart, add more citric acid. Set aside.
Option 1: Making the flour and water paste to decorate a cross on the buns
Place the flour and salt into a bowl and slowly work in the water until you get a thicker than glue/gum consistency.
The paste should not be runny but settle quite firmly in place. Test by filling it into a piping bag and pipe a line. Adjust water and flour accordingly until you get the right consistency. Set aside.
After the second rising - time to shape into balls and go through final rising
Remove dough on to work surface and punch air out of dough. Do not over knead.
Divide dough evenly into 15 balls. I use my scissors to cut so that I can make a clean cut and not over stretch the dough by pulling balls off the main dough.
I actually weigh the whole piece of dough. From experience, I have found that I more often than not have to divide my dough balls into 65 to 75g each to get 15 balls. Weighing the balls out ensures that you have evenly shaped buns especially if you intend to bake them into separate balls. They look much prettier.
Shape each dough into a ball.
Do this by cupping your palms around the circumference of the dough ball. The sides of your palms will be resting on the work surface. It will appear like you are cocooning the dough ball. Start moving the dough ball clockwise with the help of the sides of your palms which should not leave the surface of the work surface as you are turning and shaping. This method will get the dough ball smooth and round as any straggly surface on the dough ball gradually gets pulled and tucked under the dough.
If you do find it difficult to stretch the dough out, let the dough balls rest 10 minutes covered and then go back to them.
Prepare a baking tray with either silicon pads, baking paper or simply oil bottom of trays.
Place each ball of dough about 2" (5cm) apart on baking tray. If you want the hot cross buns to touch when they are baked through, a 1" (2.5cm) spacing should be sufficient. Then again your choice might be limited to how large an oven you have or the size of baking trays that you have in your homes! So work with what you have.
These buns nestled in a round dish will have an orange butter icing piped on them.
As soon as you finish shaping the buns, turn on the oven to 220C, oven rack adjusted to lower middle position.
Option 2: Making the orange butter icing
Sift the icing sugar into a bowl. Add the 5 Tablespoons orange butter sugar glaze (that you had prepared earlier) and citric acid. Add more citric acid if you like it more tart.
My icing looks a little golden as I had used golden icing sugar.
Baking
When ready to bake.
If using the flour and water paste
Remove plastic wrap. Pipe a cross onto each bun and bake immediately according to instructions below.
Otherwise
Remove plastic wrap and bake 5 minutes at 430F (220C) and then reduce to 390F (200C) and bake for another 15 minutes.
Should it start to turn too brown, cover with an aluminium foil to avoid burning the tops and continue baking.
After 20 minutes of total baking time, check the bread to see if it is baked through.
If your buns were baking individually, it should cook between 15 to 20 minutes (total baking time) so check at 15 minutes.
If you tap the base of the loaf it would sound hollow. Remove from oven if it has reached this stage. If not, leave it in the oven for another 5 minutes. More often than not, a total of 25 minutes baking time is sufficient. If you have a thermometer, the internal temperature of the buns should register 190F to 200F but closer to 200F. (90C).
Transfer baked buns still in its baking pan/dish, onto cooling rack.
Brushing on the Orange Butter Sugar Glaze
While buns are still warm and in its baking pan/dish, with a pastry brush, brush the Orange Butter Sugar Glaze over the entire surface. Cool completely.
When buns have completely cooled. Pipe crosses on top of them.
- What is citric acid?
I have used citric acid in the following recipes:
Crisp Lemon Cookies. Tart and sweet at the same time!
I like the look of Eastern European Easter breads. They always look so festive! So I am going to post a recipe for one of their many festive looking Easter breads.
The braided ones always look pretty and those with vibrantly dyed eggs embedded within the braids look even prettier. These Easter breads are always sweet, soft and almost cake like in texture because of the amount of eggs and dairy that goes into them.
Look out for my next post to find out what I will be baking next!
Make for me when I am home please. It looks good. Much better that what I see here.
ReplyDeleteOh yes, it taste better than anything bought. Will be baking them for the Easter weekend. I will be posting a recipe for the Russian Easter bread, Kulich soon. Wait till you see that one!
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