Branch Creek’s Hot Cross Buns

Our yummy Hot Cross Buns, made every easter at Branch Creek!

Ingredients:

For the dough:

• 3 1/2 cups flour

• 2 1/2 tsp active yeast

• 1/4 cup brown sugar

• 1/2 tsp salt

• 1 Tbsp mixed spice

• 1 Tbsp ground cinnamon

• 1/2 tsp ground cloves

• 1 cup dried fruit (I usually go half sultanas and half cranberries)

• 1 egg

• 2 Tbsp butter (For dairy free use Olivani)

• 310ml warm water

For the crosses:

• 1/4 cup icing sugar

• 1/4 cup flour

• 40-80mls water (add slowly as you want the cross mixture to be thick)

For the glaze:

• 2 Tbsp warm water

• 1 Tbsp honey (you can use brown sugar)

• 1 tsp ground cinnamon

Method:

Preheat the oven to 200 degrees Celsius. I use the fan bake setting.

Add all dough ingredients to your breadmaker and set to dough. Once the cycle has finished knead gently by hand (for about 20 seconds) and then split dough into 9-12 buns and roll. Add extra flour as necessary. Use baking paper (or a silicon mat) to line a baking tray. Place your buns on the tray a few centimetres apart, cover and leave to rise for one hour.

In this time prepare your cross mixture and glaze. For the crosses, add all ingredients to a small bowl and mix until there are no lumps. Then pour into piping bag. For the glaze, again add all ingredients to a small bowl and stir until combined.

Once the buns have risen pipe the crosses over the top and immediately place in the oven. Bake for 8-12 minutes and make sure you keep a close eye, they don’t take long!

As soon as they are out of the oven brush them with your glaze.

Best served warm with plenty of butter and honey! Super simple, super quick and absolutely delicious 😋

Note:

This recipe is one we adapted to be made in the breadmaker but ofcourse you can make the dough by hand. Combine the dry dough ingredients together in a large bowl before adding the wet ingredients and folding until combined. Cover and leave to rise until doubled in size. Then follow the recipe as above.