One a penny, two a penny…Hot Cross Buns!
Here’s a delicious seasonal recipe created especially for Roundhouse by our own kitchen coach and home economist Amy, in a Roundhouse bespoke kitchen. We hear from Amy’s work colleagues in the Roundhouse Fulham showroom where she is based, that these buns are well worth the effort and so we’re looking forward to rolling up our sleeves and baking these this week.
As ever there are particular instructions for owners of combination steam ovens, Gaggenau, Siemens and Miele and appliances, which you may find helpful.
Hot Cross Buns
Ingredients
300ml full-fat milk
50g butter
500g strong white bread flour
1 tsp fine salt
75g golden caster sugar
½ tsp mixed spice
½ tsp cinnamon
7g sachet fast-action dried yeast
100g sultanas
50g mixed peel
1 orange, zest only
1 egg, beaten
For the cross
75g plain flour, mixed with 5 tbsp water
For the glaze
2-3 tbsp golden syrup, gently warmed
Method
- Heat the milk to almost boiling in a small saucepan, then remove from the heat and drop the butter in, allowing it to melt whilst the milk cools to blood temperature.
- In a large mixing bowl, combine the flour, salt, sugar and spices, then sprinkle over the yeast.
- Add the sultanas, mixed peel and orange zest to the bowl and run your fingers through to distribute evenly.
- Make a well in the middle of the dried ingredients and then pour the lukewarm milk and butter, and also the beaten egg, into the well. Bring together with a cutlery knife until a rough dough forms, then tip out onto a floured worktop and knead well for 5 minutes, until the dough is smooth and elastic.
- Place the dough back into an oiled bowl, cover with a damp tea towel and prove in a warming drawer or low oven on about 40°C, for around 30-40 minutes, or until the dough is almost doubled in size.
- After this time, tip the dough back out on to a floured work surface, and divide up in to about 15 even pieces (around 75-80g per piece, or else divide the dough by eye in to three, then each third in to five).
- Roll in to little balls, place on a non-stick baking tray, then loosely lay a piece of oiled cling film over the top. Return to the oven or warming drawer to prove for a further 30-40 minutes.
- When ready to cook, preheat the oven on Fan 200°C. Before you put the hot cross buns in the oven, transfer the flour and water mix for the cross, in to a piping bag with a small nozzle. Pipe a cross on the top of each bun.
- Bake the buns for about 20 minutes, or until golden brown.
- When the buns come out of the oven, brush the tops with the warmed golden syrup whilst still hot. Transfer to a wire rack to cool.
Makes 15 hot cross buns
** If you have a Siemens iQ700 oven, try using the Hydrobaking function, you may need to increase the temperature by 10-20°C**
** If you have a Miele oven with Moisture Plus, use this function with one burst of steam, brought in to the oven as soon as the tray of buns go in. Use the same temperature as in the main recipe**
** If you have a Combination Steam oven, this is a fantastic way to bake yeasted breads:
- For Siemens owners, select ‘Hot Air + Steam’, using the temperatures and timings stated in the main recipe.
- For Gaggenau owners, use Hot Air 190°C, 30% humidity for 10 minutes, using ‘misting’ a couple of times, and then reduce the humidity down to 0% for the remaining 5-10 minutes.
- For Miele owners, select Combination cooking, Fan Plus, 190°C and 60% moisture for 10 minutes, and then reduce humidity down to 20% for the remaining 5-10 minutes.
And don’t forget – a Combination Steam oven is a great way of regenerating bread which is a few days old, by using the ‘Reheat’ or ‘Regenerate’ function**
