Hot Cross Buns with a Twist!
Honestly, I'm not a huge fan of hot cross buns, but since Easter is right around the corner, I had to take up the opportunity to teach my girls about this delicious and simple Easter treat. I added a few little extras to make it my own and now I'm hooked ๐. Hope you like!
My daughterโs hand came in handy holding this bun :)
Typically hot cross buns were baked and eaten on Good Friday, or at least that's what my mother told me. I have read that these buns carried the purpose of warding off evil spirits for the remainder of the year when made on this day. I also came across superstitious beliefs where the buns were believed to carry some sort of magical purpose. I am not too familiar with the actual reason for this, so please comment on my post if you know! I will greatly appreciate learning this ๐.
I researched a few recipes and tasted a few buns before developing this one to suit my tastes and style of baking. I included a citrus flavouring and replaced the raisins with mixed peel. The "cross" frosting was also changed to a delicious cream cheese version with some added toasted pecans and I also used a different glaze for the top of the buns before baking, but you can use an egg wash (1 egg mixed with 2 tablespoons milk) or milk alone. The egg wash will give a more glistening look.
Tips on Making these buns:
Make sure your milk is warmed before blooming the yeast. Not HOT!
Do not use any cold ingredients! This will prevent the yeast from doing itโs thing to allow the dough to double in size.
My recipe calls for mixed peel. But I also love to make this with dried cranberries. Just use 1/2 cup of cranberries soaked in 1/2 cup boiling water. Drain and use in the recipe as normal.
I love the flavours of citrus in these buns. You can add some vanilla extract instead for a more traditional take if you prefer. For this recipe in particular, I used my own homemade portugal extract. Be sure to get the recipe here.
You can brush the tops of the buns with milk only or an egg wash. Just note that the eggwash will give a much darker, shinier exterior.
You can mix this with your electric/stand mixer, or even by hand. You choose!
Ingredients:
For Frosting:
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1 1/2 teaspoon liquid milk
1 tablespoon softened cream cheese (optional)
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 teaspoon finely chopped toasted pecans (optional)
For the Buns:
1/2 cup mixed fruit peel or cranberries or raisins
3 1/2 cups flour
3/4 cup liquid milk (warmed)
1/2 cup sugar, plus 1/2 teaspoon sugar
1/4 cup melted butter, cooled
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 packet instant yeast - equivalent to approximately 2 1/4 teaspoons
2 eggs at room temperature
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon orange zest or 1 teaspoon orange/portugal extract
1/8 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
For Brushing the Buns:
1 tablespoons milk
1/2 tablespoon maple syrup or honey
Method
If using cranberries, combine them with 1/2 cup boiling water and let sit for 10 minutes. Drain, squeeze slightly and set aside. Skip this step if you are using mixed peel.
In a bowl or measuring cup, add 1/4 cup warmed milk, 1/2 teaspoon sugar and yeast. Stir and let sit at until bubbly (about 10 minutes). In a large mixing bowl, add the remaining 1/2 cup of warm milk, 1/2 cup sugar, melted butter, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, orange zest or extract and eggs. Whisk until combined. Stir in the yeast mixture. Add 1/2 cup flour and mixed peel, and mix with a wooden spoon or danish dough whisk. Continue adding flour in 1/2 cup portions, stirring each time. Knead the dough for about 10 minutes. Form the dough into a ball and let rise for 90 minutes. After the dough has risen, cut into 12 equal parts and form into balls. I do this by first cutting into halves, then cutting each half into 6 equal pieces using my bench-scrape. Place the formed balls in a buttered 9 x 13 inch baking pan. Cover and let rise for another 30 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 350หF. Make the maple glaze by mixing the milk and the maple syrup together. Brush each bun and bake for 15-20 minutes or until the tops are golden brown. Remove from oven and let cool in the pan for 5 minutes. Place the buns on a cooling rack to continue cooling. Meanwhile, whisk together all ingredients for the frosting. You can add more milk if you want it thinner, or more powdered sugar if you want it thicker or sweeter. Transfer frosting to a squeeze bottle and pipe a cross shape over each of the bun. You can also do this with a ziploc bag; just cut off the corner tip when ready to pipe. Remember that they do not have to be perfect!
