Shelby In Colour: Hot Cross Buns ... Hot Cross Buns ......

Hi there :) Well a Happy Easter to you too :) its almost upon us .. a time for reflection, perhaps a visit to church and of course the over indulgence of goodies including chocolate and hot cross buns.

This morning I made two batches of Hot Cross Buns ... the traditional fruit variety and a chocolate variety. They both turned out delicious! So I thought I would share this very easy recipe with you. Now of course this recipe is half real and half tinkered with ... if you know what I mean ..... especially the chocolate one.

You know me ... I can't stand the huge amounts of fat and sugar in things so I must tweak it ...... but these are by no means healthy! So don't eat too many :)

This recipe makes 6 good sized Hot Cross Buns.

Ingredients

1 3/4 cups of plain flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon bread improver
3 teaspoons caster sugar
3 teaspoons yeast
1 teaspoon mixed spice
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
3 teaspoons butter (or margarine)
3/4 cup warm water
3/4 to 1 cup of mixed fruit (I used mixed fruit and peel)

Mix dry ingredients in a large bowl (except fruit).
Add butter and warm water.
Combine to form a dough.
Turn out onto a lightly floured board (I use a silicone mat from Bosco) and knead for 3-5 minutes
Place in lightly oiled bowl and rest for 15 minutes.
Stretch out dough and add fruit then knead for another 3 minutes or so .. until the fruit is well combined.
Put it back in the bowl and let it rest for another 10 minutes
Dived dough into 6 even pieces and roll into balls.
Place the balls on a greased tray (I use a tray with baking paper to cut back on oils) giving them enough room to double in size.
Allow to rest in a warm area until doubled in size (mine took 40 minutes) (while this is happening preheat your oven to 190 degrees celcius)
Pipe a cross on each one and bake for 20 minutes.
Remove from oven and add glaze while still hot.

Cross Mixture is - 1/2 cup cornflour, 2 tablespoons caster sugar (optional), 1 tablespoon plain flour and 3-4 tablespoons of water .... mix to a stiff paste. Pop it into a zip lock bag and snip a tiny bit off the corner .. voila a piping bag.

Glaze - 1/2 cup caster sugar, 1/2 teaspoon mixed spice and 2 tablespoons water. Stir over heat until it boils gently. Remove from heat and brush over the buns while still hot.

For the chocolate buns I did exactly the same except I left out the fruit and added 3/4 cup chocolate chips and I also used a tiny bit less flour and added 1/4 cup cocoa powder.

I hope you enjoy them ....