As it is the Easter weekend, we thought we would share with you one of the classic Easter Sunday treats, and we aren’t talking about easter eggs! Hot Cross Buns are a fantastic tradition in Britain, and this scrumptious recipe from Nigella Lawson is the great way to get the family baking this weekend! Happy Easter everyone!
This Nigella hot cross buns recipe is, if you haven’t already guessed, courtesy of the brilliant Nigella Lawson! If you are looking to try something slightly different for Easter 2015, this recipe provides a fantastic twist on perhaps a more traditional hot cross buns recipe. Including cardamom pods and a clove, these ingredients are used to infuse the milk for the dough, adding a really intense but delicious flavour to these hot cross buns!
Ingredients:
For the Dough
- 400g of bread flour
- 150ml of milk
- 50g of butter
- Zest of 1 large orange
- 125g of dried fruit
- 1 clove
- 2 cardamom pods
- 1 seven gram packet of easy blend yeast
- 1 tsp of ground cinnamon
- Half a tsp of ground nutmeg
- Quarter of tsp of ground ginger
- 1 large egg
For the cross on the buns
- 3 tbsp of plain flour
- 2 tbsp of water
- Half a tbsp. of caster sugar
For the sugar glaze
- 1 tbsp of caster sugar
- 1 tbsp of boiling water
For the egg wash
Instructions:
Step 1-In a saucepan, heat the 150ml of milk, 50g of butter, orange zest, clove and the two cardamom pods until the butter is fully melted. Once this has happened, allow the mixture to infuse which will add fantastic flavour to the hot cross buns.
Step 2-To a mixing bowl, add the bread flour, yeast and 125g of dried fruit along with the spices (cinnamon, nutmeg and ginger). Once the milk has been completely infused by the cardamom and clove, remove both of these items and beat in the large egg. Once this is done, pour the mixture in to the bowl of dry ingredients.
Step 3-Knead the dough by hand or using a machine. You should continue to knead it until the dough turns quite elastic. If you find the dough is a bit dry, add more warm milk to help resolve this. Once you are happy with the dough, shape it in to a ball and place it in a buttered mixing bowl and cover with clingfilm. Allow it to rest overnight in the fridge.
Step 4-Preheat your oven to 220 degrees celcius/425 degrees Fahrenheit/gas mark 7, and take the dough out of the fridge to allow it to reach room temperature.
Step 5-Knead the dough again until it regains its elastic consistency. Split the dough in to roughly 16 balls, just keep halving the dough until you get the magic 16 pieces.
Step 6-Place the pieces of dough on to a baking tray or baking sheet that is lined with baking paper. Score the tops of each piece of dough with the shape of a cross, cover with kitchen towel and leave to prove again for 45 minutes, they should rise during this time.
Step 7-Brush the dough with the egg wash and mix the flour, sugar and water into a paste. Using a teaspoon, drizzle the paste mixture over the cross shape on each piece of dough. Bake for no more than 20 minutes in the oven.
Step 8-Once the hot cross buns are out of the oven, make the sugar glaze using the sugar and boiling water and brush each hot cross bun with it.
Step 9-That’s it all done, now you can sit back with a cup of tea and enjoy one of your delicious homemade hot cross buns!
Source: Nigella Lawson
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