Hot Cross Buns

Yes! I made these. Beauties aren't they? I am so unbelievably proud of myself for my first foray into bread making and these, my first ever hot cross buns. 

I made them from Paul Hollywood's recipe from How To Bake and I'm not going to lie, the air was pretty blue at times. They took FOREVER. Seriously, I thought they were never going to be finished but we got there in the end!

After making them I discovered there were two difference recipes by Paul Hollywood. The one I did from his book and the one published on the BBC as part of the Great British Bake Off Easter special that was broadcast last week.  Essentially they are the same, just different amounts of ingredients and the BBC one takes less proving. 

Oh yes, the proving.  These took a good 4-5 hours to prove although I don't think my icy house helped matters at all. They sped up a bit once I put them in close proximity to the wood burner. I think next time I would make sure my house was a bit warmer. 

The other tips I can offer you...when the dough appears as just a big sticky mess - keep going, you'll get there. My mantra for this is JUST KEEP KNEADING, JUST KEEP KNEADING. Honestly, it takes a good 10 mins so just persevere and don't give up to soon. Secondly, they will rise eventually so be patient and it doesn't matter if it takes longer than the time stated in the recipe, however I will say that I think "doubling in size" is an evil myth and as long as the dough is noticeably bigger, you'll be fine. Chop the apple small - one of the trickiest parts is getting all the fruit incorporated into the dough, it felt like there was too much but it does work eventually and it will help massively if your apple pieces are small. Finally, DO use the apricot jam that Paul Hollywood mentions - really makes a tasty difference and everyone commented on it!

The adapted recipe is below and makes 12 decent sized buns!

Paul Hollywood's Hot Cross Buns

Ingredients

500g strong white bread flour

10g salt

75g caster sugar

10g instant yeast

40g unsalted butter, softened

2 medium eggs, beaten

120ml full fat milk

120ml cool water

150g sultanas

80g chopped mixed peek

Finely grated zest of 2 oranges

1 dessert apple, cored and diced

2 tsp ground cinnamon

For the crosses;

75g plain flour

75ml water

For the glaze;

75g apricot jam

Splash of warm water

Method

Get a large mixing bowl and pop in the flour.  On one side of the bowl add the salt and sugar and on the other, add the yeast.  Add in the butter, beaten eggs, milk and half the water and turn the mixture around with your fingers. (I do this Paul Hollywood style and used just one hand, keeping the other one free of ick!) Continue to add water, just a splash at a time until you have picked up all the flour from the bowl and you clean the inside of the bowl with the dough. The dough needs to be soft but not soggy and to reach this consistency you may not need all the water or you may need a dash more (I needed more).  

When you have a rough dough, tip it out onto a roughly floured surface and begin to knead. You'll probably need to keep kneading for around 10 mins. The dough can be quite wet and sticky to start with but keep going and work through it, eventually it will start to become soft and smooth. When it feels smooth and silky, pop the dough into a lightly oiled large bowl. Cover the dough with a tea towel and leave to rise until at least doubled in size - at least 1 hour but 2 or 3 hours is fine.

Tip the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and scatter the sultanas, mixed peel, orange zest, apple and cinnamon on top. You now need to knead this until all the fruit is evenly incorporated into the dough. It may seem impossible as I found the fruit kept dropping out but keep going! Cover the dough and leave to rise for a further hour.

Fold the dough inwards repeatedly until all the air is knocked out and then divide into 12 pieces with a sharp knife. Roll into balls - you ideally want them the same size so try and make them equal when you cut them. Place them close together (you want them to "join") on baking trays lined with parchment paper.

Put each tray inside a clean plastic bag (I didn't have any so used clingfilm) and leave tor est for an hour or until the dough has doubled in size and springs back quickly if you prod it lightly with your finger. Whilst the dough is rising heat the oven to 200c/180c fan.

For the crosses, mix the flour and water to a paste - I needed slightly more water to make it pipe-able - and using a piping bag fitted with a fine nozzle, pipe crossed on the buns. Bake the buns in the oven for 15-20mins or until golden brown. When they are ready, warm the apricot jam with a splash of warm water, sieve the jam and brush over the warm buns to glaze. Leave to cool on a wire rack.

Ta-dah!

Homemade hot cross buns.

I can't tell you how impressed I was with this. It's now going to be a new Good Friday tradition in our house!