The Great Hot Cross Bun Hunt - Trial Two

Thank you to everyone who has left me a comment after my first Hot Cross Bun Trial and for the additional recipes - all have been added to my list and I will do my best to try and make them all prior to Easter, with so many versions though it may need to be a two year project!

This recipe comes from the Times Online and I have to admit that I was desperate to try it for its sheer uniqueness. The ingredient list has a few additions to the usual Hot Cross Bun and I was intrigued to see (and taste!) the end result. These little guys are definite contenders for the 'Best Hot Cross Bun' title delivering everything I was looking for, loads of flavour, fruit and that very important moist and fluffy texture.

That said, the recipe isn't without drawbacks, firstly it makes no mention of what to cook the buns on or in. Tray or pan? Greased or ungreased? I opted for a non stick cake pan but in hindsight I should have greased and floured it, the tin didn't want to release the buns without a few harsh words and some added elbow grease. And the paste mixture for the crosses was far too runny and they ended up disappearing while in the oven (secretly I think it was them that secured themselves to the pan!). With a few tweaks here and there all my issues could be easily rectified though so I'm happy to call this recipe a success.

Hot Cross Buns - Times Online Style

450g strong bread flour

1 tsp salt

2 tsp ground cinnamon

2 tsp ground allspice (I used mixed spice - I'm guessing its one and the same?)

7g dried yeast

75g raisins

75g glacé cherries

Grated rind of 1 orange, 1 lemon, 1 lime

110g caster sugar

50g unsalted butter

2 tsp vanilla extract

250ml milk

1 egg, beaten

Paste

80g plain flour

2 tbsp sugar

100ml water

Glaze

2 tbsp brown sugar

3 tbsp milk

1 tbsp marmalade

Sift flour, salt and spices into a large bowl and mix in the yeast, fruit, rind and sugar.

Melt butter, stir in milk and vanilla extract and heat until tepid. Whisk into egg, add to flour mixture, form a dough and knead on a floured surface for 10min until smooth and elastic. Take note, it took quite a bit of extra flour just to get the dough to a knead-able state. Its a very sticky and damp mixture.

Divide into 12 buns, cover with a damp tea towel and leave in a warm place for about 90min, till doubled in size. (Mine didn't double in size at all, even after 2 hours - I feared the worst at this stage!)

Mix the paste, bung it in a piping bag (or a plastic freezer bag with one corner snipped off) and pipe a cross on each bun.

Bake at 180C for 10min, reduce the heat to 150C and bake for a further 15min. Lightly brush with the glaze and cool on a rack.

Makes 12

Times Online

I didn't even have the chance to add the glaze before we started slathering the buns with spread all warm from the oven still. I especially like the use of the zest instead of the peel, you get all the flavour of the citrus fruit without chomping on a big chunk of peel. I wasn't sure about the glace cherries or the use of the raisins instead of sultana's but in actual fact they aren't out of place in the finished bun at all. I might add some sultanas as well next time ~ assuming that this is the recipe to claim victory of course!