LEAVEN
40 gm bread flour
40 ml warm water (26-30°C)
10 gm sourdough starter
(see recipe p114)
DOUGH
120 gm sultanas
250 ml (1 cup) freshly brewed
Earl Grey tea
65 gm mixed candied peel
½ tsp ground mixed spice
½ tsp ground cinnamon
½ tsp ground cardamom
Finely grated zest of
1 orange
180 ml (¾ cup) milk
1 large egg
25 gm butter
50 gm caster sugar
380 gm bread flour, plus
extra for dusting
4 gm (1 tsp) sea salt
2½ tsp dried yeast
CROSS PASTE
40 gm plain flour
1 tsp sunflower oil
1 gm (¼ tsp) salt
EGGWASH
1 large egg, lightly beaten
GLAZE
50 gm apricot jam
1 tbsp golden rum
1 Start by making the leaven.
Either make a starter from
scratch a week before you
intend to bake, or use a mature
starter if you have a healthy one
bubbling away. In a small pot
with a lid – a jam jar is perfect –
mix the starter, flour and warm
water. Leave in a warm place
for 3-5 hours until there are lots
of little bubbles and it smells
mildly fermented. If you like your
bread onthe sour side, leave
for a further 1-2 hours. You
can also make a leaven the
day before you want to make
your dough. In that case, once
the leaven ingredients are
combined, leave at room
temperature for 1-2 hours
until signs of fermentation
appear (tiny bubbles and
a slight increase in size),
then refrigerate overnight.
2 Meanwhile, soak the sultanas
in the hot tea to plump them up.
Cool, then cover and leave in
the fridge overnight.
3 The next day, drain the
sultanas well and transfer to a
large bowl, then add the mixed
peel, spices and orange zest.
Combine well and set aside.
4 Next, make the dough. Put
the leaven, milk, egg, butter,
sugar, 200gm flour, salt and
yeast in an electric mixer fitted
with the dough hook (keep theHot-cross buns
MAKES 14 BUNS
“It bothers me that these buns aren’t popular the rest of the year. Over Easter we gorge
on them, and still can’t get enough,” says Richard Snapes. “They are delicious toasted
with butter and we’ll devour them at any opportunity. Why is it then that, after Easter,
we put them to bed and won’t think about having another until the following year?
This needs to stop! Let’s eat them all year round and stop denying deliciousness.”
Begin this recipe a day ahead to prove the dough.Pictured p112.
salt and yeast on opposite sides
of the bowl, so the salt doesn’t
deactivate the yeast). Knead
on low speed until combined,
with no dry clumps of flour
visible, then knead on high
speed for 3-5 minutes until the
dough is coming away from the
sides of the bowl (gradually add
extra flour, up to 180gm, if it’s
not) and it looks strong and
elastic. Leave the dough to
rest in the mixer for 5 minutes.
Add the dried fruit and spice
mixture and mix on low speed
until fully incorporated.
5 Turn out dough onto a lightly
floured surface, shape into a
ball, then transfer to a large
bowl and cover with a damp
tea towel. Leave at room
temperature for 45 minutes
to prove.
6 Knock back dough and
shape it into a ball again, then
leave to prove for a further
30-45 minutes until almost
doubled in size.
7 Line two oven trays with
baking paper. Turn out the
dough onto a lightly floured
surface and flatten with your
hands. Roll out dough to a
1.5cm-thick square.
8 Divide dough into 75gm
squares using a metal scraper or
a knife. Take one of the squares
and fold the four corners into themiddle. Place seam-side down
on the work surface, then cup
your hand over the top, making
sure your palm is touching
the dough. Using a circular
anticlockwise motion, roll it into
a tight ball without tearing, then
place on the lined trays. Repeat
with the rest of the dough; if you
want your hot-cross buns to
“batch” ( join together in the
oven), space them close
together, about 2cm apart;
if you want perfectly round,
individual buns, space them
about 6cm apart. Leave to prove
in a warm, draught-free place
(23-25°C) for 1 to 2 hours until
doubled in size. When you’re
ready to bake, preheat the
oven to 200°C.
9 Meanwhile, make the cross
paste by mixing ingredients
and 35ml warm water together
in a bowl until smooth. Scoop
into a piping bag fitted with
a fine nozzle. Brush buns with
eggwash, then pipe with criss-
cross strips of paste. Bake
in batches for 14-20 minutes
until dark golden.
10 While the buns are baking,
make the glaze. Combine jam
and 1 tbsp water in a small
saucepan over medium heat and
stir until a glaze (2-3 minutes).
Remove from heat, add rum
and stir to form a brushable
syrup; you can always add
more water if it’s too thick. Brush
the glaze on the buns while
they’re still hot, so that they
become enticingly sticky. Try to
let them cool for an hour before
eating. But, odds are, there’ll be
one missing before the hour is
up – only a robot could resist
these. Serve toasted, with
plenty of butter. Bliss.➤