Theverdict:
Overall,thesebunsaredenseanddoughy,andalthoughcooked
through,havea rawconsistency(weeventrieda batchwithanextra
15-minutecooktime).However,thetexturedoesimproveslightlyas
theycool.Theinclusionofa whole,puréedorangeinthedoughis
aninspiredidea,butmaycontributetothebun’sdensity.Highlights
includethesoakedfruits,whichareextraplump,andtheglaze– a
standout, with the fragrant addition of vanilla and orange zest.NadineIngram
FLOURANDSTONE:BAKED FOR LOVE,
LIFEANDHAPPINESS
Ingram’sdoughusessoftenedbutter,liketheotherrecipes,with
strongbaker’sflour,brownsugar,milkand1 egg,andthechoiceof
eitherfreshordriedyeast(weuseddried).Thespiceblendconsists
ofcinnamon,allspice,nutmegandcloves.A fruitmixtureofsultanas,
currantsandraisinsarehydratedinboilingwater,andthereis the
additionofcandiedorangepeel,too.Thebunsarepipedwitha
flour-oilpasteflavouredwithorange-blossomwaterandnutmeg,
while the glaze is simple: caster sugar, water and orange zest.Theverdict:
It’sa bigcall,buttheseareprettyclosetobeingtheperfecthot
crossbuns.Thedoughis consistentthroughout,itssoft,pillowy
textureis studdedwithplump,juicyfruitandpiecesofzestypeel.
Aninvigoratingmeasureofspicecontributestothebun’straditional
flavour,whilea hintoforangezestintheglazereinforcesthecitrus
notes.Thecrossis fairlythinandlightincolour,butIngrammentions
thatyoucanmakeit thickerif youlike.Inaddition, her recipe steps
are uncomplicated and easy to follow.T
here’ssomethinginherentlycomfortingaboutthe
smelloffreshlybakedhotcrossbuns.Perhapsit’s
thenostalgicscentofrisingdough,thefestivearoma
ofwarmspices,oreventhesweetperfumeoforange
andsugarbubblingawayatopa kitchenstovefortheglaze.
Straightfromtheovenorlightlytoasted,thesefruit-studded
bunsarea GoodFridaybreakfastritual,onedatingbackmore
than 700 years.Butwhichingredientsandmethodsproducethe
bestbun?Doesfreshordriedyeastworkbest?Casterorbrown
sugar?Howstickyshouldtheglazebe?Wetestedthreerecipes,
then combined them to create our ultimate hot cross bun.ElizabethDavid
ENGLISHBREADAND YEASTCOOKERY
ElizabethDavidhasexploredthehistoryofthehotcrossbun
throughoutherfoodliterature.Herversioncallsforfreshyeast
andstrongbaker’sflour,withtheadditionofeggs,milk,lightbrown
sugarandsoftenedbutter.Thedoughis flavouredwithmixedspice
andcurrants,restedfor2 hours,thenrolledandprovedagainin
buntins(weuseda muffintin).Davidcutsthecrossintothedough
ratherthanmakinga paste,anduses a simple glaze of equal
quantities milk and caster sugar.Theverdict:
Theresultis anold-schoolstyleofEnglishbunwithsubtlespice
levels,a goldenoutercrustanda light,yetslightlydrycrumb.
Alsocontributingtothelackofmoisturearethecurrants,which
remainshrivelledastheyweren’tsoakedbeforebeingadded
to the dough. This is a fairly simple yet classic recipe.NataliePaull
BEATRIXBAKES
Therecipeina newbookfromMelbournebakerNatalie
PaullofBeatrixbakerystarsorange:currantsandsultanas
aresoakedinthejuiceofanorange,whiletheflesh
froma secondfruitis blendedtoa pulpandadded
tothedough,itszestflavouringtheglaze.The
doughalsocallsforplainflour,castersugar,
milk,“softandsquidgy”butterandfresh
yeast(noeggs).Andasanalternativeto
mixedspice,Paullsharesa siderecipe
for a mix using ground whole spices.Hotcrossbuns
Black-and-white
bowlfromGeorgie
Dolling.Allother
props stylist’s own.56 GOURMET TRAVELLER