How To Make Healthy Hot Cross Buns. Delicious and indulgent, this classic recipe combines aromatic spices with honey and citrus flavours to create hot cross buns that just melt in your mouth.
Recipe from Teresa Cutter’s new cookbook, Healthy Baking.
Makes 24 buns
330 g (11 1/2 oz / 2 3/4 cups) wholemeal spelt flour
50 g (1 3/4 oz / 1/2 cup) organic rye flour
10 g fresh yeast or 5 g dried yeast
2 tablespoons honey
250 ml (8 3/4 fl oz /1 cup) milk of your choice
2 organic eggs
zest of 1 orange
1 teaspoon vanilla paste
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground ginger
150 ml (5 1/4 oz) extra virgin olive oil
300 g (10 1/2 oz / 2 cups) raisins or golden sultanas
100 g (3 1/2 oz) dried chopped apricots
100 g (3 1/2 oz) good quality 70 per cent dark eating chocolate, melted
EGG WASH
1 oragnic egg
2 tablespoons of milk
DAY 1
Combine the flours, yeast, honey, milk, eggs, orange zest, vanilla, sea salt, cinnamon and ginger into the bowl of your bench top mixer.
Mix with a dough hook at low speed until combined, then increase the speed to medium and mix further for 8 minutes until smooth.
Add the olive oil slowly, a little at a time, until incorporated into the dough.
Mix the raisins and apricots gently through the dough.
Turn off your mixer and remove the bowl.
Cover your bowl with plastic wrap and allow to rest at room temperature for about 1 hour.
Place the dough into the fridge overnight to rest and develop for a further 12 hours. This dough is quite sturdy, so if you go over 12 hours, that’s ok, so long as you cook the dough the following day. Resting also loosens up the dough so you end up with a light and fluffy hot cross bun.
DAY 2
Divide the dough into 24 even size portions.
Leave to set in a warm place for about 2 hours. This depends on the warmth of your kitchen.
I usually turn the oven on just to warm the kitchen to help them prove, and the dough should at least double in size.
Preheat your oven to 180°C fan-forced (360°F).
Make an egg wash by combining the egg and milk.
Brush tops of the buns with the egg wash.
Bake for 35 – 40 minutes or until baked through and golden.
Cool slightly.
Melt chocolate then pipe over the buns before serving.
+ Notes and Inspiration Add 2 finely diced roasted apples, which combines wonderfully with the raisins.
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