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These hot cross buns are the ultimate Easter treat but can be eaten all year round. Classic recipe includes various dried fruits such as currants, raisins and candied citruses.
We made a twist on classic recipe and packed our buns with dried cranberries while flavoured the dough with freshly grated orange zest. We also added a dash of cardamom which always works great with orange.
These soft buns are so much better than the store-bought and are ideal choice for breakfast if prepared day ahead. Those who are not fans of dried fruits should try our hot cross buns packed with white chocolate and hazelnuts which are so yummy.
Making these cross buns will take some time as you need to rise the dough twice, once it's kneaded and second time when you form the buns. Otherwise, they are not complicated to make.
In this recipe we used basic ingredients such as plain flour, sugar, milk, butter, instant yeast and eggs with addition of buttermilk for extra moistness. We added dried cranberries and some grated orange zest for flavour.
This recipe uses both orange juice and grated orange zest. The orange zest is where so much of zesty orange flavour comes from.
For the dough first combine flour, sugar, salt and spice of your choice in one bowl. Heat the milk with butter, then add buttermilk and stir. Make a well in the middle of flour and break two eggs.
Stir with a fork then gradually pour liquids into this stirring continuously. Once the most flour is incorporated, tip the dough onto the work surface and knead gently 5-6 minutes. The dough should be soft and slightly sticky. From time to time add some flour so the dough doesn't stick to the surface, but be sure not to add too much.
Add dried cranberries and knead in the dough until evenly distributed. Now it's time for dough to rise. Leave it on the warm place for 1 hour until it's double in size.
Now, it's time to shape the buns. Turn out the dough on the work surface, punch it and add dried fruits to the dough. Using pastry cutter or knife into 14 pieces.
Form a bans using your fingers then place them on the buttered baking sheet or square pan - depending what you are using for the baking. Leave some space between each bun as they need to rise again for about 30 minutes in a warm place. We usually do this in the slightly warm oven, turned off.
The symbolic cross pattern is usually made by piping a paste of flour and water onto the buns just before baking, though some recipes opt for a simple icing cross instead to add sweetness to the finished buns.
Bake buns in the oven for about 15-18 minutes, and immediately brush with orange glaze. Enjoy these soft buns while still warm!
Once baked, we brush buns straight from the oven with simple orange glaze, made with ICING SUGAR and a few tablespoons of ORANGE JUICE. This zesty glaze accent the orange aroma of the buns.
The glaze is sweet and zesty at the same time and also sticky making these little buns so tempting. Go for freshly squeezed orange juice when preparing the glaze, as bottled orange juice won't provide the same bright, fresh flavour.
Cranberry Orange Hot Cross BunsMAKES: 12 hot cross buns
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We recommend using the measurement in grams & ml (instead of cups & spoons) for more accuracy and better results.
This digital kitchen scale will make your cooking life so much easier.
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