Hot Cross Buns

Happy Easter weekend y'all. Would it be Easter without hot cross buns? a bit like would it be Christmas without the humble Brussel sprout? I don't think so - we have tried this recipe twice now, Matt baked some last year and this year it was my turn. They go harder then the traditional shop bought bun, have a slightly more scone texture on the outside but deliciously soft and bread like on the inside. To be honest this suits my taste more as I'm not a ~massive~ HCB fan but these I find to be pretty tasty cut in half and warmed in the oven with a little bit of dairy free butter spread on them.

Ingredients
350g Strong plain flour
1 tsp ground mixed spice
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp grated nutmeg
1 sachet yeast
25g  caster sugar
75g currants
25g mixed peel, chopped
Finely grated rind of one lemon
75g vegan margarine, melted
175ml soy milked (warmed)

Crosses
50g plain flour
25g vegan margarine, chilled
water

Glaze
25g sugar
30ml water



Method
Add the contents of the yeast sachet to a small bowl and combine with the sugar. Add the warm (warm and not hot) dairy free milk gradually, stirring to assist the combining of ingredients. The yeast will form small bubbles.

Sift the flour into a large bowl. Make a well in the centre of the bowl and add the yeast mixture.

Add the spice, currants, mixed peel, lemon rind and melted margarine and mix well to combine the ingredients evenly.

Mix together using a wooden spoon until a dough forms, if the dough is too dry - add a little more milk or warm water, if too wet - even out with a little more flour.

Turn dough out onto a floured board or work space, knead for 10 minutes.

Line the bowl with grease proof paper, put the kneaded dough into the bowl and cover with plastic wrap or a tea towel. Leave the bowl in a warm place to allow it to double in size. Keep an eye on the doubling process - it will take 1-2 hours.

Crosses

Add the flour into a bowl, add the margarine and rub it into the flour quickly, using fingertips only.

Add water gradually, judge the consistency of the mixture as you rub it; you only need enough watr to bind it to create a dough.

Roll out the cross dough thinly. Cut into evenly sized strips ready to top the buns when they're ready to bake.

Return the dough that had been set aside to double on to a floured surface and punch it down and knead again for a further 5 minutes.

Using a knife or your hands, cut the dough into 12 even sized buns (as even as you can manage) roll into a ball and place onto a baking tray. The buns should then be left aside with a tea towel covering to rise again - leave for half an hour.

Prepare the glaze by combining the water and sugar in a saucepan. Cook over low heat until the sugar dissolves, stirring constantly.

Preheat the oven to 180, about 20 minutes into the rising of the buns. Once buns have risen, glaze each bun using a pastry brush, place the dough strips in crosses on top of each bun. Cook for 20 minutes until golden brown.

Serve warm from the oven, sliced and with some dairy free butter melted across.

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Labels: vegan easter , vegan hot cross buns , vegan recipes