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Australia, Oceania · Hot Cross Buns

Masala Chai Hot Cross Buns

Hot cross buns meet Indian masala chai: a dough made with milk steeped with black tea, cardamom, ginger and cloves, finished with a cinnamon icing cross and pistachios.

ServingsServes 2
Total cooking time45 min
First rise 60 min + second rise 30 to 40 min + cooling 20 min+ 2 h
DifficultyMedium
About servingsYeast dough made with less than 250 g of flour does not rise evenly, so 6 buns are baked for both 1 and 2 servings (1 serving = 2 buns). Leftover buns freeze well for 2 weeks if you freeze them before icing.

Method

  1. Lightly crush the cardamom pods with the flat of a knife and thinly slice the ginger. Put them in a 14 cm saucepan with the milk, tea, cloves and black pepper and heat over medium heat for , until steaming with small bubbles at the edge; do not let it boil over. Switch to heat off and leave to steep for . Strain, pressing on the spices, and cool to lukewarm, about 35°C. A little milk evaporates; the recipe allows for that.

    Add in this stepGreen cardamom pods 4Fresh ginger 5 gMilk 180 mlLoose black tea 1 tbspWhole cloves 2Black pepper (ground) 1 pinch

    medium heat→heat off

  2. Stir the yeast and 1 tsp of the sugar into the warm chai milk and leave for 5 minutes until foamy. Add the flour, remaining brown sugar, salt, cinnamon, egg and melted butter and knead for , until smooth and the dough stretches into a thin film. Knead in the raisins.

    Add in this stepInstant dried yeast 5 gLight brown sugar 35 gStrong bread flour 250 gSalt ¾ tspGround cinnamon 1 tspEgg (room temperature) 1Butter (melted) 30 gRaisins (golden raisins are ideal) 60 g

  3. Shape into a ball, cover and leave in a warm place for about 60 minutes, until doubled. It is ready when a hole poked with a floured finger springs back slowly.

  4. Knock back the dough, divide into 6 pieces, roll into tight balls and set them 1 cm apart on a tray lined with baking paper (about ). Cover and leave to rise for 30 to 40 minutes, until puffy and almost touching. Preheat the oven to 190°C.

  5. Bake in the oven for , until golden brown and the bottoms sound hollow when tapped. Brown sugar colours faster, so check a few minutes early. Cool on a rack for about 20 minutes.

    oven

  6. Mix the icing sugar, milk for the icing and cinnamon into a thick icing that holds a line; add drops of milk only if it is too stiff. Pipe a cross on each cooled bun and sprinkle with the chopped pistachios before the icing sets.

    Add in this stepIcing sugar 60 gMilk (for the icing) 1 tbspGround cinnamon (for the icing) 1 pinchUnsalted pistachios (roughly chopped) 10 g

Cook's tip

Two black tea bags, cut open, can replace the loose tea. Icing piped onto warm buns melts and runs, so wait until they are completely cool. For a stronger chai flavour, add a pinch of ground cardamom to the icing.

Cooking it at camp

Bake them at home and pipe the crosses on site, or carry them already iced in a single layer. They are perfect with a pot of masala chai brewed on the camping stove in the morning.