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Australia, Oceania

Hot Cross Buns

Australia's Easter bread: soft spiced buns with raisins, marked with a piped cross before baking.

ServingsServes 2
Total cooking time50 min
First rise 60 min + second rise 30 to 40 min+ 1 h 40 min
DifficultyHard
About servingsWith less than 250 g of flour (6 buns), yeast dough cools quickly and does not rise evenly, so 6 buns are baked for both 1 and 2 servings. One serving is 2 buns. Cooled leftover buns keep for 2 weeks in the freezer; split and toast them to serve. The yeast is not increased in proportion as the amount grows.

Method

  1. Dissolve the yeast and 1 tsp of the sugar in the warm milk and leave for 5 minutes until foamy. Add the flour, the rest of the sugar, salt, spice, egg and melted butter and knead for . When the dough is smooth and stretches into a thin film, mix in the raisins and orange zest.

    Add in this stepStrong bread flour 250 gMilk (warmed to about 35°C) 140 mlInstant dried yeast 5 gSugar 30 gButter (melted) 25 gEgg 1Salt ½ tspMixed spice (or ground cinnamon) 1 tspRaisins (or sultanas) 60 gOrange (for zest) ½

  2. Shape the dough into a ball, put it in a bowl, cover with cling film and leave in a warm place (about 27°C) for about 60 minutes, until doubled in size. It is ready when a hole poked with your finger springs back slowly.

  3. Knock back the dough, divide into 6 pieces, roll into balls and place them 1 cm apart on a tray lined with baking paper (about ). Cover with cling film and leave to rise again for 30 to 40 minutes, until they touch each other.

  4. Mix the flour and water for the crosses into a thick paste, put it in a piping bag (or a plastic bag with a corner cut off) and pipe a long line each way across the buns to make crosses.

    Add in this stepPlain flour (for the crosses) 30 gWater (for the crosses) 30 ml

  5. Bake for in the oven, preheated to 190°C. They are done when the tops are deep brown and the bottoms sound hollow when tapped.

    oven

  6. Melt the apricot jam with 1 tbsp of water over low heat for and brush it over the tops of the buns while they are hot to make them shine.

    Add in this stepApricot jam (for glazing) 1 tbsp

    low heat

Cook's tip

In winter, rise the dough in the oven with only the light on, or put a cup of boiling water in with it and close the door. Soaking the raisins in hot water for 10 minutes beforehand keeps them moist.

Cooking it at camp

The easiest way is to bake them at home, then split them, butter them and toast them on the grill or in a pan on the burner. To bake at the campsite, finish the first rise at home and carry the dough in a zip-lock bag. Shape it in a 25 cm (10-inch) Dutch oven, let it rise a second time, then bake for 25 to 30 minutes with 15 coals on the lid and 7 underneath.