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| Gloriously sophisticated Hot Cross Buns with alcohol soaked mango & cranberries but no raisons or crosses...'Tastes real good.' Taster |
These wonderful hot cross buns come from a recipe* which does not involve kneading and is made ahead -- perfect for a busy Easter.
The spicy buns are light and fluffy, studded with whiskey-soaked cranberries and mango - no raisons unless you want them - and are delightful to eat.
They are started the day before baking. They're wonderful on the day but toast up beautifully the day after.
It only takes 3 hours for mixing, rising and shaping the dough before refrigerating overnight.
And that will be one more thing off the to-do list for Easter weekend.
The dough is enriched with butter, eggs, spices and fruit. The Blogger is not a great fan of raisons and substituted dried cranberries, mango and a bit of mixed peel. The fruit was soaked in alcohol* for a sophisticated touch but orange juice will do just as well for families.
The hot cross buns contain a little more sugar than 67's usual recipes but hey, it is a hot cross bun! Minimum and maximum amounts of sugar are given. The amount of yeast, however, is surprisingly low.
Proper bread flour is recommended for best results.
Cost: £4.00
Makes: 12-16
Ingred:
250ml lukewarm whole or skimmed milk
50g unsalted butter
2 room temperature eggs, beaten with fork
1 tbsp/9gm active dry yeast (for hand baking)
2 tsp sugar
125 ml warm - not hot - water
600g/20oz bread flour
1/3-1/2cup sugar
1 1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp mixed spice
1/4 tsp nutmeg
100gm cranberries or dried cherries (opt)
60gm dried mango (opt)
40 gm mixed peel
OR 200 gm/7oz raisons *whatever you choose you need a full 200gm
2 tbsp alcohol or orange juice
approx 1/2 cup flour, possibly more
Once baked: 1 tbsp butter for brushing tops
Method:
- Coarsely chop dried fruit; place in a heatproof bowl; pour over boiling water, leave 5 mins to wash off preservatives; drain & rinse. Pour over 1-2 tbsp alcohol/orange juice; allow to steep several hours
- Gently heat milk & butter in a small saucepan over med-low heat until butter is melted; do not allow it to boil; set aside
- Place yeast & 2 tsp sugar in a bowl; add warm but not hot water; mix with a fork, cover & rest 5 mins in warm place until frothy (if yeast does not froth up, start again)
- Beat eggs well with a fork; set aside
- Drain dried fruit keeping the juices
- Mix flour, remaining sugar, salt, spices and fruit in a large bowl stirring to distribute evenly
- Combine water, eggs and milk
- Make a well in the centre; pour in liquid plus yeast mixture
- Stir till completely combined; the dough will be thick & sticky
- Cover bowl with a clean, damp (but not wet) tea towel; place in a warm place free of draughts (near but not next to a heater is fine or in a cold oven) 2 hours until tripled in size
- Line a rectangular 9inx13in/31.5x23.5cm baking tin with greaseproof paper which rises above the rim, cutting corners to fit**. (Or line the bottom of a or a circular 23cm/9in tin with greaseproof paper on the bottom cut to fit and a wide band of greaseproof to cover the sides.)
- When first rise is complete, punch down dough to deflate; have a small plate of flour ready. The dough may be a little 'wet' due to the fruit.
- Dust work surface with flour; scrape dough onto it; lightly flatten with a rolling pin that's been dusted with flour
- Sprinkle a little flour on top, working it into the dough with floured hands, adding a little more each time until the dough is soft and pliable and no longer sticky. It's hard to gauge this; half a cup or more flour May be needed
- Roll into an even log; the dough should be soft but hold its shape
- Cut into 12 or 16 even pieces (cut log into 4 first then each quarter into 3 or 4; if you're really keen on totally equal pieces, weigh each one)
- Cover with damp tea towel and, One by one, shape dough pieces into a ball
& roll up
17.Pull edges into centre
to form a ball
18. With smooth side up, roll it gently on the board with the palm of your hand to form circular buns. A light dusting of flour on the board may be helpful.
19. Place in baking tray smooth side up in a 3x4 or 4x4 pattern; keep covered until all rolls are formed
19. Place in baking tray smooth side up in a 3x4 or 4x4 pattern; keep covered until all rolls are formed
20. Repeat with other pieces of dough
21. Spray surface of buns with veg oil; cover with cling film leaving room for the buns to rise; refrigerate overnight or min 4 hours
23. Remove buns from fridge; take off cling film, rest in warm place until nearly double in size (30-45 mins). Preheat oven to 180C/350f/gas 4.5
24. Bake 25 mins till golden; the rolls sound hollow when tapped but remember to check the underside -- you may need to turn the buns upside down for a further 5-10 minutes
25. Brush tops with melted butter; remove from pan by lifting the greaseproof paper; place on a cooling rack
26. Optional decoration: Mix icing sugar with a little of there leftover juices from the fruit-alcohol mix until thick but still flowing; pour into a sandwich bag, pressing the icing to one corner. Cut a small piece off the end; pipe crosses onto the buns OR simply slather over the buns.
21. Spray surface of buns with veg oil; cover with cling film leaving room for the buns to rise; refrigerate overnight or min 4 hours
23. Remove buns from fridge; take off cling film, rest in warm place until nearly double in size (30-45 mins). Preheat oven to 180C/350f/gas 4.5
24. Bake 25 mins till golden; the rolls sound hollow when tapped but remember to check the underside -- you may need to turn the buns upside down for a further 5-10 minutes
25. Brush tops with melted butter; remove from pan by lifting the greaseproof paper; place on a cooling rack
26. Optional decoration: Mix icing sugar with a little of there leftover juices from the fruit-alcohol mix until thick but still flowing; pour into a sandwich bag, pressing the icing to one corner. Cut a small piece off the end; pipe crosses onto the buns OR simply slather over the buns.
Comments:
'Tasted really good but were better buttered.' Political Agent
'Tasted really good but were better buttered.' Political Agent
'I had these buttered at room temperature and hot; with hot drinks and with cold. They were all very tasty. The hot ones are better under the grill than toasting.' 67's handyman
Tips:
- Yeast in supermarkets comes in two types: baking by hand or a bread maker.
- 12 soft rolls were a bit too pillowy for the Blogger; next time it'll be 16 or 15 smaller ones
- all ovens have their own particular quirk; dividing the rolls and baking them in two smaller pans instead of one can mean all the rolls are cooked through uniformly
- bread flour is recommended but 67 also likes all purpose flour
- cooked rolls freeze well but should be reheated, loosely covered in foil at 160C for 8 minutes
*adapted from RecipeTin Eats for which many thanks
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