Who knew flour, eggs, yeast, fruit and spices could taste so good?
According to the St Albans Cathedral website, the hot cross bun is said to have originated in St Albans, England, in the 14th Century when a monk developed the recipe and gave the buns to the poor on Good Friday.
CWA Sydney City has kindly allowed The Senior to reproduce its recipe for the seasonal treat on our website.
Recipe makes 16 buns
Ingredients
- 2 cups mixed fruit (with peel)
- 1 1/2 cups milk
- 2 x 7g sachets dried yeast
- 1/3 cup caster sugar
- 4 cups plain flour
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 2 teaspoons of mixed spice
- 80g butter
For crosses
- 1/3 cup plain flour
- 1/4 cup water
For glazing
- 2 tablespoons castor sugar
- 2 tablespoons water
Method
Heat milk until warm, not hot. Add yeast and sugar and leave in a warm place for 10 minutes until frothy.
In a separate large bowl, sift together the flour and spices.
Rub in butter until it resembles fine breadcrumbs.
Stir in fruit and peel until fruit is coated in flour.
Pour yeast mixture into flour mixture. If you have a stand mixer: attach your dough hook, then combine ingredients on low, then set to knead for 10 minutes (you may need to scrape the bowl a couple of times at the beginning). If you're doing it by hand: stir in yeast mixture and mix until well combined, then turn onto a floured surface and knead for 10 minutes.
Return dough to a lightly oiled bowl, cover with plastic wrap and leave in a warm place for 1 hour until mixture has doubled in size.
Divide dough into 16 balls and place side by side in a lined square cake pan 25cm x 25cm. Leave in a warm place for a further 30 minutes. (Alternatively you can use 2 x rectangle lamington pan).
Preheat fan-forced oven to 200C. Combine flour and water to make a smooth paste and pipe crosses over buns.
Bake for 10 minutes then reduce heat to 180C, bake for a further 15 minutes. Turn onto a wire rack.
Combine sugar and water in a saucepan and boil until sugar is dissolved. Brush over tops of buns.
Enjoy fresh from the oven laden with butter!
This recipe was copied with permission from the CWA Sydney City website. Click to see the original article here.