Buns in the Oven

By Lee Price on April 15, 2011 in Food

With Easter just around the corner it’s hot cross bun time again. But there’s no need to hop along to the bakery when you can bake these delicious treats yourself with store cupboard basics.

The combination of spicy, sweet and savoury flavours makes hot cross buns hard to beat fresh from the oven. They’re super fluffy and taste even better than store bought ones.

You can adjust the ingredients depending on your own tastes. Why not try a fruitless bun, or even replace the fruit with chocolate chips?

Whether it’s for breakfast, morning tea, afternoon tea or a late night snack, get some buns in the oven today.

Ingredients:

1 x 7g sachet yeast
½ cup caster sugar
1 ½ cups milk
4 ½ cups plain flour
1 ½ cups sultanas
2 tsp cinnamon
2 tsp mixed spice
50g butter, melted
1 egg

For the crosses:

4 tbsp plain flour
4 tbsp water

For the glaze: (optional)

3 tsp sugar
3 tsp water

Directions (makes 12 large buns)

Warm the milk in the microwave and then add the yeast and 2 teaspoons of the caster sugar. Mix and allow to sit for 10 minutes until it looks fluffy. Sift the flour and the rest of the sugar into a large bowl, then add the cinnamon and mixed spice. Mix in the butter, egg, and sultanas until all combined.

Knead the dough on a lightly floured surface for 8 minutes. You may get bored after about minute 4 minutes but do not give up – the kneading is what gives you the light fluffy texture that you know and love!

Oil your mixing bowl with vegetable oil and place the dough inside. Cover with plastic wrap and set aside for an hour until doubled in size. Divide the dough into 12 balls. Place in a baking dish lined with baking paper. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and place somewhere warm for half an hour until they have risen again.

Heat the oven to 200°C. You need to make your crosses now. In a small bowl, mix the flour and water together to form a runny paste. Place inside a small plastic bag and snip the end off to make a piping bag. Using long lines, make your crosses by piping all the way from one side of the baking dish to the other. Repeat until you have all of the buns crossed.

Bake for 35 minutes or until golden on the top. If you would like them glazed, place your sugar and water in a saucepan over a low heat and stir until the sugar dissolves. Dip a pastry brush into the mix and glaze the tops of the buns while they are still warm. This will make the tops sticky and delicious. Serve while still warm, with butter. The buns will stay fresh for 24 hours, so if you have any left the next day it’s best to toast them first.

With such a simple recipe up your sleeve, who says you can’t enjoy these all year round?

For more healthy tips and thrifty cooking ideas visit operationjamjar.blogspot.com.