I don’t ever bother try to make these because the store bought ones are great! They are so soft and fluffy compared to all the other breads. For some reasons, the hot cross buns in stores are better than other bakes, at least for me.
I made a batch of tangzhong bread dough and was just thinking about what to do with it. Was going to make a loaf of milk bread when I remember Easter is just a few days away. Then why not.
Stirred in some spices, added the dried fruits and then marked them with crosses! That’s it. Detoured and hot cross buns are made.
These are very soft and silky and not too sweet. Great with butter.
Hot Cross Buns
Ingredients
- 1 recipe tangzhong bread recipe
- 1/2 cup raisins soaked in milk for 15 minutes
- 1.5 tsp mixed spices or 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/2 cup of chopped apples optional
- Dried Orange peel thinly sliced (optional)
Cross markers
- 1/2 cup plain or bread flour
- 4 Tbsp water
Instructions
- After the first proof, knead in the spices and raisins and apples into the bread.
- Divide dough into 50 or 60g each.
- Arrange them 1 inch apart in a square pan.
Preheat the oven at 200C.
- After the second proof, mark the crosses just before it goes into the oven.
- Mix the flour and water together and place the paste into a piping bag.
- Cut a very small hole at the end of the piping bag.
- Pipe in a line across all the buns.
- Bake for 20-25 minutes until the top is golden brown, and crosses distinctly shown.
