Hot Cross Buns are a traditional favourite for Good Friday and Easter. They are even more delicious with the addition of chocolate chips. Yum!
Ingredients.
- 400g strong white bread flour, plus extra for dusting
- 7g sachet fast-action dried yeast
- 50g golden caster sugar, plus 1 tsp
- 1 tsp mixed spice
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- 250ml warm milk
- 1 medium egg, beaten
- 50g butter, melted, plus extra for greasing
- 100g chocolate chips (milk or dark, whichever you prefer), or currants or raisins
- 50g plain flour
- For the glaze (optional)
- 2 tbsp apricot jam
How to make Choc-Chip Hot Cross Buns
- Put the strong flour, yeast, caster sugar and 1 tsp salt in a bowl with the spices and mix.
- Make a well in the centre and pour in the milk, egg and butter.
- Start mixing with a wooden spoon and finish with your hands. If the dough is too dry, add warm water or extra flour if it’s wet.
- Knead the dough on a floured surface for 10 mins until it becomes smooth and springy.
- Transfer to a clean, lightly greased bowl and cover loosely with a clean, damp tea towel.
- Leave in a warm place to rise until roughly doubled in size – this will take about 1 hr depending on how warm the room is.
- Tip the dough onto a lightly floured surface and flatten. Scatter over the chocolate chips (or dried fruit), and knead the dough a few more times.
- Divide it into 8 even portions
- Roll each portion into a smooth round and place on a greased baking sheet in 2 rows of 4, leaving some room between each bun for it to rise.
- Cover with a tea towel again and leave in a warm place to prove for 20 mins, until almost doubled in size again or just touching.
- Make the crosses on the buns and bake them.
- Heat oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6.
- Mix the plain flour with 1 tsp sugar and 4-5 tbsp water to give you a thick paste.
- Spoon into a piping bag and pipe white lines on the buns to make crosses.
- Bake for 20 mins until they are light brown.
- Brush them with jam if you want them to be nice and shiny.
- If you want to enjoy the buns untoasted, gently heat the jam in a pan or the microwave, and brush over the buns using a pastry brush. If you are going to toast them, then don’t glaze them as the jam will burn.