Hello everyone!
Yesterday I made hot cross buns with my family for Easter! They were really fun and easy to make and tasted absolutely delicious! We used a Mary Berry recipe from my Great British Bake Off recipe book and I thought I would share it with you!
Ingredients:
– 450g of strong white bread flour
– 3/4 teaspoon of salt
– 3 tablespoons of caster sugar
– 2 teaspoons of ground mixed spice
– 1 x 7g sachet of fast-action dried yeast
– 50g of unsalted butter at room temperature
– 125g of dried fruit (we used raisins)
– 2 eggs
– 175ml of lukewarm milk
– 2 tablespoons of runny honey (you can also use golden syrup)
Method:
1. Mix the flour, salt, sugar, mixed spice and yeast together in a bowl
2. Add the butter and rub it into the flour with your fingers. Then add the dried fruit and mix it in
3. Add the eggs to the milk and mix them together for a few seconds with a fork. Pour this into the mixture and gently press and squeeze everything together with your hands until it is all combined.
4. Sprinkle the worktop with a little bit of flour and tip the dough onto the worktop. Using both hands, knead the dough thoroughly, by pushing and stretching it, then folding it over, for about four minutes
5. Cover the dough with an upside down bowl and leave it to rest for 10 minutes. Then uncover the ought and knead it again for about four minutes until it feels very soft, elasticy and smooth.
6. Put the dough into the bowl and cover it with cling film. Leave it to prove for about an hour, it should expand so that it doubles in size!
7. Sprinkle the worktop with a little bit of flour and tip out the dough. Divide it into 12 equal pieces and roll into little balls.
8. Put the balls onto a lined baking sheet and cover them very lightly with cling film. Leave on the work top for about 40 minutes, they will double in size again.
9. After 20 minutes, preheat the oven to 200 degrees Celsius, 400 degrees Fahrenheit, gas mark 6.
10. Now make the paste for the cross. Put 4 tablespoons of strong white bread flour into a small bowl, and add three tablespoons of cold water. Stir to make a smooth, thick mixture that’s just runny enough to pipe like icing. Spoon it into a piping bag, uncover the buns and pipe a cross onto each one.
11. Place in the oven and bake for 15 minutes until golden brown.
12. Put the honey or syrupy to a bowl and mix with one tablespoon of hot water to make a glaze. Brush over the buns and enjoy fresh or toasted the next day!
These are a lovely treat to make for Easter Sunday!
I hope you are all having a lovely Easter weekend! I’m so excited for Easter Sunday tomorrow! We always go to church in the morning and then come back home for an Easter egg hunt around our house which is really fun! We also might be seeing my Grandma 😊 do you have any plans or traditions for the Easter weekend? Easter is a really wonderful time to remember the amazing sacrifice that God made for us, but more importantly to remember Jesus’ wonderful resurrection on Sunday!
Happy Easter lovelies! 🐥🐣🐥
Lots of love,
Graciellen xx
graciellen 
Thank you for this recipe. My mom used to make hot cross buns each Easter. She passed away 3 years ago after a long, fruitful life, but still a reminder of the frailty of life, and our days are numbered. Her joy of baking these buns reminded me of the joy she had in the Lord.
Reading your recipe, I never knew you had to make a paste for the cross. Easter reminds me of that resurrection, that new life in Christ.
Thank you for sharing!
~Carl~
LikeLiked by 1 person