Sticky Fruit Buns ~ Hot Cross Buns

The simplicity of the ingredients was what drew me to these Hot Cross buns. I made these for Easter and appropriately made the symbol of a cross. These buns are lovely and soft and they contain no eggs.

There is no reason to make these only once a year as it is so easy. Nowadays I always have some in the freezer. For everyday eating, ice it with a squiggle of icing or is just as delicious with a glaze of sugar syrup or honey.

Makes 15 buns


Ingredients
250ml warm water
375gm high grade flour (bread flour)
½ tsp salt
3 tsp sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp mix spice
1½ tsp dry yeast or 11g fresh yeast

2 Tbsp oil or butter
1½ Tbsp marmalade/citrus jam(optional)

1 cup sultanas/raisins

Method
1. Place all ingredients except the dried fruits into the bread pan according to your breadmaker instructions.

2. Setting : Dough.

3. When the bread maker beeps for 'addition', add in the sultanas.

4. Leave bread dough in the bread pan to proof until double in size.

5. Divide dough into 15 pieces, approximately 60g each.

6. Place on greased baking tray to proof for another 1-2 hours or until at least double in size. Size of my baking tray is 28cm x 24cm. Pipe on crosses with flour and water with a plastic bag with one corner snipped off (optional).

7. Bake at 200C for 12-15 minutes.

8. Remove from oven and brush top of buns with a sugary solution or honey mixed with a little water.

Tip :
1. These buns freezes well.

2. Make sure your spices are fresh. I grind my own cinnamon.

3. Finally after all these years of making bread with dry breadmaker yeast, I have managed to get my hands on a 1kg block of fresh yeast. I am so impressed with the fresh yeast. The rising time is so much faster. So far I have substituted it very successfully on these fruit buns, rosemary focaccia, baquette and our staple wholemeal loaf.

Recipe : thevarneys @ LifeStyleBlock (adapted)