Make your hot cross buns stand out this Easter with the addition of chocolate and vanilla. These can be made in advance and frozen until you need to use them.
20 ingredients7 steps
Nut Free
Vegetarian
Ingredients
MetricImperial
For the Dough
500gAllinson's Strong White Bread Flour
7gAllinson's Easy Bake Yeast Sachet
1 tspSalt
1 tspBillington's Unrefined Golden Caster Sugar
50gUnsalted butter (softened & cut into pieces)
100gBillington's Unrefined Light Muscovado Sugar
1 tspCinnamon
2 tspMixed spice
50gSultanas
50gMixed peel (chopped)
250gDates (chopped)
1Large free range eggs (lightly whisked)
250mlWhole milk (warmed to hand hot)
1 tspNielsen-Massey Vanilla Bean Paste
100gDark chocolate (roughly chopped)
For dustingAllinson's Plain White Flour
For the Topping
3 tbspAllinson's Plain White Flour
3 tbspWater
75gBillington's Unrefined Golden Caster Sugar
2 tbspOrange juice
Utensils
Mixing bowl
Wooden spoon
20cm square tin
Baking paper
Piping bag
Small knife
Nutritional information per 119g serving
Energy 402cal
Fat 8.8g
of which Saturates 5g
Carbohydrates 70g
of which Sugars 36g
Protein 8.5g
Salt 0.51g
Method
Step 1
Put the strong white flour, salt, yeast and 1 tsp of golden caster sugar into a bowl. Add the butter and rub together with your fingers until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs. Stir in the light brown sugar, spices, mixed peel and dried fruit.
Step 2
Make a deep well in the centre, then pour in the beaten egg, milk and vanilla bean paste. Add the chocolate and start by using a wooden spoon to mix, then follow with your hands until a dough consistency is formed.
Step 3
Knead the dough for about 10 minutes on a lightly floured surface, adding a little more flour if it becomes too sticky.
Step 4
Cut the dough into 12 equal parts and place in a 20cm x 20cm greased tin lined with baking paper.
Step 5
Cover with a damp cloth and set aside in a warm place for at least two hours, or until springy to the touch and doubled in size.
Step 6
Preheat the oven to 220°C (fan 200°C, gas mark 7). To make the crosses, form a paste with the flour and 3 tablespoons of water, then transfer to a piping bag and pipe a cross on top of each bun. Bake the buns for 25-30 minutes.
Step 7
To make the glaze, gently warm the sugar and orange juice together in a small pan until all the sugar has dissolved. Transfer the buns on to a wire rack and brush over the glaze whilst they are still warm. Leave to cool.
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