Easter Buns
Holy Hot Cakes! Myths surround the origin of the hot cross bun, some sources saying that they originated in ancient Greece! Another theory is that a bun with a cross was baked by medieval monks – perhaps to keep the evil spirits that might prevent the dough rising away. By the time of Elizabeth I, a spicy fruity dough bun was usually available at festivals and public holidays and was surrounded by legislation to limit its sales. Happily we are now able to eat them whenever we want, with or without crosses depending on your preferences. This is an enriched dough and contains a lot of butter, eggs and sugar which the yeast cannot feed on. It needs a “starter” fermentation to ensure a healthy yeast colony is introduced to rise the dough. It is also quite a wet dough, again this helps the yeast grow, but a sticky, soft dough maybe tricky to knead to start with. Keep at it – it will come together and is worth the effort! This can be done in a bread maker using the pizza dough setting if you have one, but do not add the fruit to the machine! The fruit needs to be soaked and added right at the end before the final rise.
Ingredients for the starter
- 70g strong white flour
- 1 teaspoon quick yeast
- 2 teaspoons sugar
- 115 hot milk
For the fruit:
- 130g mixed dried fruit
- 40ml boiling water
For the dough:
- 155g strong white flour
- 2 heaped teaspoon mixed spice
- 25g butter, softened
- 20g sugar
- 1 medium egg, beaten
- 1/2 level teaspoon salt
Baking
- Place the fruit in a bowl with the 40ml boiling water. Stir and set aside for 2 hours shaking from time to time.
- Make the starter. Heat the milk until it feels hot to your finger. Dissolve the sugar in it and then add the flour bit by bit, mixing each addition with a fork. Sprinkle the yeast over the mixture and leave in a warm place for 1 to 2 hours. It should froth up and then drop back a bit. It will have a strong “yeasty” smell and bubbles should be rising to the top.
- When the starter is usable, place the dough ingredients in a large bowl. Make a well in the centre and pour the starter in. Starting in the middle mix the dry ingredients into the starter and then knead it with your hands. It will be sticky but should come together although it may take ten minutes kneading. You should be able to feel a difference in the dough – it will be springy and feel alive.
- Set the dough aside for 10 minutes. Whilst it is resting, strain the fruit, reserving any liquid for the glaze. Give it a good shake to avoid making the dough even wetter. Put the dough on the table and draw out the sides to stretch it into a rectangular shape. Cover the middle third with half of the fruit and fold one side over the fruit. Cover this with the rest of the fruit and fold the remaining side over this. Carefully put it back in the bowl and knead it very gently until the fruit is amalgamated (but not all squishy!). Cover and leave in a warm place until doubled in size.
- Turn the oven on and heat to 180ºC. Divide the dough into 8 pieces (about 75g each) and form them into buns. Place on a baking tray and leave to rise again. Whilst they are proving, make a stiff paste from plain flour, a pinch of baking powder and a little water. This is for crossing the buns (or any other pattern you wish). It is best to using a piping bag for this, if you do not have one, a plastic bag with the corner cut off makes a good substitute. It is best to pipe this on just before the buns go in the oven.
- Put the buns in the oven for about 15 minutes. Whilst they are cooking, mix the reserved fruit soaking water with 2 teaspoons of sugar. When the buns are cooked, remove them from the oven and put them on a wire rack to cool. Brush the uncrossed part of the tops with the sugar solution. It is best to put a thin wash on each bun and then go over them all again if you have enough. This helps develop the colour and the sticky top. Eat them warm or leave to cool to enjoy another day.