Maple Hot Cross Buns
| Prep Time | Cook Time | Total Time |
|---|---|---|
| 40m | 20m | 1h plus time for proving |
Most of us buy our hot cross buns ready made from the supermarket but there is something so special about making your own at home and filling the kitchen with the beautiful spiced and citrus aroma of fruity maple buns that the whole family can’t wait to dive into!
Ingredients
- 300ml semi skimmed milk, warmed
- 3 teaspoons yeast
- 3 teaspoons sugar
- 590g plain flour
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 2 teaspoons mixed spice
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 50g unsalted butter
- 1 egg
- 75g Pure Maple Syrup, Dark Robust, plus extra for glazing
- 75g sultanas
- 50g candied peel
- Zest of 1 orange, grated
- 1 -2 tablespoons sun flower oil
- The Cross
- 75g plain flour
- 5 tablespoons water
Instructions
- Warm the milk on the hob and pour about 125ml of warm milk into a jug. Leave to cool until it is lukewarm. Add the yeast and sugar to a medium size bowl and whisk in the warm milk from the jug. Leave it to sit in a warm place until the yeast bubbles up. To the remaining milk in the sauce pan stir in the butter and leave it to melt.
- In a large bowl, weigh the flour and mix in the salt and spices. Make a well in the centre and then add the maple syrup, egg, yeast mixture and the remaining warm milk and melted butter. Using a mixer with a dough hook, mix everything up well until you have a slightly sticky dough or mix with a wooden spoon.
- Then add a little vegetable oil to prevent the dough from sticking too much and continue to knead until a smooth dough forms and comes away clean, from the side of the bowl. Knead for about 8 minutes until the dough is smooth and elastic.(Alternatively knead on a slightly floured surface with the heel of your hand, stretching the dough until smooth and elastic.) Put a little oil in the bowl and coat the dough to prevent it from sticking. Cover it with a piece of clingfilm and put it in a warm place. Leave it to double in size for about 1 hour.
- Once the dough has doubled, knock it back by pressing into the dough. Then add the rest of the ingredients and knead again to evenly distribute all the fruit.
- Tip the dough onto a lightly floured surface. Cut the dough into 3 evenly sized pieces and then continue to divide it until there are 12 equal sized buns. Place the buns on baking tray lined with parchment paper, leaving enough room between the buns, for rising. Brush some oil on the clingfilm and cover them up until doubled in size (20 – 30 minutes).
- Preheat the oven to 220C/200C Fan/Gas Mark 7. Meanwhile, mix the flour with water to make a thick paste like consistency, for the cross. Spoon it into a piping bag with a large round nozzle and pipe the crosses on the buns (alternatively use a freezer bag with end cut off). Starting from one end, pipe the crosses, going across the width of the baking tray and repeat with each row of buns. Then pipe across the length of the baking tray to finish the crosses and repeat with each column of buns.
- Bake for about 20 -25 minutes until golden brown. Cool on a wire rack. Brush maple syrup on the warm buns.
