Yields:
1 Serving
Difficulty: Medium
Prep Time: 3 Hr 30 Mins
Cook Time:
30 Mins
Total Time:
4 Hr
This recipe makes 12 hot cross buns or one large bunny. Flavoured with a mix of dried fruit and warm spices.
Ingredients
Adjust Servings
- For the flour paste and finishing
Instructions
- Combine 23 grams (3 tbsp) flour and 113 grams (1/2 cup) milk in a small saucepan. Heat over medium heat, whisking constantly, until thick. Transfer mixture to the bowl of a stand mixer and let cool to warm to the touch, but not hot.
- Mix remaining flour with cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, allspice, and cardamom. Add to the flour-milk mixture along with the rest of the milk, the melted butter, eggs, sugar, salt, and yeast. Mix well to combine.
- Using the dough hook, mix on speed 2 until the dough is smooth and elastic. When you stretch the dough, you should be able to stretch it thin enough to be able to see through it without the dough tearing. This step could take up to 10 minutes. The dough will still be a bit sticky at this point but should start to pull away from the sides of the bowl as you mix it.
- Meanwhile, soak the dried fruit in hot water for 10 minutes to re-hydrate. Drain before using.
- Add the soaked dried fruit to your dough and mix on low speed until the fruit is incorporated into the dough, about 2 minutes.
- Transfer the dough to a lightly greased bowl and let proof in a warm environment (24-25 C) for until doubled in size and the dough doesn't stick to your finger when gently poked, about 2 hours.
- Turn the dough out onto the counter and divide it into 12 equal portions of about 70-71 grams each if making individual buns or separate into 8 pieces of varying size for the body, head, ears, arms, and legs of your bunny.
- Roll portion each into round balls with a taut surface. Try to make sure the fruit is inside the dough instead of poking out so that it doesn't burn during baking. If making a bunny shape them into the different body parts of the bunny and place them together on a lined baking pan. If making buns, place the buns evenly spaced on a lined baking pan. Cover with greased plastic wrap and let rise once more until the dough is puffy about 1 hour.
- If making buns, preheat the oven to 400F/205C. If making a bunny, preheat to 350F/180C.
- Make the flour paste by combining 75 g flour with at least 6 tbsp water to make a thick, slightly runny paste. Pipe over top of your rolls or bunny.
- Bake the rolls until golden on top and the internal temperature is 190F/88C, about 10-12 minutes for individual buns, 30 minutes for a large bunny.
- Meanwhile, heat the jam in the microwave until runny, about 20 seconds. Strain any large pieces from the jamp.
- Brush the jam over the top of the baked buns and let cool completely.