Hot Cross Buns
 
Prep time
Cook time
Total time
 
Serves: 12
Ingredients
For the Buns
  • ¼/ 59 ml cup apple juice
  • 1 cup/ 156 grams dried fruit (you can do a mix of raisins, golden raisins, and dried currants)
  • 1¼ cup/ 295 ml milk, room temperature
  • 2 eggs and 1 egg yolk
  • 6 tablespoons/ 85 g butter, room temperature
  • 2 teaspoons instant yeast
  • ¼ cup/ 53 grams light brown sugar
  • 1 teaspoon cinnamon
  • ¼ teaspoon ground ginger
  • ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
  • 1¾ teaspoons salt
  • 1 tablespoon baking powder
  • 4½/ 539 grams cups all-purpose flour
For the Cross
  • ⅔ cup flour (can substitute some confectioners sugar for the flour)
  • up to 5 tablespoons of water
For the Glaze
  • 3 tablespoons apricot jam
Instructions
  1. Grease a 10x10" or 9x13" pan with butter.
  2. Mix the apple juice and raisins in a microwave safe bowl. Cover the bowl and heat for 1-2 minutes, or until the raisins are very warm and have absorbed some of the juice. Set the bowl aside to come to room temperature.
  3. Using a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook (or a bowl, spoon, and your hands), mix together the milk, eggs, butter, yeast, brown sugar, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, salt, baking powder, and flour. Mix until soft and elastic.
  4. Turn the dough on to a floured surface. Knead in the raisins. If dough gets too sticky you can also work in a bit more flour as you knead.
  5. Put the dough in a large greased bowl. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap or a clean tea towel.
  6. Let the dough rise of 1 hour.
  7. Divide the dough into 12 pieces (about the size of a pool ball). Use your hands to roll them in the ball. Place them in your prepared pan.
  8. Cover the pan with plastic wrap or a clean tea towel. Let the dough rise for 1 hour or until the dough balls are touching each other.
  9. When the dough has been rising for 50 minutes, preheat your oven to 375°F/190°C.
  10. Now prepare the cross paste. Put the flour in a small bowl. Mix in the water one tablespoon at a time until you have a thick, squeezable paste. You might not need all 5 tablespoons.
  11. Transfer the paste to a pastry bag with a small nozzle, or to a plastic bag with a tiny corner cut off. Pipe the paste in line along each row of buns, then repeat in the other direction to make crosses
  12. Bake the buns for 20-30 minutes or until they are golden brown.
  13. Take the buns out of the oven and let cool slightly.
  14. Heat the apricot jam in a small saucepan over low heat. The jam is hot enough when it is melted and spreadable. While the jam is warm, spread it over the top of the buns. Let it cool.
  15. Serve the buns warm, toasted, or slightly reheated. Lovely with more jam or butter!
Recipe by Cooking is Messy at https://www.cookingismessy.com/2016/03/25/hot-cross-buns/