Chocolate & Orange Spiced Hot Cross Buns
When I was little, hot cross buns were only around for a few weeks leading up to and including Easter. Warm from the oven or toasted and dripping with butter, they were as eagerly anticipated as chocolate eggs. As with many traditions, the history and legend surrounding hot cross buns is fascinating. According to superstition, a hot cross bun hung in the kitchen will ward off evil spirits and prevent kitchen fires from breaking out. It will also ensure that all breads baked that year will turn out delicious, which would be particularly welcome in my case. They were once considered so special that in 1592, Queen Elizabeth I decreed that hot cross buns could only be sold on Good Friday, at Christmas or for burials.
Now you can buy them all year around and as such, I think they have sadly lost some of their magic. I thought I would try making my own this year, in the hope of re-capturing what made them such a special part of Easter. There is a slight problem though, as much as I love them, Steve refuses to eat anything with currents, raisins or sultanas. Although not exactly traditional, I decide to make a spiced chocolate and orange version and to leave out the raisins. I found them quite easy to make and the smell of them cooking alone is worth the effort. Traditionally served on Good Friday morning, they are best eaten warm and freshly made, but are they are also lovely toasted the next day if there are any left!
It is also said that those who share a hot cross bun are supposed to enjoy a strong friendship and bond for the next year, as the old Irish rhyme goes "Half for you and half for me, between us two, good luck shall be." I hope that sharing the recipe at least will have the same effect.Happy Easter!
Chocolate & Orange Spiced Hot Cross Buns
Adapted slightly from a Delicious Magazine recipe
Prep time: 3 hours
Cook time: 20 mins
Total time: 3 hours 20 mins
Serves: 12
Ingredients
400g strong, white bread flour, plus extra for dusting
25g good quality cocoa powder (I use Green & Blacks)
1 teaspoon ground mixed spice
1 teaspoon salt
85g chilled unsalted butter, chopped
100g golden caster sugar
2 x 7g dried yeast
1 large free- range egg
190ml lukewarm milk
vegetable oil for greasing
75g milk chocolate, finely chopped (I use Green & Blacks)
Finely grated zest of one orange
75g chopped candied peel
For the cross
75g strong white flour
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
cold water
Glaze
juice of one orange, stained through a sieve.
50g golden caster sugar
Instructions
Sieve the flour, cocoa powder, mixed spice and salt into a bowl and stir to combine.
Add the chopped butter and rub it into the flour mix, until the mixture looks like fine breadcrumbs.
Stir in the dried yeast and sugar and make a well in the mixture.
Whisk the egg and warm milk together and pour into the well, using a spoon to bring the mixture together.
Turn out onto a lightly floured surface and knead for 10 minutes or knead for 5 minutes in a food mixer using the dough hook.
Shape into a ball and place in a large, lightly oiled bowl, cover loosely with oiled clingfilm.
Leave somewhere warm for 1 & 1/2 hours or until doubled in size.
Tip the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and flatten slightly.
Knead in the chopped chocolate, orange zest and candied peel until evenly incorporated.
Weigh the dough and divide the weight by 12 (I worked out that each of my 12 dough buns should be 83 grams).
When you have 12 equal pieces shape them into smooth round buns.
Place the buns in rows on lightly oiled baking sheet leaving a small gap between each one.
Loosely cover with oiled cling film and leave to prove again in a warm place for about an hour or until doubled in size (the risen buns should now be touching each other).
Preheat the oven to 200C/180C fan/ gas 6.
Using a sharp knife, score the tops of the buns with a cross.
Make a the paste for the cross by mixing 75g flour with 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil and enough cold water to make a smooth paste.
Spoon into a piping bag with a small nozzle and carefully pipe the mixture in lines across the knife score lines on the buns, first one way and then the other.
Bake in the oven for 15- 20 minutes until risen and firm to touch.
While the buns are cooking, put 50g of caster sugar and the orange juice into a small saucepan and dissolve over a low heat. Increase the heat and boil until the glaze has thickened.
Remove the buns from the oven and place on a wire rack before brushing with the glaze.
Best served warm on the day they are made, but can also be toasted.