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EXTRA SPICY HOT CROSS BUNS
Strong White flour & Strong Stoneground Wholemeal flour
Traditionally these richly spiced buns marked with a dough cross are eaten warm from the oven on Good Friday. The ancient Egyptians offered similar small, round, yeast cakes to the goddess of the moon, while the Greeks and Romans made them for the goddess of light. This custom was then taken up by the Saxons who added the cross. This recipe is made from both white and wholemeal flours to give plenty of flavour but a fairly light texture. The buns are excellent toasted and freeze well.
Makes 12
- 350g Marriage’s Strong white bread flour
- 100g Marriage’s Strong stoneground wholemeal bread flour
- 50g caster sugar
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- 2 teaspoons ground mixed spice
- ¼ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
- 7g sachet easy-blend dried yeast
- 50g unsalted butter, diced
- 125g mixed dried fruit and peel
- 200ml lukewarm milk
- 2 medium eggs, lightly beaten
For the cross:
- 4 tablespoons Marriage’s Strong white bread flour
- 2 tablespoons cold water
For the glaze:
- 4 tablespoons milk
- 2 tablespoons caster sugar
- A baking tray, greased
Put the two flours, sugar, salt, mixed spice, nutmeg and the dried yeast into a large bowl and mix well. Add the diced butter and rub in using the tips of your fingers, until the mixture looks like fine crumbs. Stir in the dried fruit mixture. Make a well in the centre then pour in the lukewarm milk and the eggs. Gradually draw the flour into the liquid to make a very soft dough. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface and knead thoroughly for 10 minutes until silky smooth and pliable – if the dough is very sticky and hard to work knead in a little extra strong white flour so it no longer sticks to your fingers, but you don’t want a tough, dry and hard dough. The dough can also be mixed and kneaded in a large electric mixer fitted with a dough hook – work on the lowest speed and knead for 4 minutes.
Return the dough to the bowl and cover with a snap-on lid or slip the bowl into a large plastic bag. Leave in a warm spot until doubled in size – about 1 hour.
Punch down the risen dough and turn out onto a lightly floured work surface. Divide the dough in to 12 equal pieces and shape into balls. Set well apart on the baking tray then slip the tray into a large plastic bag and leave to rise as before until doubled in size – about 45 minutes (or overnight in the fridge). Meanwhile heat the oven to 200°C, 400°F, Gas Mark 6.
To make the paste for the cross, mix the flour with enough cold water to make a smooth thick paste that’s able to be piped. Spoon into a greaseproof paper piping bag (or a small plastic bag) and snip off the tip. Uncover the buns and pipe a paste cross onto each. Bake in the heated oven for about 15 minutes until golden brown. Meanwhile make the sticky glaze by heating the milk with the sugar until dissolved. Boil for a minute then brush over the buns as soon as they emerge from the oven. Transfer to a wire rack and leave to cool.
