Hot Cross Buns

Ingredients

• 500 g strong white bread flour
• 2 teaspoons cinnamon
• zest of 1 orange
• 2 teaspoons mixed spice (½ tablespoon each of ground ginger, ground nutmeg, allspice)
• 300 ml oat milk
• 75 g vegan butter
• 7 g dried active yeast
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 120 g sultanas
• 60 g candied mixed peel
• 50 g flour
• 60 g water
• 2 tablespoons apricot jam

Method

Add the vegan butter to a small saucepan and melt slowly over a low heat. Once melted and runny, take the pan off the heat before adding the oat milk, caster sugar and finally the dried yeast. The mixture should still be a little warm to the touch from the heat of the melted butter which will help activate the yeast. Mix it well and leave this for 10 minutes to become frothy on the surface.

To a mixing bowl, add the bread flour, cinnamon and mixed spice, the zest of an orange and a pinch of salt. Once the butter mixture is frothy on the surface from the activated yeast, pour this into the flour bowl and bring together into a dough.

Tip this out onto a lightly oiled surface so it doesn’t stick and knead with the heel of your hand for about 10 minutes until you have a smooth ball. You could also do this in a stand mixer using the dough hook, for about 5 minutes.

Add the ball of dough back into the mixing bowl, cover and leave to prove somewhere warm until it’s doubled in size, about 1-2 hours depending on your room.

Tip the proved dough onto your work surface and use your hands to pull and spread it into a thick sheet.  Sprinkle over the currants and mixed peel and fold this in so it’s well incorporated throughout the dough.

Weigh the total mixture on your scales and divide by 12, it should be about 100g per ball. Divide the dough into 12 pieces, weighing each one if you would like the hot cross buns to be aesthetically consistent, and roll into 12 balls. Make sure to tuck the pieces of dried fruit into the individual buns so they don’t burn on the outside in the oven. Pop the buns onto an oven tray and leave to prove for a second time for about 45 minutes.

For the crosses, mix the flour and water together into a smooth paste and then pipe or drizzle with the back of a teaspoon across the buns.

Bake for 25 minutes at 200°C/350°F/gas mark 4. Once the buns are baked, brush them with apricot jam that’s been warmed a little to loosen it.

Store in a sealed container for maximum freshness and enjoy toasted topped with your favourite jam or plant-based spread.