A terrific recipe for the British classic. It’s a bit technical, but Awn’s Kaelin Whittaker provides excellent instruction. Many dishes that we think of as Easter classics in various cultures have historical and religious significance. Such as the hot cross bun, which dates back to pre-Christian fertility rituals (the historians think the crosses referred to the four seasons) now known as the cakes of St Alban, the early British Christian martyr. The reason we still make them? They taste great!
“Be patient with the dough—it will take some time—be sure to wait until it holds a fingerprint during the initial rise and resists being pinched in the final prove.”
– Kaelin Whittaker, Awn Kitchen
Dough
| 625 g | strong (bread) flour |
| 80 g | brown sugar |
| 1 t | ground mixed spice (not allspice) |
| 1 t | ground ginger |
| 1 t | ground cinnamon |
| 15 g | fine sea salt |
| zest of 2 oranges (optional) | |
| 25 g | fresh yeast (half the quantity of dry) |
| 2 | egg yolks (save the whites for meringues) |
| 250 g | cold water |
| 50 g | warm water |
| 125 g | unsalted butter, at room temperature, cut into 1 cm cubes |
Dried Fruit
| 125 g | citrus peel |
| 125 g | raisins |
| 125 g | currants |
Mix the yeast with the warm water and set aside. In a large mixing bowl, mix your flour, sugar, spices, citrus zest (if using). Make a well in the centre and add the cold water, yeast mixture and egg yolks. Holding your dominant hand like a claw, and using your other hand to support the bowl, get in and begin to mix the dough. You can either mimic the motion of a dough hook on a machine, or just mix. If you feel that you do not have enough liquid in the dough at this stage, it is better off to add a bit more (starting in 15 g increments) before you have mixed the dough beyond looking shaggy, or it will be much harder to incorporate. Keep in mind that there can be a lot of moisture on your fingers, so it is worth stopping and using a dough scraper to clean off your hand. Once you have a rough dough, turn the dough out onto a clean work surface, scraping the bowl clean with your dough scraper. Begin kneading the dough by pushing the dough away from you, folding it over itself and giving the dough a quarter turn, repeating this motion until you have a smooth dough that is no longer sticky.
Once your dough reaches this point, knead in the fruit into the dough ensuring it is incorporated well. Tidy the dough into a round and place back into the mixing bowl and cover.
Leave the dough to rest until it has doubled in size; this will take 1-2 hours. Your dough should hold an indent when pushed with your finger at this point and not spring back.
Tip the dough out onto a well-floured work surface, divide into 2 equal pieces for loaves or 120 g pieces for buns. Shape into rounds and place on a parchment lined baking tray. Leave to prove for about 1 hour until they have doubled in size and when pushed lightly there is a spring in the dough.
The Cross and Egg Wash
| 100 g | strong flour |
| pinch sugar | |
| pinch salt | |
| 120 g | water |
To make the cross, mix the flour, sugar and salt together, add the water and whisk using a fork into a thick paste. Fill into a piping bag or a zip lock bag and cut the end of opening a small hole.
Once the buns have proved, brush on the egg wash (1 egg plus 1 t water) and pipe a cross onto each bun.
Bake in a preheated oven (400ºF) for 5 minutes before turning down to 375ºF to finish baking for a further 12-15 minutes or until golden.
Makes one large or six small buns.