Hot cross buns.. from scratch

so easter has rolled round another year and for the second year running i have stranded myself in a bun-forsaken place where no-one  knows what a hot cross bun is! eish wena.

but what is easter without hot cross buns ek se!
this recipe produces a not so sweet bun that is very soft, glazed with orange syrup and delicious straight out the oven

these beautiful plump spicy delicious buns are a typical easter treat for western countries. they have spices, sultanas and candied orange peel (which i also had to make from scratch by the way). and are best eaten, by the packful. toasted, with honey or jam or cheese.

yes, the glaze is special. its the syrup left over from candying the orange peel for this recipe. 

the pictures are so yellow because i had to photograph them at night. because tomorrow, there wont be any left

recipe for buns i got from taste.com.au, you can see it here

Hot cross buns:

makes 12 buns 

this whole process is going to take about 2 hours including rising times so be prepared, i
had a good book. a movie or other distraction is also a good idea.

ingredients:
3/4 cup warm milk
12gr fresh yeast (or 3.5gr dry yeast)
1/8 cup (30gr) melted butter
1/2 beaten egg
2 cups flour
1/4 cup sugar (possibly more because these buns werent too sweet)
1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp mixed spice
2/3 cup sultanas
1/8 cup mixed peel (or home-made version of mixed peel, recipe below)

1/8 cup cold water
1/4 cup more or less of flour to make a paste


1. combine warm milk, yeast and 1/2 tablespoon of sugar in a cup, stir until yeast has
dissolved. leave for 15min or until frothy.

2. add egg and melted butter to milk mixture.

3. in a bowl mix 2 cups flour, salt, spice, and sugar. add sultanas and peel.

4. mix wet into dry mixture until just combined.

5. turn dough onto well floured surface and knead for 10 min or until a smooth dough forms.

place dough in a bowl and cover with a damp cloth. place in a warm place for an hour.

6. heat oven to 200'C. knead for a few minutes. divide dough into 12 pieces. line tray with
baking paper. place balls on tray. put in a warm place for anotther 30minutes.

7. meanwhile mix remaining water and flour together. it should form a smooth paste. spoon
into piping bag or ziplock bag. snip off end of bag.when dough has finished its second rise,
pipe the crosses on the buns.

8. bake at 200'C for 10min then turn oven to 180'C for about 15min, check that they arent
burning. they should be golden and sound hollow when tapped.

9. glaze tops with orange syrup- recipe below.



Candied orange rind:

peel 2 medium sized oranges, being careful not to take the white pith, only the orange skin.
eat the orange insides at will.
in a saucepan heat 1/4 cup sugar, cup water, a tablespoon of liquid glucose (not a trainsmash
if you dont have this, just exclude it)

put in orange rind
allow mixture to simmer, stirring occasionally until there is only sticky orange peel in
sticky syrup (be careful not to let it burn when the water level gets very low, stir often).
take the orange peel out, trying to get at little syrup as possible with the peel.
wait until it cools slightly then chop it up with a sharp knife into miniscule pieces.
(yes this is a sticky mess)


Bun Glaze:

but the best part of this whole recipe is the orange glaze!
so, remember the sticky orange syrup that was left in the saucepan after you took out the
orange peel? do not rinse your pot just yet!
so, by now the syrup should have gone almost completely hard in the pot.
add about 1/4 cup water and reheat the pot, stirring all the time.do not let it burn!
now using a pastry brush, brush the syrup over your hot cross buns.
and voila! glossy glazed heavenly smelling buns!