Spiced Fruity Buns Recipes

SPICED FRUIT BUNS

Steps:

• Zest the orange, then juice it. Place the sultanas in a bowl or jug and cover with the orange juice. Leave to soak for 10 minutes or so, stirring occasionally.
• Into another bowl, add all the other ingredients, including the zest of the orange. Mix thoroughly and knead for at least 10 minutes. If you have a bread maker, this is ideal.
• When the dough is thoroughly kneaded and smooth, add the juice-infused sultanas (and any leftover juice) and knead thoroughly so they're fully incorporated. Again, if you have a bread maker, a few minutes on a kneading cycle will do this nicely for you.
• Place the finished mixture into a large greased bowl, cover with cling film, and leave for 90 minutes or so to rise.
• Turn out the risen dough onto a floured surface, divide into around 15 pieces, shape into slightly flattened balls, and place on a baking tray that's lined with parchment. Cover with a piece of greased cling film and leave for an hour to rise again.
• Remove the cling film and bake for 18 minutes in the centre of a 180 degC oven.
• Remove from the oven and allow to cool. While still hot, optionally dissolve a couple of teaspoons of sugar in a little boiling water and paint each bun with a pastry brush to achieve a shiny, sticky coating.

TRADITIONAL FRUITY AND SPICED HOT CROSS BUNS: BREAD-MAKER

Steps:

• Put all of the Hot Cross Bun ingredients into your break maker in the order listed, excepting the dried fruit.
• Put the fruit into the "extras" tray on your bread maker, or leave to one side to add towards the end of the kneading cycle.
• Set the bread maker to Dough setting - or Raisin Dough setting if you have it.
• Press start and if you do not have an "extras" tray, add your dried fruit when your machine alerts you or 5 minutes before the end of the kneading time.
• Lightly grease two baking trays/sheets.
• When the dough cycle has finished, take the dough out and place it on a lightly floured board. Knock back and shape into 12 pieces, rolling them into balls.
• Place them on the greased baking trays/sheets and cover with a clean tea towel or lightly oiled cling film.
• Allow them to rise for about 30-45 minutes or until doubled in size.
• Meanwhile pre-heat the oven the 200C/400F/Gas 6.
• Make the pastry crosses by rolling out the ready-made pastry very thinly and cutting into strips.
• Make the glaze by heating up the milk and adding the sugar - heat them until the sugar has dissolved. Set to one side.
• When the Hot Cross Buns are ready to bake, place two strips of pastry on each top - pressing lightly and bake for 10 - 15 minutes or until well-risen and golden brown. The buns should sound hollow when tapped underneath.
• Brush the glaze on each bun as soon as they have been taken out of the oven and then allow to cool slightly on a wire rack.
• Eat whilst still warm, split & spread with butter!
• These are GREAT toasted when they are a few days old as well!

SPICED FRUITY BUNS

Steps:

• Combine flour, sugar, yeast, sultanas, spices and salt in a large bowl. Heat the milk and butter in a small saucepan until butter melts. Remove from heat and whisk in egg.
• Add to dry ingredients then lightly mix. Add sultanas and mix to a soft dough.
• Turn dough on to a lightly floured surface and knead for several minutes or until smooth and elastic.
• Place the dough in a greased bowl.
• Cover with a damp tea towel and prove in a warm place for 1.5 hours or until doubled in size.
• Punch down the dough in the centre. Turn on to a lightly floured surface and knead for several minutes or until smooth.
• Pre-heat oven to 210°C.
• Lightly grease a 25cm x 30cm lamington tray with melted butter.
• Divide the dough into 12 equal portions.
• Knead each portion into a ball and place in the tray. Cover with a damp tea towel and prove for 30-45 minutes or until doubled in size.
• Brush the tops of the buns with a little whisked egg. Snip a small hole in the corner of the plastic bag and pipe the flour paste to form a cross over each bun.
• Bake in a pre-heated oven for 10 minutes. Reduce heat to 180°C and bake for 15-20 minutes longer or until buns are cooked through.
• To make glaze, heat the sugar and water. Stir until sugar dissolves. Simmer uncovered for 30 seconds.
• Remove the hot cross buns from the oven and turn onto a wire rack. Brush the tops with glaze.
• Serve with butter.

SPICED HOT CROSS BUNS

Steps:

• Put the flour, yeast, caster sugar and 1 tsp salt into a large mixing bowl with the spices and dried fruit and mix well. Make a well in the centre and pour in the warm milk, 50ml warm water, the beaten egg and the melted butter. Mix everything together to form a dough - start with a wooden spoon and finish with your hands. If the dough is too dry, add a little more warm water; if it's too wet, add more flour.
• Knead in the bowl or on a floured surface until the dough becomes smooth and springy. Transfer to a clean, lightly greased bowl and cover loosely with a clean, damp tea towel. Leave in a warm place to rise until roughly doubled in size - this will take about 1 hr depending on how warm the room is.
• Tip the risen dough onto a lightly floured surface. Knead for a few secs, then divide into 12 even portions - I roll my dough into a long sausage shape, then quarter and divide each quarter into 3 pieces. Shape each portion into a smooth round and place on a baking sheet greased with butter, leaving some room between each bun for it to rise.
• Use a small, sharp knife to score a cross on the top of each bun, then cover with the damp tea towel again and leave in a warm place to prove for 20 mins until almost doubled in size again. Heat oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6.
• When the buns are ready to bake, mix the plain flour with just enough water to give you a thick paste. Spoon into a piping bag (or into a plastic food bag and snip the corner off) and pipe a white cross into the crosses you cut earlier. Bake for 12-15 mins until the buns are golden and sound hollow when tapped on the bottom. While still warm, melt the granulated sugar with 1 tbsp water in a small pan, then brush over the buns.