Mary Berry's Hot Cross Buns

 

One thing I really love at Easter is Hot Cross Buns.  They were a treat that we had every year on Good Friday when I was growing up and a firm Easter tradition in my family.

When I was a child my mother's sister Thelma would send our family some sweet Easter Breads every Easter.  They were delicious, a sweet dough, slathered with icing and topped with candied fruit. We looked forward to them every year.

Another Easter tradition which we all really enjoyed!

 

I have made Hot Cross Buns on here before. Nigel Slater's Hot Cross Buns, and they were excellent. They were not quite as soft as the buns you get in the shops, but they were very tasty and came with a lovely spiced and fruited butter for spreading.

I wanted to make some Hot Cross Buns this year to share with my sister, father and next door neighbor.  I wanted to try Mary Berry's Hot Cross Buns.  I am in love with Mary Berry's recipes. All of them are pretty fool proof and work well without exception.

 

 

One thing you will want to do is set aside a full day for making these delicious buns. There is no short cut to making good bread. 

They take a lot of time with the kneading and multiple risings, but I have to say this is a very easy recipe to make!  If I can make this recipe successfully, anyone can.

I am pretty yeast bread challenged!

 

I was very pleased with how these turned out.  They were spiced just right and filled with plenty of fruit and candied peel.

There is also the finely grated zest of one lemon in the dough, which adds even more lovely flavor!

 

WHAT YOU NEED TO MAKE MARY BERRY'S HOT CROSS BUNS

Simple ingredients that most of us have in our kitchens at all time. I have included a recipe to make your own mixed spice, which is a British baking spice used in a lot of British baked goods.

• 3 2/3 cup (500g) strong white bread making flour
• 1/3 cup (75g) fine granulated sugar
• 2 tsp mixed spice (see notes)
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• the finely grated zest of one lemon
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 TBS (10g) quick acting yeast
• 3 TBS (40g) butter, melted and cooled
• 1 1/4 cups (300ml) milk, warmed to blood temperature
• 1 large free range egg at room temperature, lightly beaten
• 1 1/3 cups (200g) sultana raisins
• 1/3 cup (generous) (50g) finely chopped mixed peel
• oil for greasing

For the topping:

• 1/2 cup (70g) plain flour
• 2 3/4 fluid ounces (100ml) water
• 2 TBS golden syrup for glazing (gently warm)

 

By bread flour I mean flour which has been especially milled from wheat with a higher protein content. Bread flour usually contains between 12 and 14% protein compared to an average of 8 to 11% in all purpose varieties. 

With a lower protein content, all purpose flour isn't able to create enough gluten to give the dough the light and elastic texture that you need to create good bread dough.  

In a pinch,  you can use all purpose flour to make bread with some additional vital wheat gluten. Adding vital wheat gluten to the all purpose flour provides the additional protein needed to create the ideal texture for your bread dough.

 

HOW TO MAKE MARY BERRY'S HOT CROSS BUNS

Other than being a bit time consuming (as any bread recipe is) these were very easy to make. Like I said you will need the better part of a day to make these but they will be more than worth it!

Whisk the flour, sugar, spices and lemon zest together in a large bowl. Add the salt and the yeast, placing them at opposite ends of the bowl.

Add the butter and half of the milk to the bowl, along with the egg. Use your hands to mix together, incorporating the flour from around the edges of the bowl as you go. Gradually add the remaining milk to form a soft pliable dough. You may not need it all.

 

Tip the dough onto a lightly floured work surface. Knead by hand, mixing in the raisins and peel as you go. Lightly knead for 10 minutes until you have a silky smooth, elastic dough. Shape into a ball and place into a lightly oiled bowl, turning to coat with oil. Cover the bowl with plastic cling film. Leave to rise in a warm place until doubled in size, about 1 1/2 hours.

Tip out onto a lightly floured surface. Knock back and knead for a further 5 minutes. Reshape into a ball and return to the bowl. Recover the bowl with cling film and leave in a warm place until doubled in size once more, about 1 hour.

Tip the dough out onto a lightly floured surface again. Pat into a flat round about 8 inches wide and cut into 12 wedges using a pizza cutter or sharp knife. Shape each wedge into a ball.

 

Have ready a large baking sheet. Line it with baking paper. Place the balls of dough onto the baking sheet, placing them fairly close together and flattening them slightly.

Cover lightly with plastic cling film or place in a large clean food grade plastic bag, taking care that it doesn't touch the buns. Place into a warm place to rise for 40 to 60 minutes until the buns have doubled in size.

Preheat the oven to 425F/220*C/gas mark 7.Whisk the flour together until you have a smooth paste with the water. Pop it into a piping bag with a small tip, or into a zip lock baggie that you can cut a corner from. 

Remove the plastic wrap/ bag from the buns and pipe the flour mixture onto the top of each bun in a cross.

 

Bake in the preheated oven for 15 to 20 minutes, turning the sheet pan around halfway through the bake time. When done they should be a golden brown on the top and bottom.

Brush the top of each bun with some golden syrup to glaze while the buns are still quite warm. Leave to cool completely on a wire rack.

 

These buns have the traditional flour paste crosses piped onto them prior to baking rather than a glace icing cross. This is how I actually prefer them.  There is enough sweetness from the golden syrup glaze.

For those of us who have been raised in the Christian faith, Hot Cross Buns are anchored within the symbolism of Easter and the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. 

The cross represents the crucifixion of Christ on a Roman cross and the spices in the dough symbolize the spices the women used to embalm the body of Christ at his burial.

Whether you are a Christian or not, Hot Cross Buns are something we all enjoy at Easter time. I know they are pretty much available all year round now, but I prefer to keep to the tradition of only enjoying these lovely buns at Easter! It helps to keep them special!

I thought you might like to see the texture of the interior of these buns.  As you can see they are lovely and light!  Perfect for toasting and spreading with butter!

I really hope you will be inspired to want to make these delicious Hot Cross Buns. You will not regret it. I guarantee!

Mary Berry's Hot Cross Buns

Yield: 12

Author: Marie Rayner

Prep time: 20 MinCook time: 20 MinInactive time: 3 H & 30 MTotal time: 4 H & 10 M

Mary Berry's foolproof recipe for delicious Hot Cross Buns! Why not bake some for your family this Easter!

Ingredients

• 3 2/3 cup (500g) strong white bread making flour
• 1/3 cup (75g) fine granulated sugar
• 2 tsp mixed spice (see notes)
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• the finely grated zest of one lemon
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 TBS (10g) quick acting yeast
• 3 TBS (40g) butter, melted and cooled
• 1 1/4 cups (300ml) milk, warmed to blood temperature
• 1 large free range egg at room temperature, lightly beaten
• 1 1/3 cups (200g) sultana raisins
• 1/3 cup (generous) (50g) finely chopped mixed peel
• oil for greasing

For the topping:

• 1/2 cup (70g) plain flour
• 2 3/4 fluid ounces (100ml) water
• 2 TBS golden syrup for glazing (gently warm)

Instructions

1. Whisk the flour, sugar, spices and lemon zest together in a large bowl. Add the salt and the yeast, placing them at opposite ends of the bowl.
2. Add the butter and half of the milk to the bowl, along with the egg. Use your hands to mix together, incorporating the flour from around the edges of the bowl as you go. Gradually add the remaining milk to form a soft pliable dough. You may not need it all.
3. Tip the dough onto a lightly floured work surface. Knead by hand, mixing in the raisins and peel as you go. Lightly knead for 10 minutes until you have a silky smooth, elastic dough. Shape into a ball and place into a lightly oiled bowl, turning to coat with oil. Cover the bowl with plastic cling film. Leave to rise in a warm place until doubled in size, about 1 1/2 hours.
4. Tip out onto a lightly floured surface. Knock back and knead for a further 5 minutes. Reshape into a ball and return to the bowl. Recover the bowl with cling film and leave in a warm place until doubled in size once more, about 1 hour.
5. Tip the dough out onto a lightly floured surface again. Pat into a flat round about 8 inches wide and cut into 12 wedges using a pizza cutter or sharp knife. Shape each wedge into a ball.
6. Have ready a large baking sheet. Line it with baking paper. Place the balls of dough onto the baking sheet, placing them fairly close together and flattening them slightly.
7. Cover lightly with plastic cling film or place in a large clean food grade plastic bag, taking care that it doesn't touch the buns. Place into a warm place to rise for 40 to 60 minutes until the buns have doubled in size.
8. Preheat the oven to 425F/220*C/gas mark 7.
9. Whisk the flour together until you have a smooth paste with the water. Pop it into a piping bag with a small tip, or into a zip lock baggie that you can cut a corner from. Remove the plastic wrap/ bag from the buns and pipe the flour mixture onto the top of each bun in a cross.
10. Bake in the preheated oven for 15 to 20 minutes, turning the sheet pan around halfway through the bake time. When done they should be a golden brown on the top and bottom.
11. Brush the top of each bun with some golden syrup to glaze while the buns are still quite warm. Leave to cool completely on a wire rack.

Notes

You can make your own mixed baking spice: Combine 1 TBS ground cinnamon, 1 tsp each of ground coriander and nutmeg, 1/2 tsp of ground ginger, 1/4 tsp each of ground cloves and all spice. Mix well and store in an airtight container out of the light for up to 6 months.

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