One of the best parts of easter is definitely freshly baked hot cross buns. Hot cross buns just so happen to be the only baked good I genuinely believe gets better when it has raisins in it. I made a super tasty chocolate hot cross bun recipe last year which is definitely worth checking out (here). Of course, the blog wouldn't be complete without an original fruit filled bun recipe. So here's a super delicious traditional hot cross bun recipe featuring juicy, soaked raisins and and that fluffy and deliciously spiced dough.
Ingredients:
490g all purpose flour
1.5tsp dry yeast
330g unsweetened soy milk
40g (+ 1tbsp for brushing on top) dairy free butter
70g caster sugar
0.25tsp fine table salt
2tsp cinnamon
2tsp allspice
1tsp ginger
0.5tsp cloves
60g raisins
Cross topping: 60g all purpose flour
10g caster sugar
50g water
Method:
Mix flour, yeast, sugar, salt, cinnamon, allspice, ginger and cloves well in a bowl. Melt 40g dairy free butter in a saucepan. Add soy milk and bring the mixture to body temperature. Pour the soy milk mixture into the dry mix and knead until you have a smooth and stretchy dough. Cover and let rest for at least 1-2 hours until fluffy and doubled in size. At the end of the rising time, soak your raisins in warm water for at least 10-5 minutes before draining and setting aside. Once rested, knock the air out, add the raisins and knead again until the raisins are evenly distributed throughout the dough. Split the dough into 9 equal pieces and roll into buns. Place on a baking tray lined with parchment paper and cover again. If you want them to look taller you can place them closer togethet (leaving just a 4-6 cm spacing between each bun), this way they will rise and grow together so that you can pull them apart after baking, getting that characteristic bakery/store bought hot cross bun look. If you want wider buns space them out more on the tray. Let the buns rest for another hour. Once rested, preheat the oven to 200C and make the cross topping by mixing flour, sugar and water until you have a smooth paste.
Mix 1tbsp maple syrup and 1tbsp melted butter and brush on top of the buns. Then, add the flour paste to a piping bag and pipe a cross over each bun. Bake the buns in the middle of the oven for approximately 15 minutes or until golden and all cooked through. Let cool on a wire rack before serving with your favourite toppings or just digging straight in!
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