This easter special is a must over the easter weekend and all the way through Spring. If you're a sourdough lover, this recipe is much like making bread and will involve some patience while the dough proves. Choose the classic raisins or go for a chocolate chip to change it up! Here is the recipe from myloveofbaking.com.
Recipe
Ingredients
400 g plain flour
100 g strong white bread flour
5 g salt
40 g sugar (or 80g sugar if you are using dark choc chip)
1 tsp ground cinnamon, 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg, 1/4 tsp ground cloves
1 egg
50 ml milk
40 g butter, softened
150 g active starter
200 ml water
Choose chocolate or raisins to fill your buns:
60g chocolate chips (add more sugar if you choose chocolate chips)
1/2 cup dried currants
1/2 cup dried raisins
For the cross
1/3 cup all purpose flour
1 tsp sugar
pinch of salt
1/4 cup + 1 tbsp water
For the sugar syrup
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 water
Method
1. Mix everything except fruit and water in a bowl of a stand mixer and start mixing on low speed adding water gradually. the dough should be a bit sticky.
2. Once everything is hydrated, Increase speed to medium and mix for about a minute or two.
3. Once the dough comes together, add the dried fruit and mix on low only until they are incorporated.
4. Take the dough onto a floured surface and give a few stretch and folds to make the dough smooth.
5. Then place this in a bowl, cover and keep in a warm place for about 3-4 hours. Now this is where you have the choice to bake the same day or cold proof in the fridge overnight. If you want a strong sourdough fermented taste, then leave overnight. `If you'd like the taste to be milder, bake the same day.
6. Punch down the dough again to a smooth ball, place back in the same bowl, cover and refrigerate for at least 12 hours (up to 18). If you are baking the same day, follow the next steps straight away.
7. Let the dough come to room temperature (3 hours - if you're baking same day, you dough is already at room temp) and divide into 12 equal pieces.
8. Let these rest, covered, for about 30 minutes.
9. Then shape into buns, place on a prepared tray, cover and leave in a warm place until risen/or doubled in size.
10. Preheat the oven to fan 180C and make the paste for the cross. Mix the ingredients for the paste until smooth and put into a piping bag with a thin round nozzle. If you don't have a piping bag you can use a freezer/ziplock bag with a corner snipped off.
11. Pipe the crosses over the hot cross buns nice and evenly. Make sure the line is not too thin as it will shrink a bit with the heat of the oven.
12. Bake for 25 mins in the middle of the oven until golden. 5 minutes before, mix the boiling water and sugar and stir until the sugar has dissolved.
13. Remove the buns from the oven and spread the syrup over all the buns using a pastry brush.
14. Leave to cool on a wire rack and when they are ready to eat, toast and spread with butter!
Happy Easter and let us know how you get on with the recipe!
Recipe from myloveofbaking.com/sourdough-hot-cross-buns/
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