British Hot Cross Buns
Ingredients
- ½ cup milk
- ½ cup all-purpose flour
- 2 ½ teaspoons active dry yeast
- 1 ⅔ cups all-purpose flour
- ⅓ cup white sugar
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon ground cloves
- ¼ teaspoon ground ginger
- ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ¼ cup unsalted butter, softened, cut into pieces, plus more for greasing
- 1 large egg
- ⅔ cup dried currants
- ¼ cup diced candied citron
- 2 tablespoons white sugar
- 1 tablespoon water
- ⅔ cup confectioners' sugar
- 2 teaspoons water
Shop ingredients
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Instructions
- Heat milk in a small saucepan to 110 degrees F (43 degrees C). Pour milk into a large bowl; whisk in ½ cup flour and yeast. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap; set aside until bubbly, about 15 minutes.
- Place 1 ⅔ cups flour, ⅓ cup white sugar, salt, cinnamon, cloves, ginger, and nutmeg in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment; beat on low speed for a few seconds to combine. Add ¼ cup butter; beat on low speed until incorporated, about 2 minutes.
- Add yeast mixture and egg to flour mixture; beat on low speed for 2 minutes. Stop the mixer; rest for 10 minutes. Beat on medium speed until smooth and elastic, about 2 minutes. Beat in currants and citron on the lowest speed until evenly distributed, about 1 minute.
- Grease inside of a large bowl with butter; place dough in bowl, turn to coat dough with butter on all sides. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap; let dough rise in a warm place until doubled in volume, about 1 hour.
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper; set aside. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface; pat into a rough square, and cut into 12 equal pieces. Form each piece into a round bun; place on the prepared baking sheet. Press a cross pattern into each bun with the back of a knife; cover buns with a damp cloth and allow to rise until doubled in volume, about 45 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
- Bake buns in the preheated oven until deep golden brown, about 15 minutes.
- Meanwhile, bring 2 tablespoons white sugar and 1 tablespoon water to a boil in a small saucepan. Remove buns from the oven. Transfer buns on parchment paper to a wire rack; immediately brush buns with white sugar glaze. Cool buns completely, about 20 minutes.
- Combine confectioners' sugar and 2 teaspoons water in a small microwave-safe bowl. Microwave icing mixture until smooth and warm to the touch, about 10 seconds. Place icing mixture in a resealable plastic bag, snip off one corner of the bag, and pipe a cross over fully cooled buns; set aside for icing to dry, 30 minutes.
Source
Original recipe: View Original