When we think about Easter, there are many things that come to mind. Family, holidays, the Easter bunny and of course Easter eggs. But the one thing that stands out as a favorite here at the club is our delicious hot cross buns.
THBC’s hot cross buns are sweet and sticky with a heady mix of spices, glazed with apricot jam and, then marked on top with a cross that is piped in icing onto the dough. The smell that emanates from the THBC bakery during this time of year is something that we will all miss, so we asked Executive Chef, Brad Whittaker and Pastry Chef, Erin Alidenes to share their recipe with you.
Follow their instructions carefully, and we promise that you will eat them up for breakfast, lunch, afternoon tea or just because.
Nobody knows precisely where the first hot cross bun was invented; but we all agree that our pastry chefs have mastered them.
We want to see your hot cross buns on Facebook or Instagram for your chance to win a $50 THBC gift card.
To enter:
- Follow us @thbc2485 on Instagram or @tweedbowls on Facebook
- On your Facebook or Instagram post add @thbc2485 and the hashtag #mythbcrecipe to the caption of any food photos that you have personally taken throughout the entire lockdown period. Check out some of the dishes that have already been posted they look delicious.
- Don’t forget to add a quick description of your dish, you can enter as many times as you like.
- Just make sure to include @thbc2485 and the hashtag #mythbcrecipe to any photo captions. For example: my hot cross bun @thbc2485 #mythbcrecipe #hotcrossbun #easter #staysafe #stayhome
- Winner will be announced on Instagram every 1st Wednesday of the month.
If you have any questions about the terms and conditions or any other details, feel free to contact us.
Can’t wait to see all of your hot cross bun photos!
Happy Easter! We appreciate your support more than words can say.
INGREDIENTS
- Dough
- 4 1/2 cups plain flour
- 2 x 7g dried yeast
- 1/4 cup castor sugar
- 1 1/2 tsp. mixed spice
- pinch salt
- 1 1/2 cup currants
- 40g unsalted butter
- 300ml milk
- 2 eggs – lightly beaten
- 4 tbsp. water
- Glaze
- 1/3 cup water
- 4 tbsp. Apricot Jam
Method
- Combine 4 cups of flour, yeast, sugar, mixed spice, salt and currants in a large bowl.
- Melt butter in a small saucepan over medium heat and add the milk. Heat for 1 minute, or until lukewarm. Add warm milk mixture and eggs to current mixture.
- Use a flat-bladed knife to mix the dough until it almost comes together, then using clean hands, finish mixing to a soft dough.
- Turn dough out onto a floured surface. Knead for 10 minutes, or until mixture is smooth.
- Place into a lightly oiled bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Set aside in a warm, draught-free place for 1 – 1 ½ hour, or until dough doubles in size.
- Line a large baking tray with non-stick baking paper. Punch dough down to its original size. Knead for 30 seconds on a lightly floured surface until smooth. Divide into 12 even portions and shape each portion into a ball.
- Place balls onto the lined tray, about 1cm apart. Cover with oiled cling film and set aside in a warm, draught-free place for 30 minutes, or until buns double in size.
- Preheat fan-forced oven to 170C.
- To make the flour paste, mix ½ cup plain flour and 4 tablespoons of water in a small bowl until smooth, adding a little more water if the dough is too thick. Spoon into a small snap-lock bag and snip off one corner to create a piping bag. Pipe flour pastes over tops of buns to form crosses.
- Place into the preheated oven and bake for 20 – 25 minutes, or until buns are cooked through.
- To make the glaze, place water and jam into a small saucepan over low heat and stir until jam dissolves. Bring to the boil for 3-4 minutes, then remove from heat. Immediately brush glaze over warm hot cross buns.
