“Happy Easter. May happy thoughts and springtime flowers brighten all your Easter hours.”
Author Unknown
A hot cross bun is a sweet, spiced bun made with currants or raisins and marked with a cross on the top, traditionally eaten on Good Friday. In many historically Christian countries, buns are traditionally eaten hot or toasted on Good Friday, with the cross standing as a symbol of the Crucifixion. Sharing a hot cross bun with another is supposed to ensure friendship throughout the coming year, particularly if “Half for you and half for me, Between us two shall goodwill be” is said at the time. Because of the cross on the buns, some say they should be kissed before being eaten.
Summary: Light and airy hot cross buns made with a yeasted {eggless] buttermilk dough flavoured with vanilla beans and chocolate chips. A sweet roasted balsamic strawberry reduction floods the palette as you bite through the otherwise not so sweet bun.
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 45 minutes plus resting time
Ingredients:
- Buttermilk Dough
- 240ml {1 cup} buttermilk, room temperature
- 70gm {1/4 cup} granulated sugar
- 60g {1/4 cup} extra light olive oil, or any neutral oil
- 1 1/8 tsp active dry yeast
- 270gm {2 1/4 cups} all purpose flour
- 1/4 tsp baking powder
- 1/4 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/2 vanilla bean, scraped
- Filling
- 50gm {1/4 cup} unsalted butter, melted
- 100gm dark chocolate, chopped {good quality}
- 1 serving roasted balsamic strawberries {recipe follows}
- Icing
- 1/3 cup flour
- Enough water to make it into a thick paste {approximately 1/4 cup or less}
- Roasted Balsamic Strawberries
- 225gm strawberries
- 30gm {2tbsp} brown sugar
- 15ml {1tbsp} balsamic vinegar
Method:
- Buttermilk Dough
- In a large bowl or your food processor, place all the dry ingredients, followed by the oil and buttermilk. Knead to a soft pliable dough. It will be sticky. Cover and let it rise for at least an hour.
- {Thermomix: Place all ingredients in TM bowl. Mix at Speed 6 for 5 seconds. Knead at intermittent speed for 2 minutes. Leave dough in TH for an hour until it doubles. Cover TM if weather is cold.}
- Assembling:
- Roll the dough into a large rectangle. Spread 1/3rd of the butter over it, and sprinkle half the chocolate chips over. Fold over twice like you would do puff pastry and repeat again with 1/3rd butter and the remaining chocolate chips.
- Divide the dough into half, then into 6 equal portions each. You should have 12 portions. On a lightly floured surface, gently roll the dough into balls.
- Take a ball of dough, flatten on the palm of your hand, place a scant tsp of completely cooled roasted balsamic strawberries on it, and pull the edges over it to cover the filling. Gently roll back into a ball, ensuring that the filling is trapped in. Place seam side down on a parchment lined baking sheet/pan.
- Repeat with remaining balls of dough.
- Allow to rise covered while you make the flour mix for the cross and preheat the oven to 220C.
- Mix the flour gradually with the water to get a thick paste. Place into a ziploc bag, snip off a corner and pipe crosses over the dough balls.
- Bake for 10 minutes on 220C, reduce the heat to 200C and continue to bake for a further 10-15 minutes until nice and golden. Paint with the remaining butter as soon as the buns come out of the oven.
- Serve warm or at room temperature.
- {Caution: Don’t be tempted to bite into a hot ‘hot cross bun’ as the filling might burn your mouth.}
- Roasted Balsamic Strawberries
- Toss the quartered strawberries well with the brown sugar and balsamic vinegar. Bake at 180C for about 45 minutes until nice and bubbly, stirring once or twice. Strain the strawberries and reserve in a bowl. Place the liquid in a pan and reduce over heat until nice and thick. We need a thick strawberry reduction for the stuffing! Cool completely, transfer to a clean glass jar and refrigerate until needed.
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