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This Recipe For Hot Cross Buns Has A Decadent Chocolate Twist

Nothing beats the fragrance of fluffy, freshly baked buns at Easter.

Easter is here yet again, which means hello food coma induced by countless chocolate eggs and bunnies and hot cross buns.

If you've never baked your own hot cross buns before, now is the perfect time. Honestly, nothing beats the fragrance of freshly baked, fluffy, fruity, cinnamon-spiced, buttery buns at Easter.

This hot cross bun recipe ticks all of these boxes, with an added twist -- melted dark chocolate crosses delicately drizzled on top.

Hot cross buns

Recipe by Teresa Cutter.

Delicious and indulgent, this classic recipe combines aromatic spices with honey and citrus flavours to create hot cross buns that just melt in your mouth.

Makes 24 buns.

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INGREDIENTS

  • 330g (2¾ cups) wholemeal spelt flour
  • 50g (½ cup) organic rye flour
  • 10g fresh yeast or 5g dried yeast
  • 2 tablespoons honey
  • 250ml (1 cup) milk of your choice
  • 2 organic eggs
  • Zest of 1 orange
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla paste
  • ½ teaspoon sea salt
  • 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
  • 1 teaspoon ground ginger
  • 150ml extra virgin olive oil
  • 300g (2 cups) raisins or golden sultanas
  • 100g (⅔ cup) dried chopped apricots
  • 100g good quality 70 percent dark eating chocolate, melted

Egg wash:

  • 1 organic egg
  • 2 tablespoons of milk

METHOD

Start this recipe the day before. Day one:

  1. Combine the flours, yeast, honey, milk, eggs, orange zest, vanilla, sea salt, cinnamon and ginger into the bowl of your bench top mixer.
  2. Mix with a dough hook at low speed until combined, then increase the speed to medium and mix further for eight minutes until smooth.
  3. Add the olive oil slowly, a little at a time, until incorporated into the dough.
  4. Mix the raisins and apricots gently through the dough.
  5. Turn off your mixer and remove the bowl. Cover your bowl with plastic wrap and allow to rest at room temperature for about one hour.
  6. Place the dough into the fridge overnight to rest and develop for a further 12 hours. This dough is quite sturdy, so if you go over 12 hours, that's okay, so long as you cook the dough the following day. Resting also loosens up the dough so you end up with a light and fluffy hot cross bun.

Day two:

  1. Divide the dough into 24 even size portions. Leave to set in a warm place for about two hours. This depends on the warmth of your kitchen. I usually turn the oven on just to warm the kitchen to help them prove, and the dough should at least double in size.
  2. Preheat your oven to 180°C fan-forced (360°F).
  3. Make an egg wash by combining the egg and milk.
  4. Brush tops of the buns with the egg wash.
  5. Bake for 35–40 minutes or until baked through and golden. Cool slightly.
  6. Melt chocolate over a bain-marie, then pipe over the buns before serving.

Notes and inspiration: Add two finely diced roasted apples to the hot cross bun mixture, which combines wonderfully with the raisins.

Healthy Baking: Cakes, Cookies and Raw is available now on The Healthy Chef eStore and selected bookstores. Hard copies retail for $69.95 and the eBook version is on iTunes.

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