Hot Cross Buns

 

Getting into the Easter spirit, we decided to see if we could make gluten free Hot Cross Buns and after searching the internet, found this recipe on the BBC Good Food website - it's by Paul Hollywood so we had high hopes it'd work.

As is usual, we began by gathering the ingredients for the buns; items 1 to 8 are needed for the 'dough' making stage -

1. 300ml full-fat milk, plus 2 tbsp more
2. 50g butter
3. 500g gluten and wheat-free white bread flour (we used Dove's Farm gluten & wheat free white bread flour)
4. 1 tsp salt
5. 75g caster sugar
6. 2 tsp quick yeast (we used Dove's Farm)
7. 1 large egg, beaten
8. 1 tbsp sunflower oil (needed for oiling the bowl and cling film) Ingredients needed for addition to the dough once it's proved - 
9. 1 tsp olive oil
10. 75g sultanas
11. 50g mixed peel
12. zest 1 orange
13. 1 apple, peeled, cored and finely chopped
14. 1 tsp ground cinnamon

Starting with making the dough, the milk was heated to boiling (watch carefully or you'll have a mess to clear up) then removed from heat and butter added.






Once the milk/butter mix was hand hot, it was added to the remainder of the dough ingredients.  The electric hand mixer was then used, with its dough hooks, to mix till it started to bind.






Turning the dough out onto a silicone sheet, it was quickly brought together by hand before being put in an oiled bowl, covered with oiled clingfilm and placed in the airing cupboard to prove.

We checked the dough after an hour and decided to leave it for another half hour... when our fingers left an indentation.

At this point, the other ingredients (items 9 to 14 above) were added to the dough and we attempted to spread them through evenly. (NOTE - next time we make these, we will mix ingredients 9-14 together in a bowl before adding to the dough as think that may result in a more even result)

Measuring the dough into 100g pieces, we rolled them (on the silicone sheet) and placed them on a non-stick baking sheet.  They were then covered with cling film and left to rise for just over an hour.

Next we added the crosses... although only to 2/3rds of our buns as Sous Chef J declared he "hates the crosses" and wouldn't eat them if they had one.  Making up the cross paste, we used 20g Dove's Farm Plain Flour and carefully added small amounts of water until the paste was mobile but not runny.  Having made a piping bag out of a piece of circular cake liner, the paste was put in, the base snipped off and the crosses were added.

The Hot Cross Buns were placed in a pre-heated (fan) oven (200C) and baked for 20 minutes.

Warming three tablespoons of apricot jam in a small pan, we then brushed it onto the now-cooling-down Hot Cross Buns.







 

We should have followed the master baker's instruction to sieve the warmed jam but we didn't.  As a result the finished buns have a rustic (lumpy glaze) look.

Toasting the buns for breakfast they looked like this.... and, we have to admit, were a little dense which we think was because they weren't proved enough.  However, they do taste good and were nice and spicy. 

It was a fun bake and something we will try again.