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.

Rainbow Fruit Kebabs

It's been a sunny weekend here and we have started thinking about Easter food; something that will be good for a barbecue if the weather's sunny over the upcoming Bank Holiday weekend.  Talking ideas through with Sous Chef J we decided that a fruit kebab, to balance out any chocolate egg-eating overload, would be a tempting and simple end to an Easter-time meal al fresco.

With sunny days in mind, we bought a selection of fruits which would look appealing and taste great. We also spotted some Easter Floral crockery in Sainsbury's that was decorated with bright, springlike flowers and decided a couple of pieces would be just the way to serve our kebabs.

Having bought pineapple, bananas, kiwi fruit, nectarines, blueberries, strawberries, grapes, mangoes and plums we started preparing the fruit for 'spearing' on bamboo skewers.

It was a lovely sunny day, so we decided to make the most of the weather and took everything we needed into the garden and began preparing the fruit...  this was a simple task of peeling (where necessary) and chopping into suitably sized pieces. 

Once the fruit was prepared and laid out in colour order, threading onto the bamboo skewers began. 

Choosing the order of strawberries, mango, nectarine, kiwi fruit or green grape, plums and blueberries... Sous Chef J worked through all the prepared fruit to get the Rainbow Fruit Kebabs ready.

Our Rainbow Fruit Kebabs were served just as prepared but they could be eaten with a melted chocolate (perhaps made from excess Easter eggs?) dip or, if barbecuing, a melted marshmallow drizzle.  YUM!

Easter Chocolate Treats

We were offered the chance to carry out a chocolate review by Hotel Chocolat and, having looked at their website to see the gluten free range, Sous Chef J was keen we accepted.  He chose the Easter Bunny Basket to try as he liked the selection of items it contains.

When it arrived, Sous Chef J was quick to take some pics of the goodies.  As a boy who won't eat 'normal' eggs and soldiers, the thought of chocolate ones was most appealing.

Caramel & Co - mini slab of chocolate with toppings of florentine, cinder toffee and caramel buttons.  Sous Chef J says "it's brilliant, the chocolate is lovely and smooth. I like the caramel but am not keen on the cinder toffee bits as they're too crunchy for me".  I, on the other hand, liked the florentine and cinder toffee pieces very much indeed - which is just as well as that's pretty much all I got to taste!


The Bunny Lick is not, as the name may suggest, something for a four legged friend, but is as Sous Chef J says "a solid chocolate, shaped like a bunny, that's on a stick".  The milk chocolate bunny didn't last long as it was enthusiastically eaten.

Next Sous Chef J chose the Classic Eggs and Soldiers - 5 praline milk chocolate half eggs with a troop of 5 white chocolate dipping soldiers.  First of all, he was most impressed with the shrink wrap cover - it had a pull section and meant he had speedy access to the delights within.  Opening the box revealed a layer of half eggs and, underneath, another layer of dipping soldiers.  The contents looked very appealing and tasted just as good as they looked.  In relation to the treats he says "these are egg-scellent".  I can add no more!

Finally, the Tiddly Chicks packet was explored.  Again this had an easy to open wrapper which was well received.  There are 8 chicks in the pack and they are made out of solid milk chocolate.  Having beheaded one, Sous Chef J took a pic to show their "insides"... and proceeded to chomp on the rest of the chick.  The chocolate was smooth and tasty.

The Hotel Chocolat Easter Bunny Basket was full of different treat items, all of which were gluten free, and Sous Chef J thought they were more fun than a "standard, boring, Easter egg".  At £22 it's by no means cheap (and doesn't cheep because it's a bunny not a chick) but Sous Chef J thinks it was a great to have been lucky enough to get one sent for him to review.

Chocolate Easter Egg Nests

We decided to make some Easter Egg Nests and found this easy recipe online... http://www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/eastereggnests_93841

Sous chef J found all the ingredients we needed and we prepared for action. Following the recipe, we then heated all the ingredients apart from the rice pops in a bowl over a pan of boiling water. The chocolate mix smelled as good as it looked!









Having added the chocolate mix to the rice pops, they were well mixed to coat the rice.








The mixture was divided (almost equally!) between the paper cases. The Mini Eggs were added and then the nests were ready to go in the fridge. The result will be shared with our pals tomorrow... and we're pretty sure they won't last long!