Smyrna Fig and Lemon Peel Hot Cross buns
african vanielje on Mar 13 2008 at 8:59 pm | Filed under: vkcb
These warmly spiced Easter buns are made with a mixture of spices, sundried Smyrna figs and my own organic candied lemon peel, all packed into a simple enriched bread dough. The results are so worth it! So roll up your sleeves and get baking.
Mix
- 1 Tablespoon of Instant yeast with
- 1 cup (250ml) of warm water
until the yeast dissolves, then add
- 250g strong flour (bread flour)
and mix it in.
Cover it with clingfilm and leave in a warm spot to activate the sponge. THis should take 90 - 120 minutes, and the sponge should have risen and be bubbly and ready to go.
Put
- 600g of strong white flour into your mixer or a large bowl and add
- 100g of vanilla caster sugar
- a tablespoon of Maldon salt
- 10 g each of fresh nutmeg, allspice, cinnamon and ginger
Mix these in then add
- 80g of softened butter
- 1 large egg, beaten
- the sponge
- 180ml of milk
Mix using the dough hook at the lowest speed until your dough becomes soft and pliable. (8-10 minutes).
At this point you can add
- 250 g combined sultanas, chopped sundried Smyrna figs (or apricots if you prefer) and chopped candied lemon peel.
Knead for another minute or so then turn it onto a lightly floured surface and knead for another minute.
Form it into a ball and place it in a bowl covered with clingfilm. Set in a warm place to prove. THe dough should double in size and this could take anywhere from 45 - 75 minutes.
Once the dough is ready knock back slightly and divide the dough into roughly two dozen pieces.
If you like to be really precise you can weigh the dough then weigh each ball to make sure they are equal.
Form each piece into a ball and lay in lines, next to each other but not touching.
The tray should be lined with baking parchment.
Cover with a tea towel and spritz with water from a spray bottle so that the buns don’t dry out.
Leave to prove in a warm place until doubled in size and touching (30-40 mins)
About 20 minutes into the rise turn the oven to its highest heat (about 240*C)
You can also prepare the paste for the cross:
- mix1/4 cup(60ml) of plain flour
- 15ml caster sugar
- 15ml of water
Put this paste in a piping bag and just before you pop the buns in the oven score a cross on each bun with the back of a butter knife.
Brush each bun with and egg and milk wash, then pipe on the Easter crosses and pop them straight into the hot oven.
Turn the oven down to 180*C as soon as they’re in, and bake for 30 minutes or until golden and hollow sounding.
If you want to glaze them you can brush them with a simple sugar syrup as they come out of the oven.
60g of sugar dissolved in 2 Tablespoons of water, and brought to the boil.
Hot cross buns are great toasted and served with fresh unsalted butter. Mature cheddar cheese is also a good accompaniment.
Nothing says Easter like hot bross buns. We used to have a patient that would make them for us each year and bring them in…gone are the days:D
I really like Hot Crossed Buns, either straight from the oven or toasted with plenty of butter. Those look great!
These look fabulous. I don’t have all my old favorite recipes with me, so this look like this one could take that spot. Thanks for sharing.