Tag: Pasqua

This is a reboot of the original hot cross bunnies I made and posted last year. So, Easter hot cross bunnies mk II 🙂

Very similar recipe, but I’ve included some rye flour and swapped out the dried fruit for chocolate chips for a different take on the traditional hot cross bun.

Again, the recipe is based on the River Cottage Handbook No. 3 Bread recipe for hot cross buns.

Notes

Makes 12 bunnies.

Equipment

• Stand mixer and/or large bowl
• Baking sheet
• Pastry brush
• Scissors
• Piping bag
• Two small bowls

Ingredients – buns

• Strong white flour – 175g
• Plain white flour – 175g
• Rye flour – 150g
• Tepid water – 125ml
• Tepid milk – 125ml
• Powdered yeast – 5g
• Salt – 10g
• Caster sugar (I used golden) – 50g
• Egg, medium free range – 1
• Chocolate chips – 100g
• Orange zest – zest of 1/2 orange
• Mixed spice – 1 tsp
• Cinnamon – 1 tsp

Ingredients – crosses

• Plain flour – about 2 tablespoons
• Enough water to make a paste with the flour

Ingredients – glaze (optional)

• Marmalade or apricot jam – about 1 tablespoon
• Water – about 1 tablespoon

Method

1. Mix all the ingredients together except the chocolate chips and either mix by hand (this will be messy – it’s like making a brioche! Stick with it though and don’t add more flour – it will come together eventually) or with a dough hook in a machine (much easier)
2. Mix for about 10 minutes until the dough goes silky smooth
3. Cover and leave to rise until doubled in size
4. Cut into twelve equal parts
5. Taking a bun, stretch the dough out and fill each with roughly a twelfth of the chocolate chips
6. Taking an edge of the dough, fold i over the choc chips and into the middle of the bun – repeat all the way round until you have encased the chocolate chips with dough (if you are used to hand shaping loaves and rolls this will not be new to you, as it can be a typical way of shaping bread)
7. Turn over and the top should be nicely domed with a tight structure to the dough. Shape slightly into a pear or oval shape
8. Space them apart on a lined, floured baking sheet – you don’t really want batch buns (ie where they touch), although if you’re clever you can face two bunnies away from each other and just have their bottoms touching – I found this looked a bit like fluffy tails when the pulled apart. You don’t want the faces touching)
9. Cover and leave to rise again – about half an hour should do it
10. Put the oven on to 190 C fan / 210 C conventional
11. Make up the cross paste by thoroughly mixing the flour in with enough water (add little by little) to form a thick paste (about the thickness of cream cheese
12. Pop the paste into a piping bag, ready for use
13. Using a pair of scissors cut two snips towards the pointy end of each bun. You’re aiming to make a long ‘U’ on either side of the head to act as ears – or if you prefer and have a lame or sharp razor that you cut your bread with, you can etch our an ear shape on each side with that
    

    Make ears by snipping the dough with scissors

14. Pipe the crosses onto each bun
15. Put into the oven and bake for 18 – 20 minutes until dark golden
16. Leave to cool
17. You can add the glaze or leave it, as your prefer. If you want the glaze, heat the jam or marmalade and mix with the water (quick and easy in a microwave but can be in a saucepan over a hob). If you have jam or marmalade with shred or bits, then it’s best to strain it
18. Using a pastry brush paint the glaze all over