Organic Hot Cross Bun Recipe

by | Apr 16, 2011 | Sustainable Eating

A week or so before Easter Sunday each year I get caught up in the excitement of the season and bake a batch of organic Hot Cross Buns using my recipe below.

Hot Cross Buns,
Hot Cross Buns,
One a penny,
Two a penny,
Hot Cross Buns.

My bet is that when pennies were the currency, most Hot Cross Buns were naturally organic. These days it’s best to seek out certified organic ingredients to ensure your Hot Cross Buns are as natural and healthy as you can get.

For those of you who love to bake, here’s my recipe. Enjoy!

Ingredients

Buns

  • 750g plain flour (organic where possible – I use Four Leaf Milling 85% Light Flour)
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • 3 teaspoons organic mixed spice
  • 30g organic butter (or 40g olive oil if vegan)
  • 1 ½ cups mixed dried organic fruit (raisins, sultanas, mixed peel)
  • 30g organic rapadura sugar (if vegan) or honey
  • 450g warm water
  • 60g compressed yeast OR 3 level teaspoons instant dried yeast

Cross Batter

  • ¼ cup SR Flour
  • 2 tablespoons water
  • 1 tablespoon castor sugar

Glaze (omit if vegan)

  • ¼ cup sugar
  • ¼ cup water
  • 1 teaspoon gelatine

Traditional Method

  • Sift flour and salt into warm basin.
  • Rub in butter, add spice and fruit.
  • Mix sugar into half of the warm water. Add yeast into remainder.
  • Stir sugar liquid into flour.
  • Add yeast mixture to make a soft dough.
  • Knead until elastic (about 10 minutes) or mix using a dough hook attachment on your mixmaster.
  • Place mixture in bowl and cover with cloth.
  • Leave in warm place to rise for approx 30 minutes (I place in sink of warm water if house is cool).
  • Turn on floured board and knead gently.
  • Divide into minimum 16 parts (more if you prefer smaller buns) and form buns.
  • Leave in warm place until doubled in size.
  • Mix all ingredients of cross batter to make a smooth paste. Pipe onto buns after they have doubled in bulk.
  • Bake in hot oven 25 minutes.
  • Mix all ingredients of glaze and using a pastry brush, brush onto buns after baked.
  • Enjoy before the rest of your family get to them.

Thermal Cooking Machine Method

  • Place water and yeast into mixing bowl and heat 1 min / 37°C / speed 1.
  • Add sugar or honey, flour, salt, mixed spice and butter/oil and mix 6 sec/speed 6, then knead 1.5 minutes.
  • Add dried fruit and knead 20-30 seconds.
  • Place mixture in bowl and cover with cloth.
  • Leave in warm place to rise for approx 30 minutes (I place in sink of warm water if house is cool).
  • Turn on floured board and knead gently.
  • Divide into minimum 16 parts (more if you prefer smaller buns) and form buns.
  • Leave in warm place until doubled in size.
  • Mix all ingredients of cross batter to make a smooth paste. Pipe onto buns after they have doubled in bulk.
  • Bake in hot oven 25 minutes.
  • Mix all ingredients of glaze and using a pastry brush, brush onto buns after baked.
  • Enjoy before the rest of your family get to them.

Matthew with Hot Cross Buns

It didn’t take long for Matthew to find them!

Homemade Hot Cross Buns are good for you and good for our planet.

You can enjoy Hot Cross Buns without preservatives, eliminate the use of unnecessary plastic (i.e. plastic bread bags and ties), stretch your family budget further and reduce your reliance on the supermarkets. 

OVER TO YOU!

Have a go at making your own Hot Cross Buns this Easter and let us know how you get on! Share in the comments below!

If you’re keen to learn the skills of Self-Sufficiency, such as cooking with wholefoods, starting a vegetable garden to grow some of your own food, lowering your energy and water use, and reducing your household waste, my online club, Self Sufficiency in the Suburbs is for you.  Join over 800 members who are actively taking small steps to create a more sustainable lifestyle in our modern world. Get started in April and put your self isolation time to good use with a 60-day trial for just $1. Join HERE.

Laura
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