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Hot Cross Chelsea Buns

Course Bread and Yeast Doughs
Servings 12
Author Izy

Ingredients

For the paste:

  • 2 tbsp white plain flour or bread flour
  • 90 ml water
  • 200 ml milk (you can use a non-dairy one here)
  • 50 g rapeseed oil (or another neutral oil)

For the dough:

  • 250 g white bread flour
  • 200 g wholemeal bread flour
  • 50 g granulated sugar
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 2 tsp easy-bake ('instant') dried yeast
  • 1 tsp mixed spice
  • zest of 1 orange

For the filling:

  • 2 tsp mixed spice
  • 2 tsp ground cinnamon
  • 150 g light brown sugar
  • 80 g unsalted butter , melted*
  • 150 g mixed dried fruits**

For the frosting:

  • 2 tbsp cream cheese
  • icing sugar (powdered sugar)

Instructions

Make the paste:

  • Combine the plain flour and water, then pour into a small saucepan and stir over a medium heat until the mixture thickens into a paste. Take it off the heat then pour in the oil and milk - leave to cool to lukewarm.

Make the dough:

  • Place the wholemeal and white flours, sugar, salt, yeast, mixed spice and orange zest into a large bowl. Stir them together then make a well in the centre of these dry ingredients. Pour the contents of the small saucepan (the paste and liquids) into the well then stir everything together to make a dough.
  • Tip the dough onto a work surface dusted with flour and knead for 6 to 8 minutes until smooth and slightly sticky, adding flour as needed.
  • Place the dough back into the bowl and cover it with clingfilm. Leave it in a warm place for 2 hours. The dough should have doubled in size.

Mix the filling:

  • In a small bowl mix the mixed spice, ground cinnamon and light brown sugar together.

Make the rolls:

  • Lightly flour a work surface and tip the risen dough out onto it. Lightly flour the dough and roll it out into a 15 x 26 inch (35 x 65cm) rectangle. Spread half of the melted butter over the surface of the dough. Evenly sprinkle on half of the spiced sugar and press it into the dough by rolling it over it gently. Fold the dough into thirds like a business letter. (see bottom of post for a .gif to explain).
  • Roll this out again into a 15 x 26 inch (35 x 65cm) rectangle. Spread the remaining butter over the surface, evenly sprinkle on the remaining spiced sugar and all of the mixed dried fruit. Starting at the short edge of the rectangle, roll the dough up tightly into a log.
  • Cut the dough into 12 even pieces. Place cut side-up into an oiled 9x13-inch baking tin. Cover with a clean tea towel and leave somewhere warm for 30 minutes to almost double in volume.
  • Meanwhile preheat the oven to 180oC (350oF). 
  • Once risen, bake the rolls for 20-25 minutes until golden brown around the edges. Leave to cool. 

Make the frosting:

  • Place the cream cheese into a medium bowl and mix with enough powdered sugar to make a thick-ish glaze that will hold its shape when piped. If it's not thin enough you can mix in water a dribble at a time to get the right consistency. Transfer the mixture to a sandwich bag, snip of the tip of one of the corners, and use as a piping bag to pipe cross-shapes over the rolls. 

Notes

  • *replace the butter in the filling with melted vegan margarine or just more rapeseed oil to make the recipe suitable for vegans
  • ** in the UK 'mixed dried fruit' is usually a mixture of sultanas, raisins, candied lemon peel and candied orange peel. If you can't get that mix you can just use straight up raisins, currants or sultanas.