Baked with Love; Fruitless Hot Cross Buns

Nick LOVES hot cross buns, not slightly, not moderately and I don't think intensely even covers his love for them. Ever since they hit the stores (which seems like a week post Christmas) we have had a packet in our pantry, a constant supply. He has a strange but serious aversion to sultanas though, and will grimace at even the word, so we need to source fruitless hot cross buns.

This Easter I thought I would surprise him by baking some homemade fruitless hot cross buns, a gift I knew he would really appreciate considering my lack of super kitchen skills and patience. I followed the recipe I found here to the T (minus the fruit), and they turned out perfectly! I am so proud!

 
Ingredients:
4 cups plain flour
2 x 7g sachets dried yeast
1/4 cup caster sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons mixed spice
pinch of salt
40g butter
300ml milk
2 eggs, lightly beaten
Flour paste:
1/2 cup plain flour
4 to 5 tablespoons water
Glaze:
1/3 cup water
2 tablespoons caster sugar

Method
1. Combine flour, yeast, sugar, mixed spice and salt in a large bowl. Melt butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. Add milk. Heat for 1 minute, or until lukewarm. Add warm milk mixture and eggs to currant mixture. Use a flat-bladed knife to mix until dough almost comes together. Use clean hands to finish mixing to form a soft dough.




2. Turn dough out onto a floured surface. Knead for 10 minutes, or until dough is smooth. Place into a lightly oiled bowl. Cover with plastic wrap. Set aside in a warm, draught-free place for 1 to 1 1/2 hours, or until dough doubles in size. 
3. Line a large baking tray with non-stick baking paper. Punch dough down to its original size. Knead on a lightly floured surface until smooth. Divide into 12 even portions. Shape each portion into a ball. Place balls onto lined tray, about 1cm apart. Cover with plastic wrap. Set aside in a warm, draught-free place for 30 minutes, or until buns double in size. Preheat oven to 190°C. 
4. Make flour paste: Mix flour and water together in a small bowl until smooth, adding a little more water if paste is too thick. Spoon into a small snap-lock bag. Snip off 1 corner of bag. Pipe flour paste over tops of buns to form crosses. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until buns are cooked through.
5. Make glaze: Place water and sugar into a small saucepan over low heat. Stir until sugar dissolves. Bring to the boil. Boil for 5 minutes. Brush warm glaze over warm hot cross buns. Serve warm or at room temperature.





The buns didn't last overly long in our household, and if they didn't take so long to make I would be whipping them from the oven every morning. The smell of freshly baked hot cross buns is incredible, I can't wait to make some more next Easter!
Plenty of love,