British Hot Cross Buns

Description

A hot cross bun recipe for stand mixers, these are light and perfectly seasoned.

Ingredients

  • ½ cup milk
  • ½ cup all-purpose flour
  • 2 ½ teaspoons active dry yeast
  • 1 ⅔ cups all-purpose flour
  • ⅓ cup white sugar
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • ¼ teaspoon ground cloves
  • ¼ teaspoon ground ginger
  • ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
  • ¼ cup unsalted butter, softened, cut into pieces
  • 1 egg
  • ⅔ cup dried currants
  • ¼ cup diced candied citron
  • 2 tablespoons white sugar
  • 1 tablespoon water
  • ⅔ cup confectioners’ sugar
  • 2 teaspoons water

Instructions

  1. Heat milk in a small saucepan to 110 degrees F (43 degrees C); pour milk into a bowl. Whisk 1/2 cup flour and yeast into milk; cover with plastic wrap and let stand until bubbly
  2. about 15 minutes.
  3. Place 1 2/3 cups flour
  4. 1/3 cup white sugar
  5. salt
  6. cinnamon
  7. cloves
  8. ginger
  9. and nutmeg into the bowl of a stand mixer with paddle attachment; turn mixer on for a few seconds on low speed to combine. Place butter into flour mixture; mix on low speed until incorporated
  10. about 2 minutes.
  11. Place yeast mixture and egg into flour mixture; mix on low speed for 2 minutes. Stop mixer and allow to rest for 10 minutes; mix on medium speed until smooth and elastic
  12. about 2 minutes. At slowest speed
  13. mix currants and citron into dough until evenly distributed
  14. about 1 minute.
  15. Butter the inside of a large bowl; place dough in bowl
  16. turn to butter dough on all sides. Cover bowl with plastic wrap; let dough rise in a warm place until doubled in size
  17. about 1 hour.
  18. Line a baking sheet with parchment. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Pat dough into a rough square
  19. and cut into 12 equal pieces. Form each piece into a round bun; place on prepared baking sheet. Press a cross into each bun with the back of a knife; cover buns with a damp cloth and allow to rise until doubled in size
  20. about 45 minutes.
  21. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
  22. Bake buns in the preheated oven until deep golden brown
  23. about 15 minutes.
  24. Bring 2 tablespoons white sugar with 1 tablespoon water to a boil in a small saucepan. Remove buns from oven; lift parchment and transfer buns to a wire rack. Brush immediately with sugar glaze; allow buns to cool completely
  25. about 20 minutes.
  26. Stir confectioners’ sugar and remaining 2 teaspoons water together in a small bowl; heat icing mixture in microwave until smooth and warm to the touch
  27. about 10 seconds. Place icing in a sandwich bag
  28. snip off one corner of the bag
  29. and pipe in a cross over fully cooled buns; allow icing to dry for 30 minutes.

Prep Time: 40 mins

Cook Time: 15 mins

Total Time: 3 hrs 45 mins

Servings: 12

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