Modern Hot Cross Buns by Jack Sturgess

For a twist on a seasonal favourite, try this recipe from Local Food Britain member Jack Sturgess (aka Bake with Jack) for Hot Cross Buns. Made with fresh citrus zest rather than traditional peel, this recipe is a modern take on a much-loved Easter bake.

Ingredients

• 500 g strong white bread flour
• 10 g salt
• 60 g sugar
• 1 1/2 tbsp mixed spice
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1 orange - zest of
• 1 lemon - zest of
• 25 g fresh yeast (or 2 x 7g sachets of dry fast action yeast
• 50 g soft butter
• 250 g room temperature milk
• 1 medium egg
• 100 g raisins
• 100 g sultanas
• 50 g strong white bread flour
• 50 g water
• 1 orange
• 1 lemon

Preparation

1. First, soak your raisins and sultanas in boiling water from the kettle for 10 minutes. Then drain and set aside to cool.
2. Measure your flour, sugar, salt, and spice into a large bowl. Add the orange and lemon zest, mix everything together and add the egg and butter.
3. Weigh the milk into a jug, and pop in the microwave for 30 seconds or so to take the chill off. If you are using fresh yeast you'll need to dissolve it into the milk before moving on to step 4. If you are using dry yeast, pop it into the flour bowl.
4. Pour the liquid into the bowl and mix everything together until it comes together into a dough, turn it out onto the table.
5. Knead the dough on a clean table for 8 minutes resisting the urge to dust it with flour. It will be sticky at first but use your dough scraper to have a tidy every now and again, and to loosen the dough from the table.
6. Next, dust the table lightly, spread out the dough and sprinkle over the soaked fruit. Roll them up inside and continue kneading until they are evenly dispersed.
7. Shape the dough into a ball, using a light dusting of flour, and place it back into the bowl. Dust again, cover with a clean cloth, and leave to rest at room temperature for 90 minutes.
8. When your dough has puffed up nicely, dust the table with a little flour and turn the dough out onto it. Divide the dough into nine to twelve pieces. Nine pieces for LARGE buns and 12 pieces for more traditional size. Roll each piece into a ball and arrange on a large parchment lined tray. Place them a finger width apart, and they will join each other as they prove.
9. Cover very loosely with cling film and allow 60-90 minutes for the buns to prove up.
10. While your buns are proving, you have two tasks to keep you busy. First, the cross. Mix up the cross ingredients (50g strong white bread flour, 50g water and a pinch of salt) in a bowl until smooth. Fit a piping bag with a very small nozzle, or use a disposable one, and fill it with the mixture ready to go. Next, the glaze. Weigh the juice of your zested orange and lemon into a small pan, then add the same weight of caster sugar. Bring to the boil, for a minute or so and leave to cool.
11. Towards the end of the proving stage, preheat the oven to 180°C Fan/Gas Mark 7, and pipe the crosses on the top of the buns.
12. Bake for 25-30 minutes. Remove the buns from the oven, and when they are cool enough to handle, transfer them to a wire rack.
13. Use a pastry brush to glaze the top of each bun with your orange and lemon syrup (juice of 1 lemon and 1 orange and caster sugar), then leave to cool.