Chocolate & Spice Hot Cross Buns
- Jo Anderson
- Apr 1, 2023
- 2 min read
Taken from BBC Good Food Magazine
Flecked with dark chocolate, cinnamon, orange zest and plump raisins, these buns make an extra-special Easter treat!
Prep Time: 40 minutes, plus proving time
Cook Time: 20-25 minutes
Ingredients
For the dough
225ml/8fl oz semi-skimmed milk
50g/2oz unsalted butter plus extra for greasing
zest of 1 large orange
1 large egg
450g/1lb strong white bread flour plus extra for dusting
2 tsp fast-action yeast
50g/2oz golden caster sugar
1 tsp salt
sunflower oil for greasing
For the flavouring and glaze
juice of 1 large orange
140g/5oz raisins
100g/4oz dark chocolate (73%) buttons
1tsp ground cinnamon
4 tbsp golden caster sugar
For the crosses
100g/4oz plain flour
Method
Step 1
Heat the milk in a pan until steaming. Remove from the heat and add the butter.
After a couple of minutes, beat in the egg and half the orange zest. Allow to cool to just warm for the next step
Step 2
Mix the strong flour, yeast, 1tsp salt and sugar in a bowl then tip in the warm liquid and stir to make a soft dough with no dry patches
Flour the work surface and your hands, and knead the dough for 5 mins until smooth and elastic
Oil a large bowl, sit the dough inside it and cover with oiled cling film
Leave to rise in a warm place until doubled in size
Step 3
Put the raisins and half the orange juice in a small pan and simmer for a few minutes before allowing to cool completely
Put the chocolate, cinnamon and 2 tbsp sugar into a food processor and pulse until finely chopped. Mix in the rest of the orange zest. If you don’t have a processor, chop it by hand or grate it, then mix with the other ingredients.
Step 4
Turn out the risen dough onto a floured surface and press it out to about the size of an A4 sheet of paper
Scatter the dough with the chocolate mix and soaked (and drained) raisins and fold into a ball, then knead well for a few minutes to incorporate the ingredients
Step 5
Grease and line a large baking sheet with baking parchment
Divide the dough into 12 equal pieces and shape each bun into a purse shape with a smooth surface at the bottom
Place the buns smooth-side up onto the baking sheet leaving room for rising
Cover loosely with oiled cling film and prove in a warm place for 30-45 mins or until dough has risen and doesn’t spring back quickly when prodded gently
Step 6
Heat the oven to 190C /170 fan
To make the paste for the crosses, gradually stir 6-7 tbsp water into the plain flour to make a smooth, thick paste and put into a food bag. Snip off the corner to about 5mm
Pipe the crosses onto the buns and bake for approx. 20-25 mins until the buns are golden brown
Mix the rest of the orange juice with the remaining sugar and let it dissolve. Brush the syrup over the buns whilst still hot then leave to cool
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