Still time to get the buns in the oven
Easter’s a great time to use up your leftover dried fruit
It always seems Christmas rolls right into Easter — the appearance of chocolate bunnies in supermarkets often coincides with the turn of the new year.
I have a big half-empty bag of dried fruit mix from Christmas, and while it’s been untouched for three months, it feels like just a few weeks ago I was lugging it around the supermarket.
So, if you’ve got the same dilemma (or just a craving for homemade hot cross buns, and the sweet smells that go along with it), grab that bag of fruit cake mix from the back of the shelf and repurpose it for Easter.
If you haven’t got any Christmas fruit, simply use any dried fruit you like; add some chocolate for good measure too.
Some things to note — you’ll need a warm, draught-free spot to allow the buns to rise.
I like to use the oven with the light on, especially after the oven still has a little residual heat after being on.
You can also put it in the hot water cupboard, or near the dryer if it’s been on — get creative here, the main thing is a warm temperature to let the yeast rise!
Mixed fruit hot cross buns Makes 10
525g plain white flour 4 Tbsp sugar
21⁄2 tsp instant dry yeast 1 1⁄2 tsp ground cinnamon 1 tsp ground allspice
1⁄2 tsp salt
200ml milk, warm
200g dried fruit cake mix (or any chopped dried fruit)
50g butter, melted
1 large egg, lightly beaten
For the cross:
50g flour
4 Tbsp water
For the glaze: 60g sugar
4 Tbsp water
1. Place flour, sugar, yeast, spices and salt in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook. Briefly mix to combine, then add the milk, fruit, butter and egg. Mix on medium-low until a shaggy dough forms, then increase speed to medium. Continue kneading for 10 minutes, until smooth and elastic. The mixture should peel away from the sides of the bowl — if it still sticks after a minute or so of kneading, add a little more flour.
2. Cover the bowl with cling film and leave in a warm, draught-free spot for 11⁄2 hours, until doubled in size.
3. Punch down the dough and divide into 10 portions. Shape each into a ball and arrange in two columns on an oven tray lined with baking paper — spacing them a few centimetres apart to allow them to grow.
4. Lightly grease a sheet of cling film and place over the buns. Cover with a tea towel and leave in a warm, draught-free spot to prove for a further 45 minutes.
5. When the buns have nearly finished proving, preheat your oven to 160C fan bake. In a small bowl, whisk together the flour and water for the cross — you want a smooth paste that is runny enough to pipe, but thick enough to hold its shape.
6. Once the buns have risen, remove the tea towel and cling film. Transfer the flour paste to a piping bag with a roughly 5mm tip (or small zip-lock bag with the end snipped off), and slowly pipe down the centre of each column vertically, then across each row horizontally.
7. Bake for 25 minutes, or until risen and golden brown on top.
8. While the buns are baking, make the sugar syrup. Combine the sugar and water in a small saucepan. Bring to a bubble over medium-high heat, then reduce to medium-low and continue to simmer, stirring, for 2-3 minutes until the sugar has dissolved and the syrup thickens slightly. Keep warm.
9. As soon as the buns come out of the oven, brush the tops generously with syrup. Enjoy warm, with plenty of butter.
Olivia Moore and her Taupō business That Green Olive offer recipe development, food photography — in studio or on location — for restaurants and cafes, recipe video creation and social media content creation. Go to Olivia’s website for more recipes: www.thatgreenolive.com.