Baking is therapeutic and this is no secret which I am telling you guys! Baking bread is even more rewarding, especially when you see the dough rising slowly. You know for sure that your bread is going to come out with a perfect billowy crumb. Seeing your bread rise is just as you have won something huge! Whenever I feel that I have lost my mojo, I turn towards baking and I see everything else falling into place. I got caught up with some other important things lately, so I couldn’t bake or blog for almost two months. But I was getting restless day by day and I was waiting eagerly to get freed of those commitments. Easter was approaching and I had planned to bake bread this year. And what could be a better choice than the classic hot cross buns which are synonymous for Easter? And the recipe is a breeze which has an option of leaving the dough proof overnight in the fridge. That spares you from getting early in the wee hours to bake the bread on the day of Easter. And you get to enjoy these warm puffed soft and mildly sweet buns with your family at breakfast time. All you need is a living yeast and it will do the magic on its own.
- 500 gm + 50 gm plain flour
- 7 gm fast action dried yeast
- 50 gm caster sugar
- 1 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 tsp cinnamon powder
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- 100 gm dried currants
- zest of one orange
- milk for brushing
- 2 tbsp white sesame seeds
- 2 tbsp orange marmalade
- Mix 500 gm flour, yeast, sugar, cinnamon, oil, salt, orange zest and 350 ml warm water in the bowl of mixer fitted with dough hook. Knead the dough for about 10 minutes. If kneading with hand, mix the ingredients with a wooden spoon and then knead with your hands on a work surface for 10 minutes, until it feels less sticky.
- Fold currants into the dough. Form into a ball and place in a lightly oiled bowl and cover with cling wrap. Let rise for about 1 hour or until doubled in size. Alternatively, you can leave the dough covered in fridge overnight.
- Knock the air out of the dough. Divide the dough into four equal portions and then divide each portion into two halves. Roll each half into a small bun. Place the bun onto a baking tray lined with parchment paper. Let prove in a warm place for about 1 hour or until well risen.
- When ready to bake, preheat the oven to 200 degree C. Brush the dough with milk and sprinkle the white sesame on top of buns. In a bowl, make a paste with 50 gm flour and a couple of tablespoon water. Pour the dough paste in a piping bag and pipe into cross form on top of buns. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes or until golden and risen. Brush with the jam while buns are warm.