Gluten & Dairy Free Hot Cross Buns

It’s Easter and yesterday I had a strong craving for hot cross buns. These spiced fruit buns are common in the UK and traditionally eaten on Good Friday.

This recipe creates a crusty hot cross bun, a bit different to the normal soft variety you buy in supermarkets across the UK, and more like the old-fashioned traditional bun.

I started with this recipe from Tesco, but the first batch didn’t rise very well so I made a few tweaks with the milk to get the right fat level, added more yeast and allowed more time to help the rise. Also check your bread flour mix – if it doesn’t contain xantham gum, you will need to add 1/2 tsp to the mix.

Enjoy. Happy Easter!

Ingredients

  • 200ml unsweetened soya or almond milk.
  • 100ml full fat coconut milk (the stuff from a tin that is 15-20% fat)
  • The zest of 1 orange,
  • 50g margarine – I used Stork
  • 1 egg, beaten
  • 1 tbsp rapeseed oil, plus extra for greasing
  • 500g gluten free bread flour blend – I used Doves Farm. (Add ½ tsp xantham gum – if not included in your bread flour mix.)
  • 80g caster sugar
  • 4 tsp instant yeast – I used Doves Farm
  • ½ tsp salt
  • 2 tsp mixed spice
  • 100g sultanas
  • 25g sweetened dried cranberries

For the topping

  • 1 egg, beaten
  • 2 tbsp gluten-free plain flour.

Directions

  • Line a baking tray with baking paper and grease lightly with oil.
  • Put the milk in a medium pan with the orange zest and butter. Gently heat until the margarine starts to soften.
  • Remove from the heat and stir until the margarine dissolves.
  • In a separate bowl, beat together the egg and oil.
  • In a large bowl, mix together the bread flour, sugar, yeast, salt, spice and dried fruit.
  • When the milk has cooled a little, so it is warmer than hand hot (if you have a thermometer it should be around 45-55C), pour it into the dry ingredients, add the egg and oil mix and stir everything together well.
  • Oil your hands and form the mix into 10 balls. You may need to stop and wash your hands and re-oil them part way through – the mix is quite sticky.
  • Put the balls on your baking tray and cover with oiled cling-film
  • Leave in a warm place to rise for 1½- 2 hours.
  • In the meantime pre-heat your over to 180°C
  • Brush the buns with the beaten egg.
  • Mix the plain flour with 1 tbsp water to make a paste. Place the mix in a sandwich bag and ship a tiny hold in the corner. Use this to pipe cross onto each roll. (This wasn’t easy – you can also leave out this step and pipe the cross on with icing after you’ve cooked them).
  • Place the buns in the oven and bake for 25 – 30 minutes mins, until golden. Serve warm or cold.

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