Makes 12
Can you believe I have never ever made a Hot Cross Bun? No, neither can I. This year I was determined to pop my Hot Cross Bun cherry and concoct a bun that everybunny would love. The thing is David doesn’t like dried fruit of any kind, so I knew my buns would have to be fruit free and a bit left of centre. Lauren from Create Bake Make has been the Queen of Buns this year, with almost every kind of Hot Cross Bun you can imagine, from Cranberry and White Chocolate to Mars Bar flavours! However, we had half a bucket of Mini Eggs that were begging to be baked, and so that is how, this weekend, the Mini Egg Hot Cross Buns were baked ‘n’ born. With the right amount of chocolate melt, a classic crunch and the white choc cross top, I think these buns are rather like me; unorthodox, colourful and sweet! I’ve used Lauren’s basic ingredients and her basic method but she’s also converted the recipe to the Thermomix here.
Ingredients
1 tablespoon active dry yeast
1/2 cup caster sugar (110g)
1 1/2 cups lukewarm milk
4 1/4 cups plain flour (640g)
2 teaspoons cinnamon
50g butter, melted
1 egg
100g white choc chips
175 g M&M’s crispy mini eggs
100g white chocolate
2 tablespoons marmalade
2 tablespoons water
How to
- Grease and line a 16cm x 26cm slab pan and lightly oil a large bowl.
- Place half the mini eggs in a ziploc bag and smash with a rolling pin. Set aside.
- Mix the yeast, 2 teaspoons of sugar and the lukewarm milk in a bowl and let it rest for 5 minutes. The mixture should start to foam which is means that the dough is active. (I cheated and put the milk, sugar and yeast in the Thermomix for 2 minutes at 37 degrees on speed 1.)
- In a new bowl, add the flour, cinnamon, sugar, egg, butter, choc chips and yeast mixture and use a knife to bring the mixture together. Don’t worry if the mixture is sticky, it’s all good. (Alternatively, add the flour, sugar, egg, butter and choc chips to the TM bowl and mix for 15 seconds on speed 7.)
- Turn the dough onto a floured board and knead for about eight minutes until the dough is smooth and elastic.
- Transfer the dough to the bowl you oiled earlier and cover it with a tea towel. Leave the bowl in a warm place and let the dough rest for about an hour by which time it should have doubled in size.
- Once risen, remove the dough from the bowl and knead through the smashed mini eggs and the remaining whole ones. Don’t worry if the colour runs or the chocolate starts to melt. This will all add to the flavour!
- Split the mixture into 12 equal portions and roll into balls. Place the balls into the lined tray in 4 rows of 3. Cover again with a tea towel and leave to rest for another half an hour.
- While your buns are rising, preheat the oven to 200C / 180 fan-forced.
- Once the dough has risen, place the tray into the oven and bake for about 20 minutes until the buns are golden brown and springy to the touch.
- Heat the marmalade and water in the microwave for 20-30 seconds and give it a quick mix. Brush the buns with the marmalade glaze while they are still warm. Carefully transfer the buns to a wire rack to cool.
- When the buns have cooled completely, melt the white chocolate in 15 second intervals in the microwave, stirring every time. Transfer the white chocolate to a piping bag and make the crosses. It’s much easier to make long lines from one end of the tray to the other than to ice the cross on each bun individually.
- The buns are ready to eat when the white chocolate cross is set, if you can wait that long!
