Fruitless Hot Cross Buns

This recipe is great for those who can’t eat or don’t like dried fruit, it is also lactose free so it’s a great alternative if you need a more intolerance/allergy friendly hot cross bun recipe.

Freeze the leftovers as these are otherwise best eaten the day they are made.

Fruitless Hot Cross Buns

Ingredients: 

250ml warm/tepid water

85g golden caster sugar

9g dried yeast

490g plain flour, plus extra

2 tsp ground cinnamon

1 tsp ground ginger

1 tsp ground cardamom

1/2 tsp ground nutmeg

1/2 tsp mixed spice

3/4 tsp salt

2 eggs

63ml canola, vegetable or sunflower oil, plus extra

1 tsp vanilla extract

Ingredients for the Cross:

90g plain flour

8g icing sugar (confectioners)

pinch of salt

15ml canola or vegetable oil

75ml water (room temperature/tepid is best) 

Method:

Mix together the warm water and 60g of the sugar. Leave for 10-15 minutes, or until the yeast has become foamy. If the yeast doesn’t foam, discard and start again. The yeast may be out of date or the water too hot which will kill the yeast rather than activate it.

Place the flour, salt, spices and remaining sugar into a large bowl (one that fits your stand mixer if you have one), and mix together. 

In a jug, whisk together one of the eggs with the oil and the vanilla extract.

Once the yeast is foamy, add to the flour mixture, along with the egg and oil mixture. Mix together with a wooden spoon until a rough dough forms. 

Then attach the bowl to your stand mixer fitted with the dough hook, and knead on a medium speed for about five minutes. The dough will be smooth and a little sticky once done. If the dough is too sticky, add a little more flour (1-2 tbsp). 

While the dough is kneading, lightly oil a large bowl.

Place the dough into the oiled bowl and cover. Leave in a warm spot for 1.5 hours, or until the dough has risen and doubled in size. 

Line a large baking tray with baking paper.

Once the dough has risen, very lightly flour your work surface and tip the dough out. Divide the dough into 12 pieces - you can do this by weighing the dough, dividing the total weight by 12, then weighing each piece of dough out so you get even sized buns.

Roll each piece of dough into a bun shape by folding the sides of each piece to the centre and pinch to close. This will now be the underside of your bun. Place the pinched side down, and cover your hand over the ball of dough like a loose claw. Rotate the ball of dough under your hand using the claw shape, to gently smooth the dough and form into a nice ball shape.

Place each ball of dough on the prepared tray, in a 4 x 3 formation. I usually leave a little space in between each to allow for more rising during the final proof and during baking. 

Cover the dough again and leave in a warm spot for about 30 minutes, or until the dough has risen. 

While the dough is rising, preheat oven to 180 degrees Celsius.

If using, make the cross paste by whisking together all the ingredients in a medium bowl until it is a smooth yet paste like consistency. If the paste seems too thick, add a little more water.

Place the paste in a piping bag or zip lock bag and twist the top to close.

Once the dough has risen, cut a small amount of the piping bag tip off and pipe the cross over each bun. Do this by piping one long line over each row of buns, then finish it off doing the same in the other direction. Whisk the remaining egg, and gently brush the buns with some egg wash (focusing more on the buns than the cross).

Bake for 20-25 minutes, rotating the tray in the oven about half way to help the buns cook and brown more evenly. The buns will be ready when they are golden on top and sound hollow when tapped. 

Remove from the oven, and place the tray on a wire rack. Allow the buns to cool a little, before sliding the buns off the tray onto the wire rack using the paper they are sitting on. If you leave the buns on the tray too long, they may get a little wet underneath from the steam. 

Serve warm. Can be frozen.

Serves 12.

White Chocolate Chai Hot Cross Buns

A little twist on traditional hot cross buns. I really like the combination of white chocolate and chai and they work really well in a bun like this. The cross is optional, it doesn’t really add anything flavour wise to the buns, it’s just for the look and nod to Easter.

I also decided against a more traditional sugar syrup style glaze for these buns, they are sweet enough with the white chocolate, plus I don’t really like the sticky-ness it adds to the buns. I always freeze my hot cross buns, and defrosting them with a glaze on top is honestly just annoying! I’ve gently and lightly brushed these with a beaten egg before baking so they have a bit of shine.

White Chocolate Chai Hot Cross Buns

Ingredients for the Buns:

250ml milk

85g (golden) caster sugar

9g dried yeast

490g plain flour, plus extra

10g ground chai spice powder

2 eggs

63ml canola, vegetable or sunflower oil, plus extra

1 tsp vanilla bean paste

200g packet of white chocolate chips/bits (not melts)

Ingredients for the Cross (if using): 

90g plain flour

8g icing sugar (confectioners)

1/4 tsp ground chai spice powder

pinch of salt

15ml canola or vegetable oil

75ml water (room temperature/tepid is best)

Method:

In a small saucepan gently heat the milk and 60g of the sugar. Heat until lukewarm, then remove from the heat and mix in the yeast. Leave for 10-15 minutes, or until the yeast has become foamy - if the yeast does not foam, it may be out of date and no longer active, or if the liquid is too hot it may kill the yeast. It is best to discard the liquid and yeast and begin again if this happens.

Place the flour, salt, chai spice powder and remaining sugar into a large bowl (one that fits your stand mixer if you have one), and mix together. 

In a jug, whisk together one of the eggs with the oil and the vanilla paste.

Once the yeast is foamy, add to the flour mixture, along with the egg and oil mixture. Mix together with a wooden spoon until a rough dough forms. 

Then attach the bowl to your stand mixer fitted with the dough hook, and knead on a medium speed for about five minutes. The dough will be smooth and a little sticky once done. If the dough is too sticky, add a little more flour (1-2 tbsp). 

While the dough is kneading, lightly oil a large bowl.

Dust your work surface with flour and tip the dough out. Add the white chocolate chips bit by bit and knead by hand to combine into the dough. Add small amounts of flour if necessary to make the dough a bit less sticky - the dough will be a bit sticky to touch, but it shouldn’t be really wet. There is no need to knead the dough for too long, as your stand mixer has done most of the work already. 

Place into the oiled bowl and cover. Leave in a warm spot for 1.5 hours, or until the dough has risen and doubled in size. 

Line a baking tray with baking paper.

Once the dough has risen, flour your work surface and tip the dough out. Lightly flour the top of the dough if necessary. Cut the dough into 12 equal pieces - you can weigh the dough and divide by 12, then weigh out each dough ball to ensure they are a relatively even size or by shaping the dough into a fat log shape, then cutting it in half, then dividing the two halves into six pieces each. 

Roll each piece of dough into a bun shape by folding the sides of each piece to the centre and pinch to close. This will now be the underside of your bun. Place the pinched side down, and cover your hand over the ball of dough like a loose claw. Rotate the ball of dough under your hand using the claw shape, to gently smooth the dough and form into a nice ball shape.

Place each ball of dough on the prepared tray, in a 4 x 3 formation. I usually leave a little space in between each to allow for more rising during the final proof and during baking. 

Cover the dough again and leave in a warm spot for about 30 minutes, or until the dough has risen. 

While the dough is rising, preheat oven to 180 degrees Celsius.

If using, make the cross paste by whisking together all the ingredients in a medium bowl until it is a smooth yet paste like consistency. If the paste seems too thick, add a little more water.

Place the paste in a piping bag or zip lock bag and twist the top to close.

Once the dough has risen, cut a small amount of the piping bag tip off and pipe the cross over each bun. Do this by piping one long line over each row of buns, then finish it off doing the same in the other direction. Whisk the remaining egg, and gently brush the buns with some egg wash (focusing more on the buns than the cross).

Bake for 20-25 minutes, rotating the tray in the oven about half way to help the buns cook and brown more evenly. The buns will be ready when they are golden on top and sound hollow when tapped. 

Remove from the oven, and place the tray on a wire rack. Allow the buns to cool a little, before sliding the buns off the tray onto the wire rack using the paper they are sitting on. If you leave the buns on the tray too long, they may get a little wet underneath from the steam.

Serve warm. Can be frozen.

Makes 12 hot cross buns.

Crunchy Christmas Spiced Biscuits

These biscuits (or cookies) are inspired by the Crunchy Cinnamon Cookies I made over a year ago, but with a festive twist. 

I love gingerbread inspired biscuits and cakes, so these are a great addition to my Christmas biscuit repertoire. They are also a relatively quick biscuit to make, they don’t require too much time in the fridge, just enough so the dough firms up a bit. 

You can also freeze the dough if you’d like to make the recipe in stages - freeze either rolled into a log and roll the log in the spiced sugar mixture, or roll into balls as the recipe suggests but rather than baking you can freeze them at that stage (already rolled in the spiced sugar mix). Frozen biscuits will need about 2 minutes longer to cook, but check them as you go as that’s the best way to determine if they are ready. 

If you have leftover egg yolks after other Christmas baking, you can substitute the one egg in this recipe for two egg yolks to help use them up. 

I hope you have a very Merry Christmas, filled with lots of good food. 

Crunchy Spiced Christmas Cookies

Ingredients:

120g unsalted butter

125g caster sugar

100g dark brown sugar

2 tbsp treacle

1 tsp vanilla bean paste (or extract)

1 egg

290g self raising flour

1.5 tsp ground cinnamon

1.5 tsp mixed spice

1/2 tsp ground ginger

1/2 tsp ground cardamom 

1/4 tsp ground cloves

1/4 tsp ground nutmeg

2 tsp Demerara or raw sugar 

Method:

Preheat oven to 170 degrees Celsius and line three large baking trays with baking paper.

In a small saucepan melt the butter over low-medium heat. Once the butter has melted remove from the heat and allow to cool for a few minutes. Then whisk in the caster sugar, brown sugar, treacle, vanilla and the egg. 

In a large bowl whisk together the flour, 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon, 1/2 tsp mixed spice, and all of the ground ginger, cardamom, clove and nutmeg. 

Add the butter mixture to the flour and mix with a wooden spoon until combined.

Cover and chill in fridge for at least 20 mins (however you could do overnight).

In a small bowl mix together the remaining 1 tsp cinnamon, 1 tsp mixed spice and the Demerara sugar.

Roll heaped teaspoonfuls of the dough into balls and roll into your spiced sugar mix. Place on the prepared trays - the biscuits will spread as they bake so leave enough room in between. 

Bake for 12-15 minutes or until golden brown. The biscuits will spread and flatten out as they good, and have a slightly crinkled look on the tops. Rotate the trays in the oven about halfway through to ensure the biscuits cook evenly.  

Allow to cool on their trays, then store in an airtight container. 

Makes about 34-36 biscuits.

Gingerbread Melting Moments

These are a cross between a melting moment and a gingerbread biscuit and if I do say so myself, they are very good!

Like regular gingerbread biscuit the flavour improves over a day or two. You can mix up the spices if you like, but I highly recommend having a variety of spices like those in the ingredients list.

These would make a nice gift, however they are equally nice just to have in the biscuit jar at home for something to nibble on in the lead up to Christmas.

Gingerbread Melting Moments

Ingredients:                                       

300g unsalted butter, softened

100g icing sugar

1 tsp vanilla bean paste

450g plain flour

1.5 tsp ground ginger

1.5 tsp mixed spice

1 tsp ground cardamom

Ingredients for the filling:

80g unsalted butter, softened

200g icing sugar

1 tsp vanilla bean paste

1/2 tsp ground ginger

1/2 tsp mixed spice

1/2 tsp ground cardamom 

Method: 

Preheat oven to 145 degrees Celsius, and line three large baking trays with baking paper. 

In the bowl of a stand mixer using the paddle attachment, beat the butter, sugar and vanilla  until creamy.

Add the flour and spices to the creamed butter, and mix on low speed until a dough forms. 

Roll teaspoonfuls of the dough into balls and place on the prepared trays (you should end up with 40-44 individual dough balls/biscuits) leaving a little space in between each. Then lightly press down each ball with the back of a fork so they flatten out a little. Dip your fork in flour if it is sticking to the dough.

Bake for 25 minutes. They will be cooked when the undersides of the biscuits are lightly golden. To ensure a even bake, rotate the baking trays in the oven around half way through. 

Allow to cool on their trays.

Once the biscuits have cooled make the filling by beating all the ingredients in the bowl of a stand mixer using the paddle attachment or by using a hand held mixer. Mix until light and fluffy and everything is well combined. 

Pair up the cooked biscuits, and turn one from each pair over so the underside is facing up. Spread or pipe the filling on to the underside of one biscuit in each biscuit pair, then gently sandwich the paired biscuits together.

Leave the biscuits for half an hour or so for the filling to firm up a bit (you can do this in the fridge in warmer weather). Biscuits will store well in an airtight container for a few days. 

Makes about 46 individual biscuits and 23 sandwiched biscuits. 

Hot Cross Bun Inspired Loaf

I like hot cross buns, however they are quite fiddly to make. My least favourite parts of the process are rolling the dough into balls, and piping the cross over. I find the only way to get relatively even sized hot cross buns is to weigh the dough and divide by how many I am making (usually 12). Then rather painstakingly weight out the dough until each ball is about the same weight. I just find it annoying!

Even though the cross on the hot cross buns is quite easy, I do find so many elements can change the look of the cross. How thick has the mixture become (what was the temperature of the water added?), what size hole did I cut in the piping bag? I find I often get varying results even when I’ve made them time and time again. The cross also adds nothing flavour wise so I began wondering why I even bothered with it at all (I understand the point of it re religion, but for me hot cross buns are more about flavour).

This year I decided to make a hot cross bun loaf, which cancelled out a couple of the steps I dislike about making hot cross buns. I have also found the cut up loaf fits much nicer in the freezer, and toasting it in the toaster is much easier than getting the grill going, and having to defrost the buns before that. 

You could of course still pipe a cross over the top before baking, however I chose to sprinkle the loaf with some pear sugar which holds its shape whilst in the oven.

Obviously making anything yeasted and bread based is going to take some time, but if I can cut out a few of the less necessary slightly annoying steps I’m happy. I’m also happy if I can just get my hot cross bun fix around Easter, and for me, they don’t need to be actual buns. 

This recipe is very much based on the vanilla hot cross buns I made a few years ago, so they are decidedly uncitrus-y which is how I like them. You could add mixed peel, or orange zest if you like.

Hot Cross Bun Inspired Loaf

Ingredients: 

100g golden sultanas or raisins (roughly copped if very large)

100g currants

2 tbsp vanilla extract

250ml milk

85g (golden) caster sugar

9g dried yeast

490g plain flour, plus extra

2 tsp ground cinnamon

1 tsp ground ginger

1 tsp ground cardamom

1/2 tsp ground nutmeg

1/2 tsp mixed spice

3/4 tsp salt

2 eggs

63ml canola, vegetable or sunflower oil, plus extra

1 tsp vanilla bean paste

cooking spray

Pearl sugar, optional 

Method:

In a small bowl place the sultanas and currants. Top with the vanilla extract, then add enough hot water so the fruit is just covered. Set aside. 

In a small saucepan gently heat the milk and 60g of the sugar. Heat until lukewarm, then remove from the heat and mix in the yeast. Leave for 10-15 minutes, or until the yeast has become foamy - if the yeast does not foam, it may be out of date and no longer active, or if the liquid is too hot it may kill the yeast. It is best to discard the liquid and yeast and begin again if this happens.

Place the flour, salt, spices and remaining sugar into a large bowl (one that fits your stand mixer if you have one), and mix together. 

In a jug, whisk together one of the eggs with the oil and the vanilla extract.

Once the yeast is foamy, add to the flour mixture, along with the egg and oil mixture. Mix together with a wooden spoon until a rough dough forms. 

Then attach the bowl to your stand mixer fitted with the dough hook, and knead on a medium speed for about five minutes. The dough will be smooth and a little sticky once done. If the dough is too sticky, add a little more flour (1-2 tbsp). 

While the dough is kneading, lightly oil a large bowl and drain the sultanas and currants well. 

Dust your work surface with flour and tip the dough out. Add the fruit mixture bit by bit and knead by hand to combine into the dough. Add small amounts of flour if necessary to counterbalance any moisture the soaked fruit has added and to make the dough a bit less sticky - the dough will be a bit sticky to touch, but it shouldn’t be really wet. There is no need to knead the dough for too long, as your stand mixer has done most of the work already. 

Place into the oiled bowl and cover. Leave in a warm spot for 1.5 hours, or until the dough has risen and doubled in size. 

Spray a 22 x 10 x 8.5cm (approx.) loaf tin* with the cooking spray. 

Once the dough has risen, very lightly flour your work surface and tip the dough out. Divide the dough into three, and roll each portion into a long strand (about 10-15cm). 

Plait the strands together, ensuring either end is well connected and tucked under if necessary. If the plait has become quite long push it from either end to reduce it’s size (so it will fit into your tin). Place into the prepared tin, cover and leave in a warm spot for about 30 minutes, or until the dough has risen. 

While the dough is rising, preheat oven to 180 degrees Celsius.

Once the dough has risen, beat the remaining egg to create an egg wash. Brush the loaf over with some of the egg wash. Then scatter over some pearl sugar.

Bake in the oven for 40 minutes. Check after 20 minutes, and loosely place some foil over the top to prevent the loaf from over browning if necessary. 

The loaf will be ready when it is golden on top, and sounds hollow when gently tapped. Remove from the oven, and place on a wire rack. Leave to cool in the tin for about 20 minutes.

Once the loaf has cooled a little, slide a spatula or flat bladed knife around the edges of the loaf to detach the loaf from the tin if it has stuck. Remove from the tin and allow to cool completely before cutting into about 12 slices. 

Serves 12 (approx. - it will depend on how thickly you cut the slices!). 

*a more bread baking style loaf tin rather than a cake loaf tin (which can be smaller) will work better for this recipe. The loaf tin needs to have fairly high sides to accommodate the bread rising in the oven. If you don’t have a loaf tin big enough, once the loaf is braided place on a lined baking tray for the second proof and then use the egg wash and bake as per the recipe instructions.

Spiced Christmas Cupcakes with Very Vanilla Buttercream

Since I already have quite a few festive recipes on my blog, I decided this year something simple was in order. 

Basic cupcakes like these are great to make when you don’t have time for more complex baking, and they would be a good thing to make with kids as well since the cook time is short (and the decoration options are endless!).

These cupcakes are spiced with the Gewürzhaus Christmas Cake and Pudding Spice which I was gifted in November when I went to visit the new Gewürzhaus store in Sydney’s QVB. It elevates these cupcakes from basic to festive, and provides all the Christmas-y flavour you could need (with very little effort). Other festive spice mixes can be used - a gingerbread style spice mix would also work really well, or a combination of spices such as cinnamon, mixed spice and nutmeg.

The vanilla buttercream is a favourite of mine and has a great vanilla flavour thanks to both vanilla extract and paste. The recipe makes a generous amount so you will have a decent amount of icing on each cupcake, ready to decorate whichever way you please.

Spiced Christmas Cupcakes with Very Vanilla Buttercream

Ingredients: 

125g unsalted butter, at room temp

95g caster sugar 

70g vanilla bean sugar

1 tsp vanilla extract

2 eggs 

250g self raising flour

3 tsp Gewürzhaus Christmas Cake and Pudding Spice*

105ml buttermilk

Ingredients for Vanilla Buttercream: 

200g unsalted butter, at room temp 

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 tsp vanilla bean paste

240g icing sugar, sifted

festive sprinkles, to decorate (optional)

festive cupcake toppers, to decorate (optional)

Method: 

Pre-heat oven to 160 degrees Celsius, and line a 12 hole cupcake tray with cupcake cases. 

In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat the butter, sugars and vanilla until light and fluffy.

Beat in the eggs one at a time and mix well. 

Then add half the flour and mix on low speed until combined. Add the milk and mix on low speed until combined. Then add the remaining flour and Christmas Cake and Pudding Spice and gently mix until everything is combined and there are no lumps.

Spoon the mixture evenly amongst the cupcake cases, filling so the cases are about 3/4 full.

Bake for 20 minutes, or until a skewer comes out clean and the cakes spring back to the touch. Remove the cupcakes from the tray and allow to cool on a wire rack.

To make the icing, beat the butter and vanillas in a stand mixer with the paddle attachment for at least 1 minute, or until the butter is light and fluffy. Add the icing sugar and beat for a further minute or two, or until the icing sugar is well combined and the icing is light and fluffy. 

Spread or pipe icing onto the top of each cupcake, and decorate as desired.

Makes 12 cupcakes, will keep for a few days in an airtight container.

*This spice mix is a mixture of cassia, coriander, ginger, clove, nutmeg, so a similar mix of spices could be used in its place. 

Gewürzhaus Christmas Cake and Pudding Spice was gifted by Gewürzhaus.