Little known fact for you…I did music as a Standard Grade at school. In fact, it was one of my favourite subjects. I was never really that great at playing music but I loved the theory side of things. One tune I did master on the keyboard however is Hot Cross Buns, even if everyone thinks I’m playing Three Blind Mice whenever I decide to share my skills on the keys.
I wasn’t really a fan of actual Hot Cross Buns until recent years, mainly due to my indifference towards dried fruit. But if like me you like a Hot Cross Bun but need something a little sweeter to entice you in, these Chocolate Chip Hot Cross Buns will be music to your ears!
I had always viewed Hot Cross Buns as being quite tricky to bake but truth be told they’re really quite straight forward, all be it a tad time consuming. However if you’re one of the lucky ones (who doesn’t work in retail!) and gets the long weekend off for Easter, then it’s the perfect opportunity to put a time aside and give these a go. Trust me, they’re worth the wait!
Granny’s Top Tips
• Pipe on your cross lightly/thinly. They expand quite a bit when baking and if too thick will take over the entire bun!
• Weigh your dough and divide by ten to ensure you get even sized buns.
• If you’re not a fan of Chocolate Chip Hot Cross Buns, just swap out the chocolate chips for dried fruit like currants or raisins.
Chocolate Chip Hot Cross Buns
Ingredients
For the Dough
- 450 g Strong White Bread Flour plus extra for dusting
- 7 g Sachet of Fast-action Dried Yeast
- 50 g
Golden Caster Sugar - 1 tsp Salt
- 1 tsp
Mixed Spice - 1 tsp Ground Cinnamon
- 250 ml Warm Milk
- 1 Free-range Egg beaten
- 50 g Butter melted, plus extra for greasing
- 100 g Milk Chocolate Chips
For the Cross
- 3 tbsp Plain Flour
- ½ tbsp Caster Sugar
- 2 tbsp Water
For the Glaze
- 1 tbsp Caster Sugar
- 1 tbsp Boiling Water
Instructions
- Place the flour, yeast, sugar, salt, cinnamon & mixed spice in a bowl and mix. Make a well in the centre and pour in the milk, egg and butter. Mix with a wooden spoon and finish with your hands until you have a wet dough.
- Turn your dough onto a well-floured surface and with well-floured hands knead for 10 minutes until it becomes smooth and springy.
- Place the dough into a lightly oiled bowl and cover loosely with a damp tea towel. Leave to rise for a least 1 hour (longer if needed) until the dough has doubled in size.
- Tip the dough onto a floured surface and flatten with your hands. Scatter the chocolate chips on top and gently knead through the dough.
- Divide your dough into 10 even buns and place onto a greased baking tray with a little space between each. Place a damp tea towel loosely on top of the buns and leave to prove in a warm space until nearly doubled in size – around 20 minutes.
- Heat the oven to 200°c (180°c for fan assisted ovens or Gas Mark 6). Mix the flour, sugar and water to create the paste for crossing your buns. Spoon into a piping bag and gently pipe crosses onto each bun.
- Bake for 20 minutes until they are a light golden brown.
- Allow to cool a little on the tray and when warm to touch, transfer to a wire wrack. Mix the water & sugar to make the glaze, then lightly brush each bun to finish.
Oh wow, what a good idea! I love raisins and sultanas but mixed peel has ruined far too many Hot Cross Buns for me – My kids would love this choc chip suggestion. Thanks for joining in with #BakeoftheWeek once again x
These look really yummy, I bet the melty chocolate chips are wonderful when they’re toasted! Thanks for joining in with #BAKEoftheWEEK !