Vegan Hot Cross Bun Recipe

There's nothing Fred and I love more than to wake up on the weekend and enjoy a Hot Cross Bun in bed with a Soy Matcha Latte for me and a coffee for Fred. Being stuck in isolation these last few weeks, we've been getting our bake on and why not give Hot Cross Buns a try! 

Here is the recipe we used to make these delicious Vegan Hot Cross Buns. 

Ingredients:

- 300ml plant-based milk (we used Soy Milk)
- 50g plant-based butter
- 500g organic white bakers flour
- 7g bakers yeast
- 50g dark brown sugar
- 1 tsp of salt
- 2 heaped tsp ground cinnamon
- 2 heaped tsp mixed spice
- the zest of 1 large orange
- 50g sultanas
- 40g dried sliced apricots
- 50g currants
- 1 tsp Cacao

For the Cross:
- 70g plain flour 

For the glaze
- 1 tbsp fruit jam (we used strawberry)

Method:

1. Melt the butter in a saucepan with the plant-based milk and dark brown sugar. Don't let it get to hot and once it starts melting you can turn the heat off and allow to melt.

2. Take approx 100ml of the warm milk mixture into a jug and add the yeast. Mix well and let rest for 5 - 10 minutes or until yeast is activated (it will start to bubble).

3. Meanwhile, mix the flour, salt and spices in a large mixing bowl. Once the yeast, is activated, add the wet ingredients with the dry and mix well with a wooden spoon to create a sticky dough.

4. Tip onto a lightly floured surface and knead the dough by stretching it back and forth on the surface for 5 - 7 minutes or until it is smooth, springy and elastic. Shape into a ball and put into a lightly oiled mixing bowl. Cover and leave in a warm spot to rise for 1 hour or until it has roughly doubled in size.

5. Meanwhile, place currants, sultanas, apricots, and orange zest into a small bowl. Add cacao and 50ml of boiling water and mix well. Let sit while the dough is rising. 

5. Put the dough back onto the floured surface and flatten into a round. Spread the sultanas, apricots, currants mixture onto the dough and knead again until everything is well mixed through. Form into a ball, place in the bowl and cover to rise for another hour.

6. Line a baking tray with baking paper (we use this eco brand). Place the dough back onto the lightly floured surface and give it a few good thumps to punch out the air. Divide the dough into 12 even-sized pieces (we weighed ours to make them all the same size). Roll each one into a ball and arrange on the baking sheet, leaving a 2cm space for each bun. Cover and leave to rise for 45 minutes.

7. Heat the oven 200 Degrees Celsius on fan forced heat. To make the cross, mix the flour with 1 tbsp of water at a time to create a thick, pipeable paste. Spoon it into a piping bag and pipe crosses on the buns. Bake on the middle shelf of the oven for 15 - 20 minutes or until deep golden brown.

8. Meanwhile, gently heat the jam in a small saucepan over a low heat with 50mls of water. Once the buns are cooked, brush the warm jam over the tops of the buns to glaze. 

Recipe adapted from BBC Good Food.