Baking & Desserts
Hot Cross Bun Loaf
Prep 30 mins. /Cook 40 mins.
Makes 8 - 10
Easy
Hot Cross Bun Loaf
Method
Note: This recipe requires additional 2hrs rising time
- Grease a 900 g 21x 11x 7cm high loaf tin with butter and line with baking paper, leaving some to hang over the sides of the tin
- Place the flours, sugar, all spice, cinnamon and orange zest into the bowl of an electric mixer and mix until combined. Remove bowl from mixer and add butter. Using your fingers, rub the butter into the flour mix until it resembles breadcrumbs. Place bowl back onto mixer, add the yeast and mix.
- In a small bowl whisk together the egg and milk. Pour into the dry ingredients and mix until it comes together. Using a dough hook mix the dough for around 10 minutes. You can do this by hand but will take around 15 minutes. It is a sticky dough but will come together*. Once the dough is smooth and elastic tip into a lightly greased bowl and cover with gladwrap. Set aside until doubled in size, around 1 hour.
- Tip the dough onto the bench. Using your fingers press the dough flat. Add the mixed fruit and kneed into the dough until evenly distributed. Portion the dough into 6 even pieces and roll into balls. Place the dough balls into the prepared tin and cover with glad wrap. Set aside until doubled in size, around 1 hour.
- While dough is rising, preheat oven to 180°C. In a small bowl mix together the flour and milk to form a thin paste. Pour mix into a piping bag
- Once the dough has risen pipe a cross onto each dough ball. Place into the oven and bake for 40mins or until golden.
- Transfer loaf to a cooling rack and brush the top with apricot jam.
More Tips
- * This is a sticky dough but will eventually come together. Don’t be tempted to add extra flour to it. All of the mixing is worth it for this lovely spicy loaf.
- Leave off the crosses and make this year round
- Try using different combinations of dried fruits. Cranberries, chopped dried apricot or currents would be lovely.
