Page 18 - Real Rochdale Issue 21 Spring 2024

CHOCOLATE CHIP HOT CROSS BUNS

by Natasha Brown - owner of Brown’s Cakes

I love hot cross buns, but my family just don’t do dried fruit. So here we have – tried and
tested on my family – a hot cross bun recipe with chocolate chips, which, to be honest,
tastes pretty good. I don’t even miss the sultanas, but if you want to substitute the
chocolate for sultanas, you can do, and it will make classic hot cross buns.

Only start this recipe in the morning as it takes at least 3 hours of proving time. You don’t
need to be watching the buns for 3 hours, but you will be doing a bit of kneading here and
a bit of mixing there. It’s best to do on a day when you’ve got the heating on and you’re
going to be in for most of the day.

Before you start, prepare a large bowl by
Ingredients greasing it with olive oil then put to one side.

500g strong bread flour Mix together the flour, salt, caster sugar,
2 ½ teaspoons pumpkin spice (either
bought as a mix or make your own, pumpkin spice and yeast in a clean bowl.
see recipe below)
1 teaspoon salt Warm the milk for 1-1½ minutes in the
7g easy blend yeast (make sure it’s microwave before melting the butter in the
got plenty of shelf life left, old yeast microwave for just 20 seconds or so, then pour
won’t rise) the butter into the warm milk and mix.
60g golden caster sugar
50g melted butter Make a well in the dry ingredients, pour in the
125g chocolate chips (you can warm milk and butter, then pour in the beaten added ingredients. Place the dough back in you’ve made a runny paste. Pour the paste
substitute for sultanas if you like) egg. Begin mixing with a large spoon then use the oiled bowl and cover again with clingfilm. into a piping bag and then snip the end so
50g mixed peel your hands to bring it all together into a sticky This now needs another hour in a warm place that you can squeeze a cross over each bun
1 egg (beaten)
250ml whole milk (warmed) dough. (not too warm or you will melt the chocolate) before baking. If you don’t have a piping bag,
Olive oil to double in size again. just use a small plastic bag and snip a corner
Tip the dough on to a lightly floured surface and when you’re ready to add the crosses.
Pumpkin spice recipe (mix all these knead, repeatedly stretching the dough and Line 2 baking trays with parchment, ready for
together) bringing it back on itself. You will be kneading the next step. Once the dough has doubled Place the dough balls in the oven for approx.
1 ½ tablespoons ground cinnamon for at least 5 minutes. Make a mental note of the in size again, tip it out on to a lightly floured 18-20 minutes until golden brown. While
1 teaspoon ground ginger time so that you don’t take a shortcut and finish surface and cut it into 12 pieces. Roll each of they are in the oven, make the glaze by gently
1 teaspoon nutmeg kneading too early. The aim is to make the dough these pieces into a ball and place them on the heating the water, sugar and spice in a pan.
¾ teaspoon ground allspice smooth, elastic and springy. baking trays; two rows of three on each tray
¾ teaspoon ground cloves with a 2cm gap in between each ball. Cover Brush the glaze over the baked hot cross
Once you’ve finished kneading, place the dough the dough with greased clingfilm and leave it buns as soon as they come out of the oven
For the crosses again for an hour to rise until doubled in size and then leave to cool.
50g plain flour in the oiled bowl and cover with oiled clingfilm.
Cold water The bowl now needs to be placed in a warm again.
place for 1 hour until the dough has risen to These are best cut in half, spread with butter

For the glaze twice its original size. Preheat the oven to 180°C. and eaten on the same day. They also work
25g golden caster sugar well toasted but be careful with the
50ml water When the dough has risen, tip the chocolate While the oven is warming up, mix the plain chocolate chips if you are toasting them.
½ tsp pumpkin spice chips and mixed peel onto the dough and gently flour and a tablespoon of cold water together.
knead it again to knock out the air and mix in the Keep adding water a teaspoon at a time until Happy baking and Happy Easter x

REAL ROCHDALE - SPRING 2024 18 19 REAL ROCHDALE - SPRING 2024