Hot Cross Buns Recipe

Originating from ancient Germany and later adopted by the Anglo-Saxon Christian tradition, hot cross buns are typical sweets of the Easter period in England and beyond!

The English recipe dates back to the 1300s, when a monk from St. Albans Abbey decided to prepare them for the less fortunate during Good Friday.
The typical cross that appears on the surface of the sweet represents Easter iconography, from which the recipe takes its name.

Hot Cross Buns are perfect to offer to customers as a breakfast treat or as a conclusion to the Easter lunch. S series professional deck oven, thanks to the combination of Dual-Power and Delta-Power functions, allows you to balance the heat between the upper and lower resistances, as well as between the front and back of the oven, guaranteeing even and precise baking without the need to rotate the trays.

Here are all the steps:

Original hot cross buns

Ingredients

Fruits for the filling

630 g raisins
490 g mixed diced candied fruits
210 g small diced golden apple
70 g Rum

Sourdough

700 g type 0 or 00 W300-330 flour
350 g wholemeal flour
90 g yeast
965 g milk

Final dough

2,450 g type 0 or 00 W300-330 flour
700 g eggs
435 g water
175 g egg yolk
105 g honey
525 g sugar
56 g salt
630 g butter
20 g mixed spices
All the mixed fruits soaked in rum

Finishing glaze

600 g icing sugar
125 g hot water
125 g orange juice

Heat: S series Two-Phase Program

Phase 1 : 190 °C 3 minutes, 40% top, 40% deck

Phase 2 185 °C 16 minutes, 25% top, 25% deck

Delta-power 5% top 2% deck

Method

Filling

1. A couple of hours before preparation, mix the fruit with the rum.
2. Bring everything to around 40 °C, cover, and let cool.

Sourdough

1. Heat the milk to around 30 °C and add the yeast.
2. Combine the flours and mix until a homogeneous mixture is obtained. Let it rise for about an hour or until the volume has tripled.

Dough

1. In a mixer, combine the flour, tripled sourdough, egg yolks, eggs, and water. Knead on low speed for 8 minutes.
2. Switch to high speed and let the gluten develop.
3. Then add the honey, spices, salt, and once combined, incorporate the sugar in two times.
4. Add the butter at room temperature and let the mixer run until the dough is smooth and elastic.
5. Add the fruit and set the mixer to low speed.
6. Transfer the dough to a buttered container and let it rest for 90 minutes or until the volume has increased by 50%.
7. Divide into portions of 60 g and round them, let them rest for 10 minutes, and then proceed with a second rolling. Finally, transfer to a baking tray covered with parchment paper (5×7 portions in a 60×40 tray).
8. Let it rise for about 2 hours.
9. Once risen, create the cross with a mixture of flour, water, and sugar, using a piping bag with a smooth 4mm nozzle.
10. Once risen, brush with a 1:1 mixture of cream and egg.

Glaze

1. Gently heat the water and add all the ingredients.

Baking

1. Set the S series to 190 °C with 40% top and 25% deck. Set Delta-Power to 5% top and 2% deck. Once the temperature is reached, bake for 3 minutes.
2. After 3 minutes, reduce the temperature to 185 °C and continue baking for another 16 minutes.
3. Remove from the oven and garnish with the previously prepared glaze.