It’s almost Easter and what better way to celebrate that making delicious hot cross bun bites yourself. With a twist on a classic recipe, these moreish treats are sure to be a winner.
These bite sized treats are wonderful when served warm or cold and can be enjoyed as a snack or dessert.
Ingredients
- Strong White Bread Flour – 450g
- Fast Acting Yeast – 7g Sachet
- Golden Caster Sugar – 95g
- Warm Milk – 190ml & 1 Extra Tablespoon
- Dark Chocolate – 100g – Roughly Chopped
- 2 x Oranges – Juiced & Zested
- Mixed Peel – 50g
- Unsalted Butter – 50g & 2 Extra Tablespoons
- 1 X Medium Egg – Beaten & 1 X Egg Yolk
- 1 Teaspoon Of Mixed Spice
- 2 Teaspoons Of Cinnamon
- Plain Flour – 50g
- 2 Tablespoons Of Thin Cut Marmalade
Method
STEP 1
In a bowl add your yeast with 1 tablespoon of your golden caster sugar. Pour over about 4 tablespoons of your warm milk and leave to foam up for 5 minutes.
STEP 2
In a separate large bowl, sieve in your flour, add the remaining sugar, the zest of 2 oranges, your cubed butter, mixed spice and cinnamon. Rub together with your fingers until you have a texture similar to breadcrumbs.
STEP 3
To this mixture, add the juice of your 2 oranges and the yeast mixture along with the rest of your milk, add this in slowly and mix as your doing so to help it combine better. You want a sticky dough but not overly so.
STEP 4
Now add in your candied peel and chopped dark chocolate shards, stir through until combined.
STEP 5
Flour your work surface and your hands with more to your side in case you need it. Kneed your dough on the work surface by hand for at least 10 minutes or until it’s smooth and elastic. This is a strenuous task but it’s worth it. Under kneading your bread will prevent the gluten from forming properly and that’s the last thing you want.
STEP 6
Form into a large ball and place into a greased bowl, cover with a damp tea towel and place in a warm area for 2 hours to rise.
STEP 7
Once risen, divide your dough into 20 small balls and kneed again for a couple of minutes and form them into small rounded balls. Place them on a greased baking sheet, make sure they aren’t touching as they still need to rise some more! Cover with a damp tea towel and let rise for another hour.
STEP 8
Once risen, preheat your oven to 190 °C.
STEP 9
In a small bowl mix the plain flour with 1 tablespoon of melted butter until combined. Place into a piping bag with a small nozzle.
STEP 10
Mix your egg yolk and 1 tablespoon of milk together and using a pastry brush completely coat your mini buns.
STEP 11
Now pipe a cross onto each bun, you can do multiple at once or do them one by one.
STEP 12
Bake for 12-14 minutes or until golden brown and delicious.
STEP 13
In a small pot melt your marmalade with 1 tablespoon of butter until fully combined. Brush over the top of your buns when they’re still piping hot.
STEP 14
Let them cool slightly and enjoy!
Makes 20