I’ve always been put off making Hot Cross Buns because of the crosses. I am fairly confident with buns now – I do a pretty good Chelsea Bun, with an enriched sourdough, and am quite adventurous in fillings and spices – so thought it was time to add a bit of piping to my baking.
I thought I would use some Very Strong White with some Strong White and a mix of sourdough starter and instant yeast to generate the dough and give it a bit more flavour; and I soaked the dried ingredients in tea and spices overnight before mixing them in. The crosses were made with a mix of gram and plain white flour, mixed with an equal weight of water, and piped using a piping syringe.
Overall, they were … OK. I think a higher protein content on the flours would help and a richer dough, with more butter and two eggs instead of one.
Love these. Just made them and they are gorgeous but agree with the cooking time comments. I had problems with the cross bit, so 6 of them are hot cross buns and the reat are just buns!