Hot Cross Bun Loaf
Preparation 1 hr 50 min
Cook 35
Serves 12
Method
Place flour, yeast, sugar, allspice, cinnamon and salt in mixing bowl and briefly mix until combined.
Add in melted butter, warm milk, egg, sultanas and currants.
Mix with dough hook on medium speed for 5-7 minutes until a dough ball is formed and is coming away from the sides of the bowl.
Leave the dough covered with clingfilm in a warm place for approximately 1 hour or until doubles in size.
Knock the air out of the dough and then shape it into a loaf.
Place dough into a greased dough tin approximately 24cm x 13cm x 6.5 cm in size.
Cover dough with cling film again and let rise for approximately 40 minutes or until it has risen to about 70% of its original size.
Pre heat oven to 180 degrees.
Cross Method
Mix flour and water together until a thickish paste forms. Using a ziplock bag with the corner cut off or a piping bag, pipe crosses down the center of the loaf, and then across the other way three or four times.
Bake in the oven for 35 minutes, or until it sounds hollow when you tap it.
Let cool on a baking rack for 15-20 minutes.
Drizzle Method
Mix icing sugar and lemon juice together and drizzle over loaf whilst still slightly warm.
Ingredients
9g of dry yeast
110g caster sugar
375g warm milk
640g bread flour
1 tbsp cinnamon powder
1 tbsp all spice
½ tsp salt
110g Sunbeam Australia Currants
110g Sunbeam Australia Sultanas
50gm Unsalted butter, melted
1 whole egg
For the cross (optional):
75g of plain flour
5 tbsp of water
For the drizzle:
150g icing sugar
15ml lemon juice
Recipe Collection
Sultana & White Chocolate Shortbread
Beat the butter and sugar until creamy, approximately 2-3 minutes, add the sifted flour, when almost combined add the sultanas, choc chips & continue to beat with the flat beaters until a firm dough is obtained, be aware that it does take time to bring it together. If you knead by hand it will take approximately 4 minutes of kneading.
Wrap the dough in plastic and refrigerate for 30-60 minutes or even overnight.
Remove the dough from the fridge, and if very firm, gently knead, place the dough between 2 sheets of parchment paper and roll to ¼ inch thickness, cut out with your feastive cookie cutters, place on the prepared cookie sheets. Refrigerate the cookies while the oven is pre-heating, for about 15 minutes.
Pre-heat the oven to 160C. Line 1 or 2 cookie sheets with parchment paper.
Bake the cookies for approximately 10 minutes. Remove from the oven, let sit 2-3 minutes on the cookie sheet then move to a wire rack to cool completely.
Enjoy!
Hot Cross Cookies
- Preheat the oven to 180°C. Line cookie trays with baking paper.
- Beat butter, vanilla, sugars and egg in a small bowl with an electric mixer until light and fluffy. Transfer mixture to a large bowl; stir in sifted flour and bicarb soda, in two batches. Stir in fruit, nuts & chocolate.
- Roll tablespoons of mixture into balls; place 5cm apart on trays.
- Bake cookies 15 minutes or until golden; cool on trays.
- Once cookies are cooled, pipe cross with melted white chocolate.
Notes: Each cookie weighed 50g before cooking to make 24. Keep a few extra currants and choc chips to add to cookies when removed from oven to decorate top.
Sunshine Pudding
Prepare a 2 litre pudding basin – grease well and double line base with baking paper circles.
- Combine raisins, sultanas, cherries and Cointreau in a bowl and leave to soak for 30 minutes.
- Place apricots, apricot nectar, orange juice and rind in a small saucepan and simmer covered for ten minutes, stirring occasionally. Allow to cool and puree.
- Cream butter and brown sugar in a small bowl until light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well between each addition.
- Sift flours into a large bowl, add butter cake crumbs, macadamias, soaked fruit, pureed apricots and butter mixture and mix well to combine. Spoon mixture into the basin and smooth the top. Top with baking paper round.
- Take a 60cm long piece of baking paper and foil, layer and make a 3cm pleat in the middle of the sheets. Place onto pudding basin and secure with kitchen string.
- Place a wire rack onto the base of a large saucepan, a third filled with water and bring to the boil. Carefully place pudding onto rack, making sure the water comes about halfway up basin. Cover and simmer for 6 hours, topping up water when needed. Remove from saucepan and stand for 10 minutes before turning out.
- Serve with cream, custard or ice-cream if desired.
Candied nuts decoration:
- Place sugar and water in a medium, heavy-based saucepan and stir over low heat until sugar has completely dissolved. Stop stirring, increase heat and bring to boil. Reduce to medium heat and gently boil until the toffee begins to change colour. Do not stir toffee once it has boiled.
- Working quickly, drop macadamias one at a time into the toffee and toss with a fork to coat, remove and place on a tray lined with baking paper. Repeat with remaining macadamias.
- Decorate the top of the pudding and serve.
Almond & Sultana Snowballs
Blitz ingredients in a small blender or kitchen wiz until sticky and evenly combined.
Roll into small balls (about 1 tablespoon (30g) each).
Coat in extra almonds & desiccated coconut.
Chill in the fridge for 30 minutes to set.
Keeps for up to 1 week refrigerated.
Gifting tip:
Pack them into a kraft paper box or clear cellophane bag tied with twine and a “Handmade with Love” tag for the perfect holiday treat
Spiced Meatloaf
Combine all ingredients except capsicum throughly. Place half of the sliced capsicum decoratively over the base of a loaf pan approximately 23cm x 9cm.
Gently spoon half the meat mixture on the capsicum.
Place remaining capsicum slices on top then spoon on remaining meat mixture, pressing meatloaf down firmly.
Bake in a moderate oven for 40 minutes or until cooked when tested.
Delicious served with a brown onion gravy.
Sweet Treats
Preheat the oven to 170°C. Line a large baking tray with baking paper.
- Combine oats, sugar, coconut, cinnamon, almonds, walnuts, oil and honey in a bowl. Mix with hands compacting together. Bake in the oven for 5 minutes and then stir and return for another 5 minutes.
- Stir in currants and sultanas and bake for a further 5-8 minutes to ensure the granola is evenly golden brown.
- Allow to cool completely before serving with milk or a good dollop of yoghurt.
