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

Boiled Fruit Cake

  1. Soak fruit overnight in sherry or brandy
  2. Place soaked fruit, water, butter, golden syrup and sugar in a saucepan. Slowly bring to the boil then remove from heat and add bicarbonate of soda mixed with one tablespoon boiling water. Cool for 15 minutes.
  3. Add lightly beaten eggs mixing thoroughly. Fold in sifted flours, spices and vanilla essence.
  4. Place in a 20cm round or square cake tin. Decorate with almonds. Bake at 160°C for 75 to 90 minutes. Cool in tin.

Thermo cooker method:

  1. Soak fruit overnight in sherry or brandy.
  2. Place soaked fruit, water, butter, golden syrup and sugar into TM bowl and heat 7 min/100°C/Reverse/speed 1.
  3. Add bicarb soda mixed with one tablespoon boiling water and gently stir through with the spatula – the mix will froth up but should not spill over.
  4. Cool for 15 minutes in TM bowl.
  5. Carefully add all remaining ingredients apart from the blanched almonds in the order listed and mix 10 sec/Reverse/speed 4.
  6. Scrape down sides of the bowl and mix 5 sec/Reverse/speed 4.
  7. Place in a lined 20cm round or square cake tin. Decorate with almonds. Bake at 160ºC for 1¼ to 1½ hours. Cool in tin.

Pine nut, Sultana & Maple Tart

Place the maple syrup, sugar, and salt in a medium saucepan and stir to combine them. Add the butter, place the saucepan over med-high heat, and bring mixture to a boil, stirring often. Remove the saucepan from the heat and transfer the mixture to a large mixing bowl; add the sultanas & allow it to cool for 20 minutes. Whisk in heavy cream, followed by the egg and egg yolk. 

Preheat the oven to 180 Degrees. 

Place the tart shell on a baking sheet to catch any drips. Distribute the pine nuts evenly over the bottom of the tart shell and pour the custard into the shell until it reaches the top of the crust. Bake for 30-45 minutes, or until both the crust and the filling have turned light golden brown and the custard is set but still jiggly.  

Serve the tart while still slightly warm, or cool it and serve at room temperature. Leftovers will keep, wrapped in plastic, for a few days in the refrigerator.

Classic Christmas Pudding

  1. Combine fruit, brandy, rinds and apple. Cover and set aside overnight or for at least 2 hours.
  2. Cream butter and sugar until pale and fluffy, beat in golden syrup. Beat in eggs one at a time, beating well between each addition.
  3. Combine breadcrumbs, flour, spices and almonds. Add creamed butter mixture and soaked fruit, mixing well to combine.
  4. Grease a 2 litre capacity pudding basin, line the base with a double layer of baking paper.
  5. Spoon mixture into the basin and smooth top. Double line the top with baking paper rounds.
  6. Take a 60cm long piece of baking paper and 60cm piece of foil, layer and fold in half, make a 3cm pleat in the middle (this allows for any expansionof the pudding). Place sheets over pudding and secure tightly with string. Place a wire rack onto the base of a large saucepan, fill one third with water and bring to boil. Carefully place pudding onto wire rack making sure the water level comes about halfway up pudding basin. Cover and simmer for 6 hours, replenish water when needed.
  7. Remove from water, stand for 10 minutes before turning out. Serve cut into slices with cream and maple syrup.

Self-Saucing Chocolate Pudding

  1. Pre-heat oven to 180°C (160°C fan-forced). Lightly grease a 4 cup capacity baking dish.
  2. Combine flour, almond meal, sugar and cocoa in a large mixing bowl.
  3. In a separate bowl, whisk together the butter, eggs and milk. Add to the dry ingredients with the raisins and mix well. Spoon into baking dish.
  4. For the sauce, combine the water, sugar and cocoa. Pour over the batter in the baking dish and bake for 30-35 minutes until cake is cooked. Serve warm with ice-cream, cream or custard.

Easter Chocolate Bark

Grease and line a standard baking tray. Set aside.

Place each chocolate flavour in separate bowls. Microwave each bowl in 20 second bursts, stirring in between, until melted.

Divide the white chocolate into 3 separate bowls. Add a few drops of pink colouring to one and stir.

Add a few drops of purple colouring to the second bowl and stir.

Pour the milk chocolate into prepared tray, tilting the tray until the whole base is covered.

Spoon each of the coloured and plain white chocolate onto different spots on the chocolate. Sprinkle with Sunbeam mixed fruit.

Using a skewer, make swirls in the chocolate to create a marble effect. Decorate with chosen sprinkles and cool to set.

Cut or break up chocolate to serve. Great as a gift too!

Toasted Almond & Blueberry Salad

  1. Toast almonds in a pan on medium heat then set aside.
  2. Wash berries and slice strawberries into halves.
  3. Crumble blue cheese and combine salad ingredients together.
  4. Combine dressing ingredients and blend until smooth, pour over salad when serving.

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