Traditional Hot Cross Buns
Preparation 25 Minutes
Cook 1 hr 50 min Minutes
Serves 12
Method
Place your flour, yeast, sugar, allspice, cinnamon and salt in your mixing bowl and briefly mix until combined.
Add in your melted butter, warm milk, eggs and raisins.
Mix with your 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 roll it into a log before cutting it into 12 even pieces.
Roll each piece into a smooth ball and place into a grease proof paper linen baking tray (approx. 30cm x 20cm) in a 3 bun by 4 bun pattern.
Cover balls of 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 after leaving it to rest.
Right before placing it into the oven make your cross mixture by mixing your flour and water until a thickish paste forms. Using a ziplock bag with the corner cut off or a piping bag, pipe your crosses down the center of each bun horizontally and then vertically.
Bake in the oven for approximately 20 minutes or until nice and golden brown.
Meanwhile, place jam and water in a bowl and microwave for approx. 30 seconds until melted and combines.
Once buns are fresh out the over, brush your glaze over each one to give them a beautiful glossy finish.
Ingredients
9g dry yeast
110g caster sugar
375g warm milk
640g bread flour
1 tbsp cinnamon powder
1 tbsp all spice
½ tsp salt
220g Sunbeam Australian Currants
50g unsalted butter, melted
1 whole egg
For the cross:
75g plain flour
5 tbsp of water
For the glaze:
2 tbsp apricot jam (or your jam of preference)
2 tbsp water
Recipe Collection
Fruit Mix Ice-cream Bombs
Remove Ice-cream from the freezer & stand in the fridge for 20 min to soften; do not melt completely.
Line 6 x 180ml dariole moulds or similar with plastic wrap. Put the fruit mince, sherry and almonds in a large mixing bowl, add the softened ice-cream & gently stir to combine.
Spoon the ice-cream mix into each pre-pared mould.
Return moulds to the freezer & freeze for 5 hours or till firm.
Put the sugar & egg whites in small bowl, beat until soft peaks form. Approx 10 min
Turn out the ice-cream moulds, invert onto tray,
Spoon or pipe meringue onto each ice-cream mould.
Blow torch to brown meringue or bake at 220C for 5 min
Stuffed Baked Apples
- Pre-heat oven to 180°C (160°C fan-forced).
- Cut a 2cm slice off the top of each apple and set aside. Using a spoon or melon scoop, scoop out the core of the apple. Place apples into a baking dish.
- Combine the raisins, walnuts, sugar, butter and spice. Using finger tips, mix it all together until a rough mixture has formed. Spoon into the cavity of each apple and bake for approx 25 minutes until apples are tender. If using the tops of the apples, add to the oven half way through cooking time and serve these with the baked apples.
Easter Chocolate Nests
Preheat oven to 180°C.
Line a baking tray with baking paper and spread out almonds on top of it. Bake for 8 minutes or until light golden in colour. Remove from tray and cool.
Lightly grease a patty pan tray.
Combine ingredients together in a bowl. Place spoonfuls into tray and shape into a nest using the back of a spoon. Refrigerate until set. Decorate with Easter eggs.
Christmas Fruit Pudding
- Combine fruit, brandy, rinds and apple. Cover and set aside overnight or for at least 2 hours.
-
Cream butter and sugar until pale and fluffy, beat in golden syrup. Beat in eggs one at a time, beating well between each addition
-
Combine breadcrumbs, flour, spices and almonds. Add creamed butter mixture and soaked fruit, mixing well to combine.
-
Grease a 2 litre capacity pudding basin, line the base with a double layer of baking paper.
-
Spoon mixture into the basin and smooth top. Double line the top with baking paper rounds.
-
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 expansion of 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.
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Remove from water, stand for 10 minutes before turning out. Serve cut into slices with cream and maple syrup.
Macadamia Biscuits
Preheat oven to 170⁰C. Line baking tray with grease proof paper.
- Cream butter and sugar. Add vanilla essence and egg, beating until well combined.
- Stir in flour, macadamia nuts and choc chips.
- Roll tablespoons of mixture into balls and place on tray 5cm apart. Bake for 12mins or until golden brown. Cool on wire rack.
Almond Mandarin Cake
- Put the whole mandarins in a saucepan, cover with cold water and bring to the boil. Simmer for 45 minutes or until tender when tested with a skewer, topping up water as necessary. Drain, cool to room temperature, cut in half and remove any pips.
- Preheat oven to 160°C and line the base of a lightly greased 20cm springform cake pan with baking paper.
- Blend the cooled mandarins, eggs and sugar in a food processor until well combined. Add the almond meal, baking powder and orange blossom water (if using) and pulse until combined.
- Pour the mixture into the prepared pan and sprinkle with almonds. Bake for 1 hour 10 minutes or until golden and a skewer inserted in the centre comes out clean. Remove from the oven and cool for 15 minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool completely.
