Hot Cross Buns
Preparation 15 Minutes
Cook 20 MIN + PROVING TIME 3 HRS Minutes
Serves 12
Method
In a small saucepan, heat the milk until just boiling. Pour ¼ cup of the hot milk into a small bowl. Set aside remaining milk.
Add 1 tsp of the caster sugar to the ¼ cup of milk. Sprinkle the yeast of the top and stir. Sit at room temperature until bubbly and doubled in size, approx. 10 min.
Meanwhile, add the butter to remaining reserved hot milk and stir to combine. Set aside to cool to room temperature.
In a large bowl, place flour, bicarb, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt. Make a well in the centre. Pour in the milk and butter mix. Stir. Then add the yeast mix. Stir to combine. Add the egg. Continue to stir until a sticky dough forms.
Tip onto a lightly floured clean surface, and knead until it becomes a smooth dough, about 5 mins.
Place the dough into a large oiled bowl. Cover with cling film, sprayed with oil and leave to rise in a warm place for 1 hour or until it has doubled in size. Add the sultanas, mix again, and recover. Rest again in a warm place for another hour.
Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 200C. Grease and line a baking tray with baking paper.
Divide the dough into 12 pieces and roll into balls on a lightly floured surface.
Arrange onto prepared tray, leaving a 2cm space between each ball. Spray with oil, cover and rest for 30-60 mins, or until dough has risen again.
For the paste:
In a small bowl, combine flour and icing sugar. Gradually add water, 1 tbspn at a time, until a paste forms.
Using a piping bag with a small nozzle (or a small snap lock bag with the corner snipped) fill with the paste and pipe along the centre of each row of rolls. Turn the tray and repeat this across the centre of the rolls to form a cross.
Bake on the middle rack in the oven for 20 mins or until golden.
Gently heat the jam to melt to a syrupy consistency. Brush the tops of the warm buns to glaze.
Serve warm or at room temperature.
Ingredients
300ml milk
7g sachet instant yeast
½ cup caster sugar
50g unsalted butter, softened
500g plain flour
1 tsp bicarb soda
1 tsp ground cinnamon
½ tsp nutmeg
½ tsp salt
1 cup Sunbeam sultanas
1 egg, lightly beaten
Cross paste:
80g plain flour
1 tbspn icing sugar
5-6 tbspn water
Glaze
3 tbspn apricot jam
Recipe Collection
Mini Indulgent Puddings
Preheat oven to 150°C
- Combine fruit, jellied cranberry sauce, brandy and spices in a large bowl, cover and leave to stand overnight.
- Brush ten 1-cup pudding basins (ramekins) with melted butter and line base with baking paper.
- Mix eggs, butter, brown sugar and flours until well combined, then stir through fruit mixture. Spoon mixture into prepared basins.
- Cut a large circle of foil and baking paper and place over each pudding, foil side up. Secure tightly with kitchen string.
- Place pudding in a large saucepan and add enough boiling water to fill halfway up the sides. Cover and bring to the boil, reduce heat and cook for 11⁄4 hours, replenishing water when needed.
- Remove from water and store well wrapped until Christmas.
Pumpkin Macadamia Salad
Preheat oven to 180ºC.
- Place pumpkin and onion in large baking dish, add 2 tablespoons of oil and mix to coat. Roast or grill until tender (approx 30 minutes), turning once. Cool, and then gently mix with rocket, macadamias and raisins.
- Combine lemon juice, honey, ginger and remaining 2 tablespoons of oil in screw top jar. Shake and pour over salad. Gently toss to combine.
Christmas Cake Gift Jar
As a gift idea
- Place flour in bottom of jar and add spices and bicarbonate of soda
- Pour in fruit and push down lightly
- Next place brown sugar and finish with slivered almonds.
- Attach a gift card with the following instructions:
YOU WILL NEED
250g butter, melted
3 eggs, lightly beaten
¼ cup brandy
METHOD
- Preheat oven 150°C. Double line a 20cm round tin with baking paper
- Combine gift jar contents, butter, eggs and brandy and stir until combined
- Spoon into prepared tin and bake for 1 hour or until skewer inserted comes out clean.
Fruit and Nut Easter Eggs
Combine mixed fruit, dates, 90g seed mix, 80g hazelnuts, 20g coconut, coconut oil, vanilla essence, coffee and salt in a food processor and blend until a smooth, thick paste is formed.
Divide into 25 equal portions and roll each into a ball, then shape into an egg shape.
Place remaining seed mix into a food processor and process to a coarse crumb. Transfer to a small bowl. Repeat with remaining hazelnuts. Pour remaining coconut into a small bowl.
To decorate, roll 6 eggs in coconut, 6 in seed mix crumb, 6 in hazelnut crumb and leave 7 plain. Refrigerate at least 2 hours before serving cold.
IceCream Torte & Caramel Fig Sauce
Line a 12cm x 26cm x 8cm terrine tin with plastic wrap, leaving enough to be able to cover the top completely.
Pulse dried fruit in a food processor to roughly chop. Combine in a bowl with the port. Set aside for 2 hours.
In a food processor blitz cookies to fine crumbs. Add melted butter and pulse to combine.
Whisk 2 cups (500ml) cream to soft peaks. In a separate bowl, lightly beat condensed milk and lemon juice together. Fold whipped cream into condensed milk mixture, then fold in drained fruit mixture and nuts. Spread a third of the cream mixture over the base of the lined terrine, then top with half the biscuit mixture, then repeat again with cream mixture & biscuits. Enclose with plastic wrap, then freeze overnight.
Place figs in a bowl, cover with boiling water, then set aside for 30 minutes.
Combine sugar and remaining 200ml cream in a pan over low heat, stirring until sugar dissolves. Drain figs (discard liquid), add to cream mixture and simmer for 1 minute. Cool.
To serve, invert terrine onto a serving plate and spoon over caramel figs with their syrup.
