The team at Matthews Cotswold Flour near Chipping Norton share their traditional recipe for hot cross buns
cotswoldflour.com
Makes 12
Oven temp 200°C / gas 6
- Cotswold Churchill strong white flour 375g, plus 75g for piping
- Salt 9g Fresh yeast 25g
- Butter 60g, softened
- Whole milk 160ml
- Mixed spice 1 tbsp
- Mixed dried fruit 80g, soaked in orange juice for 2 hours
- Mixed peel 25g
- Apricot jam 1 tbsp
- Using a stand mixer on a medium speed, combine the flour, salt, yeast, butter, milk and mixed spice until smooth.
- Remove the mixed fruit from the orange juice and give it a good squeeze to remove any excess liquid before adding it to the dough along with the mixed peel. Mix for 5 minutes at a medium speed then rest the dough for 5 minutes.
- Split the dough into 12 x 50g balls and place on a large baking tray lined with parchment, making sure there is a good amount of space between each ball. Cover with clingfilm and leave the dough to prove for at least 1½ hours at room temperature.
- While the dough is proving, make a paste by mixing 75g of flour with 5 tbsp of cold water until smooth. Preheat the oven to 200°C / gas 6.
- Once proved, pipe a cross on each ball using the flour and water mixture. Place in the oven and bake for 20‑25 minutes until golden brown.
- While the buns are baking, heat the jam with a little water. When the buns are cooked, remove the buns from the oven and brush with the warm apricot jam. Leave to cool.
- Serve toasted with lashings of salted butter.
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You will need
- Cotswold Churchill strong white flour 375g, plus 75g for piping
- Salt 9g Fresh yeast 25g
- Butter 60g, softened
- Whole milk 160ml
- Mixed spice 1 tbsp
- Mixed dried fruit 80g, soaked in orange juice for 2 hours
- Mixed peel 25g
- Apricot jam 1 tbsp
Method
- Using a stand mixer on a medium speed, combine the flour, salt, yeast, butter, milk and mixed spice until smooth.
- Remove the mixed fruit from the orange juice and give it a good squeeze to remove any excess liquid before adding it to the dough along with the mixed peel. Mix for 5 minutes at a medium speed then rest the dough for 5 minutes.
- Split the dough into 12 x 50g balls and place on a large baking tray lined with parchment, making sure there is a good amount of space between each ball. Cover with clingfilm and leave the dough to prove for at least 1½ hours at room temperature.
- While the dough is proving, make a paste by mixing 75g of flour with 5 tbsp of cold water until smooth. Preheat the oven to 200°C / gas 6.
- Once proved, pipe a cross on each ball using the flour and water mixture. Place in the oven and bake for 20‑25 minutes until golden brown.
- While the buns are baking, heat the jam with a little water. When the buns are cooked, remove the buns from the oven and brush with the warm apricot jam. Leave to cool.
- Serve toasted with lashings of salted butter.
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