Hot cross buns – one a penny two a penny.

♦This hot cross bun comes from the pastry maestro Angelo Roche, who was our batch coordinator and trainer many many many moons back in 1994.. I was able to catch up with him again when i moved to Sydney from Aotearoa.

There are 2 parts to the recipe, nay 3 including  the cross on the top

The Tanzhong- cooked starch paste- which makes them soft and fluffy.

  • water- 65g
  • milk -60 g
  • flour – 25 g

mix well together and microwave for 30 seconds or if you have a fancy 30k Rational Combi oven steam it there for 5 minutes. The idea is to have a cooked starch paste as the base for the recipe, which then makes the buns super soft and increases shelf life.

The next part has

  • tangzhong- 120 g-
  • milk-120 g
  • milk powder-7 g
  • sugar-35 g
  • yeast- 6 g
  • raisins- 100 g or mix of raisins , currants and mixed peel.
  • flour- 350 g
  • allspice- 1 g
  • cinnamon- 1g
  • Butter 30 g soft
  • cardamom- pinch
  • egg- 1 ea
  • salt- 5g

Mix warm tangzhong , with milk flour and yeast and set aside to bubble bubble boil and trouble.

Hehe no incantations required just cos it’s a rich dough do need to activate the yeast a bit more really.

Then add  everything else except salt and butter, which goes in the end .

Form the dough, keep it covered in a warmish place ..you know the drill.

Once proofed, knock back, divide into equal sizes -(50 g ) each roughly and arrange on a baking tray close to each other .

For the third part cos the power of three shall set us free.

  • Flour 250 g
  • Oil 75 g
  • Water 300 g

Mix oil and flour and then add water to form a smooth paste which can be piped.

Pipe horizontally on the buns , then vertically.

proof till nearly doubled in size, brush with egg wash. and bake in preheated oven at 180 C for 12-15 mins.