I say “short” quest because–and this doesn’t happen that often–it only took one try to achieve soft, fluffy Hot Cross Buns. Okay, technically it was actually two times because I had to chuck the first batch of dough due to dead yeast. Let this be a cautionary tale. Always store opened yeast (active dry or instant) in an airtight container in the fridge. I accidentally left what little I had left of the last container out at room temperature. Anyways, I remade the dough, following the same recipe I’d developed..and what do you know, they came out great!

I have to admit hot cross buns aren’t usually high on my list of favorite buns to eat, much less bake. Mom used to buy them at the bakery outside Petrini’s Market in the old Stonestown Mall when I was kid. They weren’t especially memorable, just another bready bun speckled with dried fruit. I always preferred the sweet cinnamon rolls thickly blanketed with gooey glaze. As a pastry chef, I’ve baked them for Easter buffets, offered them for Easter week cafe specials, but rarely made them at home. So why, you may wonder, did I decide to tinker with them now?

Once again, I credit my friend Karen. She baked a batch for her family last week, making a kind of hybrid dough that was part hot cross, part cinnamon roll. Her kids liked them but apparently still preferred cinnamon rolls–they weren’t digging the blend of hot cross bun spices. This had me thinking, what if I tried making the hot cross bun dough employing the tang zhong or roux base method to achieve an extra soft fluffy texture? One of my pet peeves about hot cross buns is that, aside from being a bit stodgy at times, they do stale rather quickly. I’ve used the roux method for several different applications quite successfully–from milk bread to pineapple buns. It certainly couldn’t hurt. Neither could changing up the dried fruit mix (soaking it some spiced rum) and bumping up the flavor with fresh orange zest and a little almond extract.

Many recipes for hot cross buns either use all bread flour or all-purpose. I opted for a 50/50 blend, which gave the dough some structure but also tenderness. The finished dough was soft and pliable.

After shaping and second rise, I baked the buns at 375F degrees for about 28 mins., then brushed the surface with a mixture of Lyle’s golden syrup and fresh-squeezed orange juice and returned the buns to bake for another minute to set the glaze.

Once the buns cooled, I piped on the signature white royal icing X and dotted it with a piece of candied cherry.

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I couldn’t wait to tear into the fluffy glazed bun, redolent with warm spices, citrus, rum infused fruit, and hint of almond. It was hands down the best hot cross bun I’ve ever made…much less eaten. When she saw a pic of the bun, my friend Maria immediately offered to taste test, hopping onto her electric bike and zipping over in under 15 mins. No joke. It must have been spectacular because Maria gobbled up her bun in under 2 mins…and that’s only because she was talking and eating at the same time. She’s been known to inhale baked goods in far less time. We both agreed, this recipe was a keeper.

Hot Cross Buns 2.0

Yield: 12 buns

Dough:

• 2 1/4 c. bread flour
• 2 1/4 c. all-purpose flour
• 1/4 c. sugar
• 2 1/4 t. instant yeast
• 1 1/2 t. Kosher salt
• 1 c. whole milk
• 6 T. unsalted butter, softened
• 1 large egg + 1 yolk (save the white)
• 1 t. cinnamon
• 1/2 t. nutmeg
• 1/2 t. ginger
• 1/4 t. allspice
• 1/8 t. cardamom
• 1/2 t. almond extract
• 2 t. orange zest
• 1 c. chopped dried mix fruit (raisins, apricot, cherry, pineapple, etc)
• 1 T. spiced rum (mixed with 3 T. hot water)
• 1 T. Lyle’s golden syrup or honey
• 1 T. orange juice

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1. Soak the dried fruit in mixture of rum and hot water for 10 mins.
2. Whisk together 3 T. all-purpose flour and 1/2 c. milk in small saucepan on medium heat until mixture becomes a thick paste. Remove from the heat, then whisk in remaining milk. Whisk in egg, yolk, and almond extract to combine.
3. In a stand mixer fitted with dough hook or in a food processor, combine the remaining flours, sugar, spices, and yeast. Add the butter, salt, liquids, and zest. Mix ingredients together to form a shaggy dough.
4. Drain off the liquid from the mixed fruit, then add the rehydrated fruit into the dough and continue mixing until dough is smooth and elastic. It should the tacky but not sticky. Add more flour by the tablespoon as needed.
5. Shape the dough into a ball and place inside a greased bowl. Spritz the surface with nonstick spray and cover the bowl with plastic wrap or tea towel. Let the dough rise until doubled in a warm space.
6. Deflate the dough and divide evenly into 12 portions. Shape each piece into a smooth ball and arranged on a parchment-lined sheet pan. Loosely cover with plastic wrap lightly greased with non-stick spray. Allow dough balls to rise until doubled.
7. Brush the surface of each ball with reserved egg white. Bake buns in a preheated 375F degree oven for about 28-30 mins., or to an internal temperature of 190F.
8. Meanwhile, mix together golden syrup and orange juice to make glaze. Brush the surface of each bun with the glaze, then return them to the oven for another minute to set the glaze.
9. Cool the buns on a rack.

Royal Icing:

• 3/4 c. powdered sugar
• pinch of Kosher salt
• 1 t. lemon juice
• 2 t. whole milk (or just enough to make it pipeable)

Mix together until smooth. Transfer icing into a piping bag and pipe two generous crisscross lines on top of each bun to form an X.