Hot Cross Buns With Chocolate Chips Recipes

HOT CROSS BUNS WITH CHOCOLATE CHIPS

Steps:

• Sift the flour into a large bowl. Add the yeast, sugar, salt and spices and mix well to combine.
• Make a well in the centre and pour in the milk and butter. Stir the liquid into each other, then add in the egg. Mix with a wooden spoon then bring the dough together with your hands, pressing into it until it forms a sticky ball. (If the dough is too dry add a little water in tablespoon increments (up to 1/2 cup if needed) until the dough is just sticky to touch.)
• Transfer dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead for 5-10 minutes until it becomes smooth and springy.
• Transfer dough back into the bowl and cover with plastic wrap (or a clean, damp tea towel). Leave in a warm place to rise until doubled in size (about 1 hour depending on how warm the room is).
• Lightly grease a large baking sheet or line with parchment paper. Set aside.
• Punch down dough and transfer onto lightly floured surface. Sprinkle with 3/4 of the chocolate chips and knead the dough for 2-3 minutes.
• Divide dough into 12 or 15 even portions (depending on how many buns you need). Roll each piece into round smooth balls and arrange on baking sheet, leaving space between each bun to allow them to rise. Press remaining chocolate chips on top of each bun.
• Cover with plastic wrap (or damp tea towel) and place in a warm place once again to prove for 20-30 mins, until doubled and just touching. Preheat oven to 400°F (200°C).
• When oven is hot, bake buns for 20 minutes until they are golden brown and sound hollow inside when tapped.

CHOCOLATE CHIP HOT CROSS BUNS

Steps:

• Combine the milk, butter, cardamom pods, cloves and brown sugar in a small saucepan and gently heat until the butter has melted and the sugar has dissolved.
• Leave the milk mixture to cool until it is lukewarm (about 37°C or 98°F).
• Remove the cardamom pods and cloves.
• In a large bowl, mix together the flour, yeast, ground cinnamon, ground nutmeg and ground ginger and salt.
• Slowly mix the milk mixture into the flour mixture.
• Add one egg at a time.
• Knead the dough on a lightly floured surface until it is elastic in texture. If you have an electric stand mixer, you can knead the dough using the dough hook for about 10-12 minutes on medium speed.
• Lightly oil a large bowl.
• Place the dough into the bowl, cover with a teatowel, and leave it to prove in a warm place for about 1 hour or until it has doubled in size. I like to do this in an oven at 50°C or 120°F.
• Once the dough has doubled in size, punch it back with your fist to release some of the air.
• Add the chocolate chips.
• Gently knead the dough into a smooth ball. Don't worry if you are unable to incorporate all of the chocolate chips into the dough at this stage.
• Divide the dough into 12 equal portions. I like to weigh the whole dough, divide the weight by 12, and then weigh each portion of dough as I form them.
• Roll each portion of dough into a ball and place them on a tray lined with baking paper. This step gives you another chance to incorporate the chocolate chips into the dough.
• Cover the balls of dough with a tea towel, and return the tray to a warm place to prove for 30 minutes or until the balls of dough have slightly risen.
• Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 170°C (340°F). If you have been using the oven to prove the buns, make sure you have taken them out of the oven by this step!
• To make the crosses, mix together the flour and water until you have a thick paste.
• Fill a small piping bag with the paste, or a small plastic bag and snip off the corner.
• Pipe a cross onto each bun. I do this by piping a line horizontally across all of the buns, and then vertically.
• Bake the buns for 25-30 minutes, or until they are golden.
• Meanwhile, make the glaze by heating the water and sugar together in a small saucepan until it comes to a boil and the sugar has dissolved.
• Brush the glaze over the buns as soon as you take them out of the oven.
• Serve the hot cross buns warm or cold.

CHOCOLATE CHIP HOT CROSS BUNS

Steps:

• KIDS the writing in bold is for you ADULTS the rest is for you. Mix the bun ingredients. Put the strong flour, yeast, caster sugar and 1 tsp salt in a bowl with the spices and mix. Make a well in the centre and pour in the milk, egg and butter. Start mixing with a plastic or wooden spoon and finish with your hands. If the dough is too dry, add warm water, or extra flour if it's wet.
• Now stretch the dough - this is called kneading. Knead the dough on a floured surface for 10 mins until it becomes smooth and springy. This will be a bit too much work for children, so get them to start the kneading, then when they get tired, take over.
• Leave the dough to rise until doubled in size because of the yeast. Transfer to a clean, lightly greased bowl and cover loosely with a clean, damp tea towel. Leave in a warm place to rise until roughly doubled in size - this will take about 1 hr depending on how warm the room is.
• Add the chocolate chips and do some division. Tip the dough onto a lightly floured surface and flatten. Scatter over the chocolate chips (or dried fruit), and knead the dough a few more times. Divide it into 8 even portions - halve the dough, then halve each portion twice more, and explain the maths.
• Roll the dough into buns. Roll each portion into a smooth round and place on a greased baking sheet in 2 rows of 4, leaving some room between each bun for it to rise. Cover with a tea towel again and leave in a warm place to prove for 20 mins, until almost doubled in size again or just touching.
• Make the crosses on the buns and bake them. Heat oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6. Mix the plain flour with 1 tsp sugar and 4-5 tbsp water to give you a thick paste. Spoon into a piping bag and pipe white lines on the buns to make crosses. Bake for 20 mins until they are light brown.
• Brush them with jam if you want them to be nice and shiny. If you want to enjoy the buns untoasted, gently heat the jam in a pan or the microwave, and brush over the buns using a pastry brush. If you are going to toast them, then don't glaze them as the jam will burn.

CHOCOLATE CHIP HOT CROSS BUNS WITH MARMALADE GLAZE

Steps:

• Put the raisins and orange juice in a bowl and leave to soak while you make the dough. Stir occasionally.
• Heat the milk until just warmer than skin temperature. Remove from the heat and put the butter into the milk and allow it to melt then whisk in the egg.
• Mix together the flour, yeast, sugar and spices then mix in the liquid and a pinch of salt and stir to combine into a dough. Knead the dough on a floured surface for a good 10 minutes until it's soft and looks smooth (not mottled) when you stretch it. Put the dough back into the bowl and cover with a damp tea towel or oiled cling film, leave in a warm place for approx. 1hr until it's doubled in size.
• When the dough has risen, turn it out onto a floured surface, knock it back by giving it a quick knead then press it out into a flat square. Sprinkle over the soaked raisins (leaving behind any juice that hasn't soaked in) and the chocolate chips then roll up the dough and knead to incorporate them into the dough. The bits will try to escape but just press them back in.
• Divide the dough into 12 equal pieces and roll into smooth balls. Put the balls onto a parchment covered baking sheet, leaving some space for them to rise. Cover them loosely with a damp tea towel or oiled cling film, leave in a warm place for 40 minutes to rise.
• Heat the oven to 190C/170C fan. Mix the plain flour with enough water to make a thick paste. Pipe the paste or drizzle with a spoon, over the top of the buns to make crosses.
• Bake for 20 minutes until golden and risen and sound hollow when you tap the bottoms. Cool on a rack. While they're cooling, melt the marmalade until it's runny then brush over the buns to glaze.