with fruit, of course!!! (well, essence or grated rind is fine)

I've tried so many and Delia's is the closest, but it's still not great.

Come on, anyone???

hi, l have a breadmaker recipe.....
you use the lauke breadmix white its as good as the ones made in the bakery in my opinion

really yummy, hope you like it, but you do need to use the breadflour mix, you can get it from the supermarket

3 cups bread flour

2 to 3tbsp Butter

2 to 3 tblsp sugar

2 tsp yeast

2 tsp dutch cinnamon

1 to 2 tsp mixed spice

300 ml water

if mix is too soft add another 1/4 to 1/2 cup bread flour

dough setting

when ready, divide into 4 even peices, the devide each piece in 3 more

take each peice of dough and fold from outside to centre working around in a circle, will make nice balls

place in high tray lined with baking paper

allow to rise in warm spot, 30 to 45 mins

preheat oven 200 fan forced

apply crosses,/...... just flour and water

when buns doubled in size bake 25 // 30 mins

if buns are quite brown on top after 15 mins your oven is too hot

when out of oven brush with glaze, l use gelatine glaze

3tblsp water

1 1/2 tblsp sugar

3 tsp gelatine

place in saucpan over heat till dissolved

store in cotainer in fridge and heat in microwave to use again and again.....happy easter

I'm still trying to figure mine out. Will be back.

Ooh, I like bread machine recipes. I'll try it tomorrow.

I tried Nigella's today and it wasn't any good. No sugar at all, and nowhere near enough spice, although she has a nice trick of steeping the milk in cardamom pods (in? with? which is the steeper and which the steepee?)

I'm trying a recipe from Donna Hay's Modern Classics Book 2 this week - will report back!

Google Dan Lepard's 'Spiced Stout Hot Cross Buns'. They are easy to make (minimal kneading) and the best hot cross buns I have ever tasted. I've made them three times already this year and given them to a variety of family and friends who all rave about them. They are dark, moist, fruity, spicy and absolutely perfect. Dan Lepard is a British baker who specialists in yeasted things and is a bit of an expert; his recipes are designed for the home baker and are intended to be easy and fail proof. Since discovering him we no longer buy any bread; I make it all at home and every single recipe of his I've tried has worked without fail. Big rap, I know, but two months ago I could NOT make bread, and overnight I could!

I am a sucker for anything with tea in it. My best cake recipe has a cup of tea, and it's divine. But 875g of flour! That's two dozen rolls. I might have to see if they freeze...

MsN - thanks I'm trying them out now. His other hot cross bun recipe looks good too with the cider in it, have you tried that one?

Ooh I hadn't seen that one - that's a new recipe for this Easter! Well I know what I'll be doing today! Thanks!

MrsN, that looks like a winning recipe. I made some the other night that weren't too bad at all (different recipe), but it lacked a certain oomph, a certain grown-upedness. These look the bomb!

They make about 18, Spartacus. And they do freeze.



The other trick I'd recommend is shaping them tightly before the final rise, even though it's sticky business. I oiled my hands, patted 100 g flat in my hands, rolled it up like a jelly cake, and then folded the long ends under also so all the seams were underneath. And gave them a bit of room on the pan so they barely touched. That made nice 'pert' buns rather than ones that oozed out sideways as they rose, if that makes sense.

Just made a batch of those Def Lepard hot cross buns. They are EXCELLENT.

What stout did you guys use for the Def lepard buns? I have never bought stout!

MsN, thank you! They are just delicious! I think the sultanas are a bit tea-ish, so next time I might make a weaker cup. But they are perfect, esp wrt to texture. I could not believe how wet the dough was, but they rose up beautifully (I used the roll shaping method from the Bread Baker's Apprentice).

Thanks! I'm torn now about trying the cider recipe. How can you improve on perfection?

I have just started making these. The yeast/stout/flour/spice mix seems quite dry - is this correct?

Glad everyone enjoyed the Dan lepard buns! Honestly, this guys has changed my life. I want to start a dan lepard fan club!

I just use Guinness. You're supposed to use a milk stout but try are a by boutique and even though my local bottle shop sells one, it's only in 750 ml lots and $13... And who is going to drink the rest? So a $4 can of guinness for me!

The fruit/stout/flour mix should be sloppy not dry - you only put in part of the flour at the start...

Up early to make his new cider hot cross buns for today... Can't wait!

I'll be waiting to see what you think of the cider ones then, I want to make them too but don't have all the ingredients.



with the stout ones mine were nice but I didn't leave them to rise for the full 90 mins as I was going out so they were a bit heavy. But I loved the tea soaked fruit they were really juicy! And I don't like tea!

The yeast/flour/stout mix should be quite sloppy. It's over half the liquid and not quite half of the flour. Did you wait for the head to go away before measuring the beer?

Oh dear, I think I am in trouble then! Mine was very dry. I have just put the rest together and it is still dry and I am having trouble making it stick together. When I measure out the remaining 550gm of flour from my 1kg box there was hardly any left - well under the 125gm that should have remained - so I must have mucked up the initial flour weight. I didn't add it all at this step though, so I still have about 100gm flour remaining. I have added a few tspns of stout to try and improve the texture. Fingers crossed it works.

I did wait for the head to die back before I measured.

APOLOGIES!!!!

To everyone who made the spiced stout buns on my recommendation.... Against all odds and unbelievably (since the stout ones are pretty awesome) - the cider ones are EVEN BETTER!

They are a bit more 'cakey' than the stout ones, but with a lighter flavour and texture - the richness of the stout ones comes from the flavours of tea and stout, but the richness of this one is the bun itself.

And it's easier and quicker to make. Recipe for those who want it:

http://m.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/2012/...mp;type=article

I made the stout ones last night/this morning & they are so delicious. I used Kilkenny & it didn't occur to me to wait till the head went down, I'll do that with the next batch as i did find the mix dry when mixing the 550g of flour in this morning. They didn't rise quite as much as I'd thought they would but the density is pretty nice & the flavour is brilliant. By far the best hcb yet. I bought cider to try that one out as well, thanks so much for the recipes MsN!

Right, you're on...

I had a first go (along with 2 "helpers" aged 4 and 8) at the recipe that was in the SMH yesterday or the day before (came from Sydney Easter show winner). While containing no cider or stout, it WAS easy and very tasty - and worked out first try! (made 15 and all gone already: 2 each except that 8 yr old got 3, 3 to neighbours, and one no one is owning up to eating!)

Ah you gourmet hcb chefs. I am afraid I had to make do with what was in the larder to knock up a batch this morning, so my google search included the term "easy".

britishfood.about.com/od/easterrecipes/r/easy-hot-cross-bun-recipe.htm

Except for the 2 year old "knocking" about 20% of the dry mix on the floor in the first step (and having to "guestimate" replacement), running out of mixed spice, not having mixed dry fruit or peel (plain sultanas) and the 12 year old reading "without knocking the air out" as "knocking the air out" in the second to last step, edible!!!

(edited for formatting)

I made made the stout ones using DP's home brewed stout & they worked out brilliantly. I was a bit worried as we put the mixture in the fridge last night (after letting it rise for an hour) as we couldn't cook the buns until this morning. We rolled the mixture into buns this morning & had to let them sit for longer than the 90 mins due to them being cold (about 150 mins). DP did the crosses using a syringe (we tried piping but it was to hard so used a more runny mixture). So yummy, the only problem is trying to not eat to many before we have people over to share them with

What brand of cider that you used MsN? Never bought cider before..

Disagree! The best hot cross bun recipe is my chocolate cupcake recipe. It has no spices, no fruit/sultanas and it's not a hot cross bun..it's a chocolate cupcake! Droool!

um, doesn't that make it a chocolate cupcake recipe?!

I've done 2 different sorts of HCB over 2 days, and I'm trying another recipe today. I don't use peel though, no-one seems to like it! Just lots of sultanas and currants.

I use the CWA recipe

Hot Cross Buns

3 level teaspoons of dry yeast
1/3 cup of caster sugar
1 cup warm milk
4 cups plain flour
1 teaspoon mixed spice
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon salt
80g butter
1 cup sultanas
1 egg beaten lightly
1/4 cup warm milk

Flour Paste for the crosses
1/4 cup plain flour
2 teaspoons caster sugar
2 tablespoons cold water approx

The Glaze
21 tablespoons caster sugar
1 teaspoon powdered gelatine
1 tablespoon water

Combine the yeast, sugar and warm milk into a bowl and whisk until yeast is dissolved. Cover and stand in a warm place. About 10 mins. Sift flour, spices and salt into large bowl and rub in the butter. Then stir in the fruit, beaten egg, yeast mix and warm milk. Combine to make a soft dough.

Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead for about 10 minutes until dough is smooth and elastic.

Place large bowl and cover with oiled plastic wrap and stand in warm place for approx 1 hour or until dough doubles its size.

Knead lightly and divide into portions - quickly, then form into balls and placed onto a greased lined tray.

They should be almost touching. Stand in a warm place for 20 minutes or until double the size. Preheat the oven to 220c (200c fan forced).

Flour Paste - put all ingredients onto a small bowl and stir enough water to make a smooth paste and then put into a piping bag and pipe the cross over the buns.

Bake the buns for 12-15 minutes. Golden brown is what you are aiming for. Tap them and they'll sound hollow when they are ready.

Glaze - combine all ingredients into small saucepan, stir without boiling until sugar and gelatine are dissolved.

When the buns are cooked, put on to a wire rack and brush with glaze and then open the oven door and sit buns for about 10 seconds (this last little trick allows the glaze to set).

I'm going to try the cider HCB this week, without the crosses of course, they will just be buns!

Mine always have crosses. The smiting helps brown the tops nicely.

I made the cider & the stout ones & have to say I think the stout recipe is the hands down winner. I'll be making another batch once we recover from the bun & choccy fest.