Hot Cross Buns (No Knead)

Submitted by Jen in Victoria

"This recipe saved me when my stand mixer died on me and I wanted fresh buns for breakfast. I was worried these wouldn't rise, especially with only 1/2 tsp yeast, but they turned out very well. The original recipe come from http://swallowtail.org/dairyfree/ but I added a bit more spice. So little work for such great results! Make sure you start these the night before you want to bake them. Prep time does not include rise times."

 

• Ready In: 35mins
• Ingredients: 15
• Yields: 12 buns
• Serves: 12

ingredients

• 540 g flour
• 1⁄2 cup white sugar
• 1⁄2 cup brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1⁄2 teaspoon yeast
• 2 teaspoons cinnamon
• 1⁄2 teaspoon allspice
• 1⁄2 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1⁄4 teaspoon clove
• 1 cup raisins
• 1 orange, zest of
• 1 lemon, zest of
• 370 ml water, warmed to not quite ouch on the finger
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1 egg, beaten

directions

1. Put the flour, both sugars, the salt, yeast, and spices into a large bowl and mix them all together very thoroughly.
2. Stir in the raisins and zest.
3. Add the water and the oil and mix a little. This cools the mixture a fraction.
4. Add the egg and mix it all together very thoroughly using one hand. You should end up with a very sticky dough that is soft but not sloppy.
5. Cover the bowl tightly with cling wrap and leave it at room temperature to rise overnight (at least 5 hours).
6. When it is ready (and when you it suits you), add some extra flour so the dough is not quite so sticky. Gently break into 10-12 pieces, forming each into a ball and place in a greased 9x13 inch pan. Leave them for about an hour, or until the buns have doubled in size.
7. Preheat oven to 400°F.
8. Mix a bit of flour, water and sugar together to form a paste (proportions are not really important here). Use this paste to pipe crosses on the tops of the risen buns.
9. Bake the buns for about 25 minutes. To check whether they are cooked, take one out and tap it on the bottom with a knuckle. It should sound hollow. If it doesn’t, it needs to go back into the oven for a couple more minutes.