We’ve added a chocolate twist to a wonderful hot cross bun recipe – it’s perfect for when you’ve got leftover Easter chocolate that you want to use up, or for if you have a special spring-time event coming up.
MAKES 12 BUNS // TIME: 1 HOUR 30 MINUTES (+1 HOUR 40 MINUTES SETTING TIME) // MEDIUM
Spiced Chocolate Hot Cross Bun Ingredients:
For the dough:
- 1 Large Orange (zest and juice)
- Sunflower Oil (for lining)
- 225ml Semi Skimmed Milk
- 50g Salted Butter
- 1 Large Egg
- 450g Strong White Flour
- 7g Fast Action Yeast
- 1tsp Salt
- 50g Caster Sugar
For the filling, decoration & glaze:
- 140g Raisins
- 100g Orange Dark Chocolate (or go for our classic dark or classic milk chocolate)
- 1tsp Ground Cinnamon
- 1/2tsp Ginger
- 4tbsp Caster Sugar
- 100g Plain Flour
Spiced Chocolate Hot Cross Bun Method:
- Begin by making the dough. Heat the milk in a pan until you can see steam – then remove from the heat, and mix in the butter until it has completely melted.
- Then, beat in the egg and half of the orange zest, making sure that the liquid is still warm for the next step.
- Add the strong flour, yeast, salt, half of the zest, and sugar into a large bowl; mix to combine. Then add the warm liquid into the bowl, and stir using a spoon (or mix with your hands), until a soft dough forms.
- Knead the dough for around 10 minutes.
- Oil a large bowl, add the dough, and cover with cling film. Leave to stand for 60 minutes in a warm place until the dough has risen and doubled in size.
- Meanwhile, add the raisins to a small pan with half of the orange juice and simmer until the fruit has absorbed the juice. Allow to cool.
- Chop up the chocolate into small chunks, and mix in another small bowl with the cinnamon, ginger, half of the sugar and the remaining zest.
- When the dough has risen, flour a surface and place the dough on top. Shape into a rectangle, and sprinkle the chocolate and fruit fillings on top, spreading evenly. Roll the dough, and begin to knead the filling into the dough evenly (around 5 minutes).
- Divide the dough into 12 equal balls, and place onto a lined baking tray. Cover with a piece of oiled cling film, and allow to rest for a further 40 minutes. In this time, preheat your oven to 170 degrees c.
- When the buns are ready, remove the cling film and make your cross mixture. Add the plain flour into a bowl, and mix with around 75ml water (or enough to make a smooth paste). Pop the mixture into a piping bag (or food bag), snip off the corner and pipe the crosses on top of the buns.
- Place in the buns in the oven for around 25 minutes. In the meantime, make your glaze by mixing the remaining sugar and orange juice together until the sugar has dissolved.
- Remove the buns from the oven, and brush your glaze over the top. Enjoy!