Dairy-Free Hot Cross Buns
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We’d never miss out on these sweet, sticky, light and buttery spiced pillows. And neither should you. Try this recipe today.
Did you know that hanging a hot cross bun in the house on Good Friday offers protection from bad luck in the coming year? It does mean that you’ll have to resist eating it for quite some time - a true test of patience if you ask us.
INGREDIENTS
FOR THE BUNS
200ml Rude Health Almond Drink
400g plain flour
7g quick yeast
1 teaspoon ground allspice
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 egg
70g unsalted vegan butter butter
70g coconut palm sugar
40g raisins
40g dried currants
40g dried unsweetened cranberries
1 tablespoon orange zest
½ teaspoon salt
FOR THE ICING
2-3 tablespoons Almond Drink
65g plain flour
60g unrefined powdered (icing) sugar
1 tablespoon olive oil
½ teaspoon vanilla
FOR THE GLAZE
1 teaspoon Almond Drink
200g unrefined sugar
120g water
1 whole nutmeg
1 whole star anise
3 whole cloves
½ a vanilla pod, split lengthwise
1 egg
1 egg yolk
METHOD
Step 1.
Make and bake the buns - In a small bowl, add the vegan butter and coconut palm sugar. Heat in the microwave for 30-45 seconds to warm. Mix well to dissolve the coconut palm sugar.
Step 2.
In a large bowl, mix together all the dry ingredients, except for the dried fruits, orange zest and salt. Make a well in the middle of the bowl and add the Almond Drink and egg.
Step 3.
Mix together until it forms a rough dough, then add the butter one cube at a time while kneading the dough with your hands. Continue kneading for about 5 minutes, until you have a smooth dough.
Step 4.
Add in the dried fruits, orange zest and salt and continue kneading for about 3 more minutes until the dried fruits are well dispersed. Place the dough back in the bowl and cover with a tea towel. Leave it in a warm place for about 1 hour, until it almost doubles in size.
Step 5.
When the dough is ready, punch it down and divide it into 20 equal sized pieces (50g each). Roll each piece into a smooth ball. It is very important that you roll each piece until it is smooth, and there are minimal cracks on the surface of the balls. You can follow this technique.
Step 6.
Arrange the buns on a baking tray lined with baking parchment, keeping an even gap of about ½ inch (1 cm) between each of the buns. Cover the tray with a lightly oiled plastic wrap. Let the buns rise in a warm place for about 1 hour, until they have almost doubled in size and the sides of the buns are all touching.
Step 7.
Make and apply the egg wash - When they are ready, in a small bowl, whisk together the egg, egg yolk and Almond Drink. Brush the buns carefully with the egg wash and leave it out to dry for 10 minutes. Brush again. You won’t need all of the egg wash, but make sure you get the egg wash into the cracks and edges of the buns.
Preheat the oven to 200°C.
Step 8.
Make and draw the cross topping - Combine all the ingredients in a small bowl and mix until a smooth thick paste forms. Start by using only 2 tablespoons of Almond Drink and add more as needed.
Step 9.
Fill a piping bag with the mixture and cut a small hole. Slowly pipe a line along each row of buns, then repeat in the other direction to create crosses. Make sure you pipe slowly, so the topping “hugs” the curves on each bun.
Step 10.
Place the tray into the oven and immediately turn the oven down to 360°F/180°C. Bake for about 20 minutes until the tops are golden brown.
Step 11.
Make and brush on the glaze - While the buns are in the oven, in a small saucepan, add all the ingredients and bring to a boil. Immediately turn down the heat and simmer, until a syrup forms. Remove from heat and spoon out the spices.
Step 12.
Once the buns are ready, brush them with the hot syrup. Wait 5 minutes and brush again with the syrup. Allow the buns to cool for about 15 minutes before serving.
This recipe and photography were provided by The Worktop.
