Chocolate Hot Cross Buns Recipe
Chocolate Hot Cross Buns Recipe
I absolutely adore the smell of hot cross buns warming in the oven. The ones with the spices and fruit in them. But that’s as far as it goes because I really don’t like cooked fruit. If you’re the same as me and you still want to get into the hot cross bun Easter spirit then the obvious alternative is chocolate hot cross buns! There’s a good chance the kids will be more into these ones then the traditional ones also. They are really easy to make. It’s just a simple dough thrown together into the food processor and left to rise, then you knead in the chocolate chips, divide into balls and pop them into a pan. A quick squirt from a zip-lock bag makes the crosses, then pop them in the oven!
Ingredients
Buns
7g sachet (2 tsp) dry yeast
1 1/2 cups milk, warmed
1/4 cup caster sugar, divided
4 cups plain flour
1/2 cup cocoa powder
60g butter, chilled, chopped
1 egg, lightly beaten
1/2 cup dark choc chips
Flour Paste
1/2 cup plain flour
4 tsp caster sugar
4 tbsp. water
To Glaze
1 tsp gelatine
1 tbsp. boiling water
Method
Buns: Grease a 23cm square cake pan. Place yeast, milk and 1 tbsp. of sugar in a bowl. Whisk to dissolve yeast. Cover. Set aside in a warm place for 10 minutes or until foamy.
Put flour, cocoa and butter in a food processor and blitz until mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs. Add yeast mixture, egg and remaining sugar and blitz to combine (just a few seconds should do). Turn dough onto a lightly floured surface. Knead for 1 minute. Transfer to a lightly oiled bowl. Cover. Set aside in a warm place for 1 hour or until doubled in size.
Punch down dough. Turn onto a floured surface. Knead for 5 minutes or until smooth. Add chocolate chips. Knead to combine. Roll into 16 balls. Place in prepared plan. Cover. Set aside in a warm place for 30 minutes or until slightly risen.
Pre-heat oven to 200C/180C fan-forced, 375F.
Flour Paste: Meanwhile, make paste by combining flour, sugar and cold water in a bowl (you might need to add more water). Spoon into a snap-lock bag. Snip a tiny corner from bag. Pipe crosses onto buns. Bake for 10 minutes. Reduce heat to 180C/160C fan-forced, 350F. Cook for 20 minutes or until golden and cooked through. Turn onto wire rack (cross side up).
To Glaze: Sprinkle gelatine over boiling water in a small dish. Stir until dissolved. Brush tops of buns with glaze. Cool.
Ingredients
- Buns
- 7g sachet (2 tsp) dry yeast
- 1 1/2 cups milk, warmed
- 1/4 cup caster sugar, divided
- 4 cups plain flour
- 1/2 cup cocoa powder
- 60g butter, chilled, chopped
- 1 egg, lightly beaten
- 1/2 cup dark choc chips
- Flour Paste
- 1/2 cup plain flour
- 4 tsp caster sugar
- 4 tbsp. water
- To Glaze
- 1 tsp gelatine
- 1 tbsp. boiling water
Instructions
- Buns: Grease a 23cm square cake pan. Place yeast, milk and 1 tbsp. of sugar in a bowl. Whisk to dissolve yeast. Cover. Set aside in a warm place for 10 minutes or until foamy.
- Put flour, cocoa and butter in a food processor and blitz until mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs. Add yeast mixture, egg and remaining sugar and blitz to combine (just a few seconds should do). Turn dough onto a lightly floured surface. Knead for 1 minute. Transfer to a lightly oiled bowl. Cover. Set aside in a warm place for 1 hour or until doubled in size.
- Punch down dough. Turn onto a floured surface. Knead for 5 minutes or until smooth. Add chocolate chips. Knead to combine. Roll into 16 balls. Place in prepared plan. Cover. Set aside in a warm place for 30 minutes or until slightly risen.
- Pre-heat oven to 200C/180C fan-forced, 375F.
- Flour Paste: Meanwhile, make paste by combining flour, sugar and cold water in a bowl (you might need to add more water). Spoon into a snap-lock bag. Snip a tiny corner from bag. Pipe crosses onto buns. Bake for 10 minutes. Reduce heat to 180C/160C fan-forced, 350F. Cook for 20 minutes or until golden and cooked through. Turn onto wire rack (cross side up).
- To Glaze: Sprinkle gelatine over boiling water in a small dish. Stir until dissolved. Brush tops of buns with glaze. Cool.
Carolyn started her blog Pinkpostitnote.com just over a year ago as a way to deal with her obsession of trying new recipes from the copious collection of cookbooks that she owns (and continues to buy). She is particularly fond of “man” food, both cooking it and eating it. She will happily elbow people out of the road at the sight, sound and smell of a pulled pork burger. When she’s not lying awake at 5am wondering if she should buy chooks and a cow to deal with the constant need for eggs and butter, she’s dealing with all the paperwork associated with owning a bunch of tip trucks and her favorite time of the day is wine five o-clock.
