Festive Bread
John Kirkwood’s Hot Cross Buns
Ingredients:
500gms (4 cups) all-purpose flour
75gms (1/3 cup) sugar
10gms (2 tsp) salt
10gms (2 tsp) ground cinnamon
5gms (1 tsp) ground nutmeg
10 gms (2 tsp) instant yeast
300mls warm milk
50gms (3 ½ tbsp) unsalted butter, softened
1 large egg
200gms mixed dried fruit (raisins, currants, sultanas)
zest of 1 orange
For the cross:
75gms all-purpose flour + water
For the glaze:
75gms apricot jam
Method:
In a large mixing bowl, combine all the dry ingredients; the flour, sugar, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, dried fruit, orange zest & instant yeast.
Add the warm milk, softened butter, & egg. Mix until a sticky dough forms.
Knead the dough on a floured surface for about 10 minutes until smooth & elastic.
Place the dough in a greased bowl, cover with a damp cloth, & let it rise in a warm place for 1 hour or until doubled in size.
Preheat the oven to 200°C.
Punch down the risen dough & divide it into 12 equal portions. Shape each portion into a ball.
Arrange the balls on a baking tray lined with parchment paper, leaving some space between them.
For the cross: Mix the flour with enough water to form a thick paste. Pipe a cross on top of each bun& bake for 20 minutes or until golden brown.
While still warm, brush the buns with apricot jam or for a shiny glaze.
King Arthur Hot Cross Buns
Ingredients:
¼ cup (57g) apple juice or rum
½ cup (78g) dried fruit
½ cup (78g) raisins or dried currants
1 ¼ cups (283g) milk, room temperature
2 large eggs, plus 1 egg yolk (reserve egg white)
6 tbsp (85g) butter, at room temperature
2 tsp instant yeast
53gms light brown sugar, packed
1 tsp cinnamon
¼ tsp cloves or allspice
¼ tsp nutmeg
1 3/4 tsp (11g) table salt
1 tbsp baking powder
540gms All-Purpose Flour
Topping
1 large egg white, reserved from above
1 tbsp (14g) milk
Icing
1 cup + 2 tbsp (128g) confectioners’ sugar
½ tsp vanilla extract
pinch of table salt
4 tsp milk, or enough to make a thick, pipeable icing
Method:
Lightly grease a 10″ square pan or 9″ x 13″ pan.
Mix the rum or apple juice with the dried fruit & raisins, cover with plastic wrap, & microwave briefly, just till the fruit & liquid are very warm, & the plastic starts to “shrink wrap” itself over the top of the bowl. Set aside to cool to room temperature.
Set the fruit aside. Weigh your flour; & mix together all of the remaining dough ingredients (including the eggs & the egg yolk from the separated egg). Knead the mixture, using an electric mixer or bread machine, until the dough is soft & elastic. It’ll be very slack, sticking to the bottom of the bowl & your hands as you work with it (greasing your hands helps). Mix in the cooled fruit & any liquid not absorbed.
Let the dough rise for 1 hour, covered. It should become puffy, though may not double in bulk.
Divide the dough into 100gms each. Use your greased hands to round them into balls. Arrange them in the prepared pan.
Cover the pan, & let the buns rise for 1 hour, or until they’ve puffed up & are touching one another. While the dough is rising, preheat the oven to 190°C.
Whisk together the reserved egg white & milk, & brush it over the buns.
Bake the buns for 20 minutes, until they’re golden brown. Remove from the oven, carefully turn the buns out of the pan (they should come out in one large piece), & transfer them to a rack to cool.
Mix together the icing ingredients, & when the buns are completely cool, pipe it in a cross shape atop each bun.
Want to make these buns a day or so ahead of time? Try the tangzhong technique, a Japanese method for increasing the softness & shelf life of yeast rolls. Begin by measuring out the flour & milk you’ll be using in the recipe. Now take 3 tablespoons of the measured flour & ½ cup of the measured milk; put them in a saucepan set over medium-high heat. Cook the mixture, whisking constantly, until it thickens & forms a thick slurry; this will take about 1 ½ to 2 ½ minutes. Transfer the cooked mixture to a bowl, let it cool to lukewarm, then combine it with the remaining flour, milk, & other dough ingredients. Proceed with the recipe as directed. Well-wrapped & stored at room temperature, your finished hot cross buns should stay soft & fresh for several days.
Gingerbread Cinnamon Rolls w/ Cream Cheese Frosting
Ingredients
Dough
255mls milk, whole preferred; lukewarm
85gms unsalted butter, softened
450gms Bakers Flour
1 large egg
2 tbsp (43gms) molasses
1 tbsp instant yeast
1 tbsp ginger
2 tbsp vanilla extract
1 tbsp table salt
1 tbsp cinnamon
1/4 tbsp allspice
1/4 tbsp nutmeg
Filling
4 tbsp (57gms) unsalted butter, softened
1/4 cup (54gms) light brown sugar or dark brown sugar, packed
2 tbsp (15gms) King Arthur Unbleached Bread Flour
1 tbsp molasses
2 tbsp ginger
1 tbsp black cocoa
/2 tbsp cinnamon
1/8 tbsp allspice
1/8 tbsp nutmeg
Cream cheese icing
Cream Cheese Frosting
4 ounces (113gms) cream cheese, softened
2 tbsp (28gms) unsalted butter, softened
1 1/4 cup (142gms) confectioners’ sugar, sifted if lumpy
Method:
To make the dough: In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook, combine the milk & butter. Preferably weigh your flour; or measure it by gently spooning it into a cup, then sweeping off any excess. Add to the bowl along with all of the remaining dough ingredients, mix briefly to combine, & scrape down the sides of the bowl.
Knead on low speed until a soft, sticky dough forms, about 5 minutes, stopping to scrape the bowl once midway through.
Cover the bowl & let the dough rise at room temperature until doubled in volume, 1 to 1 ½ hours.
Preheat the oven to 190°C. Lightly grease a 9″ x 13″ pan.
To make the filling: While the dough is rising, combine the filling ingredients in a small bowl. Mix until a homogeneous, thick paste forms. Set aside.
To assemble the gingerbread cinnamon rolls: Transfer the dough to a lightly floured work surface & roll it into a 10″ x 15″ rectangle. For evenly shaped rolls, pat the dough into a proper rectangle with squared-off corners, rather than an oval.
Use an offset spatula to spread the filling evenly across the surface of the dough, covering all but a ½” strip along one long side.
Starting with the filling-covered long side, tightly roll the dough into a 15″ log. Pinch the seam closed along the length of the uncovered long edge.
Score the dough lightly into 10 equal 1 ½” pieces. Slice the dough into individual rolls at the score marks using dental floss or a serrated knife.
Place the gingerbread cinnamon rolls into the prepared pan, cut-side up, spacing them evenly in staggered pairs. Cover the rolls & let them rise for 20 to 30 minutes, until they’re puffy & don’t bounce back immediately when gently pressed.
Bake the gingerbread cinnamon rolls for 20 to 25 minutes, or until they are lightly golden brown on top & a digital thermometer inserted into the centre of one roll reads 87°C. Allow the rolls to cool slightly for 10 to 15 minutes.
To make the cream cheese icing: While the rolls are cooling, beat the cream cheese in a stand mixer fitted with the flat beater until smooth. Add the butter & mix the icing until completely homogenous, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. On low speed, gradually add the confectioners’ sugar & mix until fully incorporated & smooth.
Spread the icing onto the warm rolls & serve warm or at room temperature.
Storage information: Store leftover gingerbread cinnamon rolls in the refrigerator, covered, for up to 2 days. Reheat before serving.