Traditional & Cocoa Hot Cross Buns
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Recipe type: Baking, Sweet, Bread
Cuisine: Easter, Vegan
Prep time: 
Cook time: 
Total time: 
 
Traditionally spiced, currant embedded bun or decedent, orange chocolate bun? Wheel of sweet, fluffy hot cross buns for a vegan easter feast!
Ingredients
Traditional Hot Cross Buns
  • 3 cups plain flour
  • ½ tsp ground cloves
  • ½ tsp ginger
  • ½ tsp nutmeg
  • 1 tsp cinnamon
  • pinch of salt
  • ½ (heaped) cup currants
  • Zest of one Orange
  • 1 cup non-dairy milk
  • 7g sachet of dried active yeast
  • 2 tbsp. sugar
  • 2 tbsp. coconut oil (melted) or rapeseed
  • ⅓ cup orange juice
Cocoa Hot Cross Buns
  • 3 cups plain flour
  • ¼ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
  • ½ tsp ground cloves
  • ½ tsp ginger
  • ½ tsp nutmeg
  • 1 tsp cinnamon
  • pinch of salt
  • ½ (heaped) cup dark chocolate chips
  • 1 cup non-dairy milk
  • 7g sachet of dried active yeast
  • 2 tbsp. sugar
  • 2 tbsp. coconut oil (melted) or rapeseed
  • ⅓ cup orange juice
For The Crosses
  • 6 Tbsp Plain Flour
  • 5 Tbsp Water
For Orange Glaze
  • 4 Tbsp Orange Juice
  • 4 Tbsp Sugar
Instructions
For The Hot Cross Buns
  1. Line a large round pizza tray/baking pan with parchment paper.
  2. Heat your milk for both of your buns to a tepid temperature and divide into two separate bowls/jugs (1 cup each). Pour in your yeast and sugar, mixing to combine. Set aside while you prepare your other ingredients.
  3. In two large bowls, place the dry ingredients for the traditional buns in one bowl (flour, spices, salt, currants, orange zest) and mix, and the dry ingredients for the Cocoa buns in the other (flour, cocoa, spices, salt, choc chips).
  4. Once the yeast mixture has become very frothy, create a well in the middle of one bowl, pour in the mixture along with the orange juice and coconut oil. Mix together with a spatula until it has come together (you could need a splash of water or orange juice if its too floury/tough, or if its too wet add more flour.) Transfer onto a floured surface and continue kneading for about 5 minutes. Place into an oiled bowl and cover for about 1 hour or until the dough has doubled.
  5. Repeat this for the other dough and begin pre heating your oven at 375F/190C/Gas Mark 5.
  6. After an hour, turn out the doughs and knead again for another 5 minutes.
  7. Break off 90g (3oz) of dough one by one and roll into balls and place into the lined tray (alternating the traditional and cocoa buns.) Cover again and let rest for 10 mins.
For The Crosses
  1. Mix together your flour and water until there are no lumps, and transfer to a piping bag. Draw crosses on each bun with the mixture.
  2. Place your buns in the oven and cook for 25-30 minutes.
For the glaze
  1. Just before you buns come out of the oven, combine your orange juice and sugar in a saucepan and bring to a boil over high heat. Let the mixture boil for about 5 minutes - it should reduce to a thin syrup.
  2. When your bun are removed from the oven, brush each bun with the syrup and leave to cool on a wire rack
Recipe by The Hungry Herbivores at https://www.thehungryherbivores.com/traditional-cocoa-hot-cross-buns/