Chocolate Hot Cross Buns
I’ve eaten the traditional variety of Hot Cross Buns all my life, but have never tried Chocolate Hot Cross Buns. I’ve looked at a few recipes, and no two are the same, so I settled on this one to try. I was happy with how they turned out, although I would have liked them to rise a little higher. I also think these really should be eaten the day they are made. Although quite a decadent alternative, I think I prefer traditional Hot Cross Buns.
Chocolate Hot Cross Buns
- 250ml warm milk
- 7g sachet dry yeast
- 50g sugar
- 380g plain flour
- 30g cocoa
- 1 1/2 teaspoons mixed spice
- 60g butter
- 1 egg
- 1/4 cup dark chocolate chips
- Paste for crosses
- 30g flour
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 1 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa
- Glaze
- 2 teaspoons sugar
- 1 teaspoon gelatine powder
- 1 tablespoon boiling water
- Grease a 6cm-deep, 23cm square cake pan.
- Place yeast, milk and 1 tablespoon sugar in a bowl. Whisk to dissolve yeast and set aside in a warm place for 10 minutes or until foamy.
- Sift flour, cocoa and mixed spice into a bowl. Rub in butter until mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs and make a well in the centre. Add yeast mixture, egg and remaining sugar. Stir to combine. Turn dough onto a lightly floured surface. Knead for 1 minute. Transfer to a lightly oiled bowl. Cover and set aside in a warm place for 1 hour or until dough has doubled in size.
- Turn onto a floured surface. Knead for 5 minutes or until smooth, adding the chocolate chips. Knead to combine. Roll into 16 equal sized balls. Place in prepared pan. Cover again and place in a warm place for 30 minutes or until dough has almost doubled in size.
- Preheat the oven to 200°C.
- Make Paste for crosses: Combine flour, sugar and 2 tablespoons of cold water in a bowl. Spoon the paste into a small plastic piping bag and pipe crosses onto the top of each bun. Bake for 10 minutes. Reduce heat to 180°C. Cook for a further 20-25 minutes or until the buns are golden brown and cooked through.
- Make the glaze by sprinkling the gelatine and sugar over boiling water in a heatproof jug. Stir with a fork until gelatine has dissolved. Turn buns, onto a wire rack. Brush tops with gelatine mixture.
I think they are best eaten the day they are made. They can be kept in an airtight container for a couple of days, but then I’d be toasting them with lashings of butter to enjoy with a hot cup of tea!
