Hot cross buns

Hot cross bun time came around yesterday, that is to say Saturday, despite what it says above.

Without studying reference 1, which might have been sensible, much discussion of the relative merits of the Delia Smith and Mary Berry recipes. The latter included rather a lot of dried fruit and an egg, but the method was very like that I use for bread, and did not require the yeast to be started in warm milk and sugar. Eventually opted for sticking with the bread method.

0730 start. Upped the yeast to two teaspoons and dropped the salt to a quarter teaspoon. Compromised on the fruit with two and a half ounces of mixed dried fruit from Waitrose, with the half empty bag looking to be dominated by currents. Didn't bother with the fiddly cross business and went, as usual, for two big buns rather than half a dozen or more small ones.

End of first knead

The dough was quite sticky to handle, but a very small amount of flour at the end got it all off my hands in no time at all. Starting with a pound of flour, the dough weighed in at just over two pounds.

After first rise

The dough had more or less doubled in size after three hours in the airing cupboard and tipped out of its bowl very cleanly - which the bread never does, needing to be scraped out.

Tinned up after second knead

After second rise

Very slow second rise in the proving bin in the front room, eventually calling a halt at about five hours.

Fresh out of the oven

1700. Baked for 25 minutes at 180C. Top bun (left) rather bigger than the bottom bun (right), despite weighing the same at the off.

Tucking into the larger bun

The larger bun, just about cool, went down very well at 1800. Followed by half the smaller bun, taken sliced rather than broken as it had a firmer texture. Half what was left later that evening and the stump will be taken for breakfast this morning.

Odd how much darker the smaller loaf looks snapped in the west facing kitchen than in the east facing front room. Clearly some odd trick of the light.

Rated a success and I liked them much better than the rather damp and sweet 'Taste the difference' version from Sainsbury's, taken toasted for breakfast the day before. No need to toast my buns, they are properly cooked in the first place...

Maybe up the yeast by a teaspoon next time around. We continue to puzzle about the small and slow rises, at least compared with bread.

Reference 1: https://psmv4.blogspot.com/2019/04/bun-day-again.html.