Chocolate hot cross buns recipe

Chocolate hot cross buns recipe

These chocolate hot cross buns are a spruced up version of the traditional Easter classic. If an Easter egg isn't enough to sate chocolate your cravings, these certainly will.

Richard's top tips:

  • Complement the recipe by rustling up some delicious, flavoured butters. These are a doddle to make – simply mix softened butter with marmalade or your favourite flavoured jam and then spread this onto your toasted treat. 
  • Bread and butter pudding is a great dish to serve up at Easter family get-togethers, so add a fun, seasonal twist and swap out traditional bread for chocolate hot cross buns – or even the standard variety. 
  • When it comes to show-stopping puddings, it’s often the case that bigger is better, so why not surprise your guest with a super-size hot cross bun? The ingredients and method are exactly the same, simply shape your dough into a giant bun shape as opposed to multiple smaller ones.

Ingredients

  • 550 g strong white flour
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 7 g sachet easy bake yeast
  • 25 g caster sugar
  • 350 ml warm water
  • 2 tbsp cocoa powder
  • 180 g chocolate chips
  • 2 tbsp honey, warmed
  • 19.4 oz strong white flour
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 0.2 oz sachet easy bake yeast
  • 0.9 oz caster sugar
  • 12.3 fl oz warm water
  • 2 tbsp cocoa powder
  • 6.3 oz chocolate chips
  • 2 tbsp honey, warmed
  • 19.4 oz strong white flour
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 0.2 oz sachet easy bake yeast
  • 0.9 oz caster sugar
  • 1.5 cups warm water
  • 2 tbsp cocoa powder
  • 6.3 oz chocolate chips
  • 2 tbsp honey, warmed

Details

  • Cuisine: British
  • Recipe Type: Bread
  • Difficulty: Medium
  • Preparation Time: 140 mins
  • Cooking Time: 30 mins
  • Serves: 16

Step-by-step

  1. Sift the flour into a mixing bowl and stir in the salt, yeast, sugar and cocoa powder.
  2. Make a well in the centre of the mixture and add the water. Bring the ingredients together with a spatula initially, then use clean hands to mix together thoroughly and form a soft dough.
  3. Turn out on to a lightly floured surface and knead for at least 5 minutes until the dough is soft and elastic. This gives the bread a good springy texture.
  4. Mix in chocolate chips and knead for another minute, before dividing the mixture into 16 even buns.
  5. Arrange on a baking tray, cover loosely with a damp tea towel and leave to prove somewhere warm for 2 hours until the buns almost double in size.
  6. Heat the oven to 200°C/400°F//gas mark 6. Mix the flour with a little cold water into a paste and spoon into a piping bag.
  7. Pipe a cross on to each bun then bake for 20–25 minutes until well risen and golden. Brush with the honey while still warm from the oven and allow to cool on a wire rack.

Richard Jones is Morrisons Head M Kitchen Chef. Photography by Paul Cooper/REX.

You might also like:

Traditional hot cross buns

Easter egg cakes

Easter lamb with garlic and lavender

Comments


Be the first to comment

Do you want to comment on this article? You need to be signed in for this feature

Copyright © lovefood.com All rights reserved.