It’s impossible to not sing the nursery rhyme every time the words “hot cross buns” come up.
For the longest time, I only knew how to play the melody on the piano, and even the recorder, but never tasted one. I know, sad life.
Back in elementary school, our music teacher taught us a “karate recorder” program. Songs were organized from lowest to highest difficulty and we would earn a “karate belt”, a coloured piece of yarn, to tie onto our recorder after each song was perfected.
The very first song in the duo-tang was hot cross buns. That earned me a white belt.
It’s probably the only song I can still play on the recorder. That is, if I can find my recorder… It had all the belts on it. I’m a very sentimental and like to keep everything, shh!
I had my first hot cross bun about three years ago; it was from Cobs Bread. I’m not usually one for baked goods with dried fruit, but the combination of warm spices and fluffy bread won me over.
Since then, I’ve made hot cross buns at home every Easter to share with my family. Not only is the taste fantastic, but the symbolic meaning of the cross is very dear to our family. I think of Easter like another Thanksgiving, but specifically to thank Jesus for saving us. Because of Him, I have been blessed with such a fortunate and happy life, one where I can enjoy my hot cross bun with a peaceful mind.
Instead of the traditional mix of raisins and currants, as I’m sure you’re probably bored of seeing endless recipes on that, I opted to twist things up with a tropical punch! (Evidently, my love for Hawaii has yet to wear off after one year.)
These exotic hot cross buns are made with whole wheat flour and studded with papaya, pineapple, mango, and of course, my beloved coconut. Dried kiwi or candied ginger would also be great options. An extra step that I added in, and also highly recommend, is soaking the pieces of dried fruit in warm coconut milk. This rehydrates the fruit so you don’t hit a piece of rock-like dried fruit, because no one likes that.
The spices used in my variant of hot cross buns are similar to the traditional mix, perhaps the cinnamon and ginger being most prominent. The warm spices of cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, and allspice pair wonderfully with the tropical fruits. Ughh, I’m drooling all over again.
If you haven’t tried hot cross buns before, now is the time! It is said that sharing hot cross buns ensures friendship throughout the year, so make a batch of these sure-to-impress buns for your loved ones this Easter!
- BUNS:
- ½ cup coconut milk, warmed
- 1 cup mixed dried fruit (papaya, pineapple, mango), chopped into small cubes
- 2 tbsp unsweetened shredded coconut
- 1 tbsp dried yeast
- ¼ cup warm water
- 2 tbsp honey, divided
- ¼ cup coconut oil, softened
- 1 egg + 1 egg white (keep yolk for egg wash), at room temperature
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- Pinch of pink salt
- ½ tsp cinnamon
- ¼ tsp freshly grated nutmeg
- 1 tbsp lemon zest
- Pinch each of ginger and all spice
- 2 to 2½ cups whole wheat flour
- EGG WASH:
- 1 egg yolk
- 1 tbsp water
- ICING:
- ½ cup confectioner's sugar
- 1 tsp coconut milk
- 4 drops vanilla extract
- Soak chopped dried fruit in warmed coconut milk for 30 to 45 minutes.
- Dissolve yeast in warm water with about 1 tsp honey and let stand for 5 to 10 minutes.
- In stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat softened coconut oil with honey until well combined.
- Add whole egg and one egg white, coconut milk and fruit, vanilla, yeast mixture and beat until well combined.
- Switch to dough hook and add 2 cups of flour. Add salt, spices, lemon zest, and extra flour until dough comes together, mixing all the way.
- Knead for 5 minutes, until smooth and no longer tacky (dough should not stick to finger when touched).
- Cover bowl with a towel and let it rest in oven (turned off!) for 1 hour.
- Punch dough and then turn onto a clean, floured surface. Knead a few times until smooth and elastic.
- Roll dough into a log, cut into 12 equal pieces and then roll each piece into a round bun.
- Place buns close together in a greased pan. Cover and let rise for another 45 minutes in the oven.
- Preheat oven to 350⁰F. Brush tops of bun with egg wash (egg yolk whisked with water).
- Bake buns for 20 to 25 minutes or until the tops are golden brown. Do not overbake! Buns should have internal temperature of approximately 180⁰F when done.
- After buns have completely cooled, make glaze by combining icing sugar with coconut milk. Use a piping bag to draw crosses on each bun.
Recipe heavily adapted from Texanerin Baking
I can’t eat any of the store-base hot cross buns due to a soy allergy (they usually use soy flour) and for the past couple of days I’ve been feeling flat and left out from all the yummy hot cross bun goodness.
BUT
These-look-absolutely-amazing!
I know what Im baking this weekend! Thank you! 😀 x
I’m so glad you can join in on the HXB goodness, hope the recipe works out for you! We’d love to see your recreation.
These look and sound absolutely amazing! Out of interest, what type of camera do you use? Your pictures are incredible!
Thanks so much Claudia, I’m flattered by your compliment! The camera I currently use is a Nikon D3100 with a 18-140mm zoom lens.