Hot Cross Buns

大家吃的开开心心

Bunny Buns

Hope you've enjoyed baking some bread with  straight method in the past weeks. You probably understand some of the limitations I've pointed out in the last post Butterscotch Brioche, or you may even discover some others on your own along the way. Once you've experienced handling a batch of straight method dough from the mixing stage, kneading, proofing, shaping and finally baking them, you'd be more agreeable to learn incorporating an amount of dough starter and see for yourselves how softer breads are made. 

sticky decadent buns

Asians love their breads soft, but not everyone shares the same taste, still many prefer softer bread than the western ones.  I opt for a chewy semi-firm softness for sausage buns. Hence, bakers experimented with different techniques to create the right textural softness for each kind of buns. The sponge starter method is one the basics and easier to apprehend than the others: hot water dough starter, cold water dough starter, water roux starter or a combination . An overnight yeast fermentation promises you a robust flavour and a stronger army of yeast cells to stretch the gluten. Asian bread bakers do not totally use bread flour, often mix with plain flour or cake flour to achieve their desired softness.

overnight sponge

10 mins rest time

Ingredients List

Overnight sponge starter:

100g bread flour

1 tsp instant yeast

100g tap water

a pinch sugar

Main dough:

250g top flour

2 tsp instant yeast

50g castor sugar

1/2 tsp sea salt

1 egg   55g size

50g coconut cream

60g chilled salted butter

1 cup liqueur-soaked dry fruits

Flour mixture for Cross:

Mix 50g flour with 4 tbsp water and pour into a disposable piping bag.

Glaze:

1/2 cup pancake syrup mixed with 1/4 cup orange juice plus a tablespoon rum.

Directions

• Prepare the dough starter first. Dissolve the yeast in the water and sugar. Add in the bread flour to form a sticky dough. Cover with cling wrap and leave on the table counter overnight 8 hours.
• Final dough: Place flour, sugar, salt, yeast in mixing bowl. 
• Place egg and coconut cream with the overnight sponge starter and give a stir to loosen the sides.
• Pour the wet ingredients into the flour mixture.
• Mix slowly to form a shaggy dough.
• Throw in the chilled butter cubed.
• Set cake mixer with dough hook at lowest speed 
• Mix all till a slight rough dough is formed. Rest the dough for 5 mins.
• Set speed at Medium and knead the dough for 8 mins.
• Knead another 8 mins at High speed.
• Mix in the dried fruits by hand.
• Cover dough with cling wrap and proof till double, best slight more.
• Punch out the air after proofing (degas) and knead by hand till dough is smooth.
• Divide dough into 16 proportions and let them rest 10 mins.
• Knead each ball till smooth and placed on lined baking tray.
• Proof the small buns till double,  covered with greased plastic sheet.
• Brush with beaten egg.
• Pipe the cross on each bun with flour mixture.
• Bake in preheat oven 200 degrees for 5 mins, follow by 180 degrees for 10 mins or till golden color.
• Brush the top of hot buns with lots of orange syrup. Put the buns back to hot oven for 3 mins. Brush again with glaze.

2017 Easter Buns

some spelt flour and mashed potato added to the dough, with a filling of dark chocolate/ nutella doused with tequila and grand marnier

Bible Quote:  John 6 :35  Then Jesus declared, ‘I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never go hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.

Cook as to how you like to eat it, join me if we share the same taste.  PaulaCookingFingers