If you’re looking for the all butter, milk & egg version of this recipe, then scroll down the page and keep going until you get to the hot cross buns. For anyone looking for a plant based recipe. you’ve found it!
Hot Cross Buns (vegan)
makes 6
*Disclaimer* This is a relatively untested recipe that I have adjusted from a full dairy and egg based recipe. It may need many tweaks. You are a guineapig and pioneer and I look forward to your feedback!
Easter definitely calls for some tender, cinnamon scented, currant studded buns with a sticky glaze. These are best eaten almost straight out of the oven whilst still warm, but they make great toast the next day with lots of nut butter or a slick of coconut cream and some frozen berry jam, or even a section of Easter egg if you’ve got any left! Add the zest of an orange or some ground cardamom if you’d like to ramp up the flavour a bit. Use psyllium husk powder, or grind the husk very finely in a coffee grinder or high-speed blender – you could try xanthan gum instead, you’d probably need between 1-1 ½ tsp.
For the buns
70g potato starch
70g tapioca starch
50g buckwheat flour (or oat flour)
30g quinoa flour (or sorghum or millet flour)
1-2 tsp ground cinnamon
3g fine salt
225g dairy free milk or 125g canned coconut milk + 100g water
25g vegan butter or 20g coconut oil or olive oil
20g sugar
1 tsp cider vinegar
15g ground linseed
13g psyllium husks
3g fast acting yeast
50g currants (or raisins/sultanas)
30g chopped candied peel
For the cross
15g potato starch (or a white gf mix)
10g buckwheat flour (or oat flour, sorghum flour, millet flour or a white gf mix)
Big pinch of psyllium husk
25-35g water
For the glaze
50g white sugar (or a few tablespoons of marmalade or apricot jam)
In a mixing bowl, whisk together starches, flours, cinnamon and salt
In a small saucepan warm the dairy free milk (or coconut milk & water), vegan butter/oil, sugar and vinegar together until the butter/coconut oil melts and then divide between two bowls. Into one bowl of warm milk, stir in the ground linseed and psyllium husk, whisk well and leave to cool a little. When the other bowl of milk has cooled to lukewarm (about 30-35ºC), whisk in the yeast and set aside for 15 minutes to bloom.
When the yeast has bloomed and the psyllium has gelled, pour both into the dry ingredients. Beat vigorously until a smooth, sticky dough forms. Squidge it with your hands if there are any lumps at all, or put into a stand mixer with a paddle attachment and leave to run for a few minutes. Stir in the currants and peel and scrape the dough into a lightly oiled bowl to prove. Cover and leave in a warm place (30ºC is ideal) to prove for 30 minutes.
While the dough proves, make the cross. Mix together the cross ingredients, adding enough milk or water to make a smooth, pipeable paste – it will stiffen up a little as it sits. Scrape into a piping bag with a narrow tip and set aside.
Also make the glaze while you wait. Heat the sugar with 25g of water until the sugar dissolves and set the syrup aside. Alternatively sieve out the bits from some marmalade or apricot jam and let it down to a glaze consistency with a little boiling water. The glaze keeps the buns fresh for longer.
When the dough has proved, tip it onto an oiled surface and knead it until it is smooth again, if it feels super sticky then add 5g of extra linseed and knead until it is less sticky. It will be a sticky dough, so if you are not used to gluten free doughs, bear this in mind. A bench scraper can make the whole thing less messy. Keep your hands and surface oiled.
Cut into 6 evenly sized pieces. Form each piece into a round bun shape before placing it onto a greased tray – or use a silicone mat. Repeat with the other pieces, placing each bun only about 2cm away from the others so that they rise up together and touch – this will help prevent them flattening out too much. Cover lightly with a cloth and leave to prove again in a warm place for about an hour or so, until they look puffy – longer if your house is cool.
Preheat the oven to 220ºC fan (or 240ºC without fan) and place a tray in the bottom of the oven and a pizza stone in the centre of the oven if you have one. Make crosses on the buns by piping all across one line of buns and then across the other way. Place the buns in the oven and throw some water on the tray in the bottom to create steam – or give three bursts of steam, timed about 4 minutes apart if you have a steam oven. Bake for about 20 minutes, until the buns are well browned and firm.
Leave the buns on the tray while you brush them generously with the glaze. As soon as they are cool enough to handle, tuck in! They won’t keep much beyond 24 hours, but are great toasted or made into a bread pudding.