Chocolate Hot Cross Buns
An old Easter-time favourite is Hot Cross Buns. We took this treat to the next level by replacing the traditional raisins for chocolate chips.
Ingredients
- 60 g Unsalted Butter
- 300 ml Milk
- 125 ml Castor Sugar
- 12 ml Instant Yeast
- 750 g All Purpose Flour
- 60 ml Cocoa
- 10 ml Ground Cinnamon
- 2.5 ml Mixed Spice
- 1 Large TopLay Egg
- 5 ml Vanilla Extract
- 250 ml Chocolate Chips
TO TOP
- 1 Large TopLay Egg
- 30 ml Cocoa
- 15 ml Flour
- 50 ml Water
Instructions
- In a small pot over low heat, melt the butter. Add half of the milk and sugar. As soon as it gets too hot to touch, remove from the heat.
- Add the rest of the milk, then stir in the yeast. Allow it to sit for 5 minutes for the yeast to activate.
- In a big mixing bowl, sift together the flour, cocoa, cinnamon and mixed spice. Add the egg, vanilla and yeast mixture, and knead until smooth and elastic.
- Brush a large bowl lightly with vegetable oil, then add the dough. Cover the top of the dough ball with oil as well. Cover the bowl with a tea towel or plastic wrap and allow to rise for about 1 hour or until doubled in size.
- Once the dough has risen, turn it out onto a lightly floured board. Gently knead in the chocolate chips until evenly distributed. Don’t knead for too long.
- Shape into a big ball. Divide the dough ball in 12 even pieces.
- Line the base of a casserole dish or large baking tin with baking paper and lightly oil the sides.
- Shape each piece of dough into a small ball and sit them side by side in the prepared dish (they should be just touching). Allow rising for another hour or until doubled in size again.
- Preheat the oven to 180 Degrees.
- Brush the top of the buns with the beaten egg.
- Mix together the cocoa, flour and water and transfer to a piping bag. Pipe crosses over the top of the buns (you can do this by piping 1 long line across the tops of a line of buns, then repeat until they all have a cross).
- Bake for 20-25 minutes until shiny and crisp on top.
- Serve warm, with butter