Gluten-free Hot Cross Buns Recipe
Gluten-free hot cross buns recipe - a classic Easter baking recipe that you'd never know was Coeliac-friendly and wheat free.
Servings 10
Ingredients
- 120 ml milk
- 230 ml water
- 10 g easy bake yeast
- 50 g caster sugar
- 410 g gluten free white bread flour or gluten free plain flour still works too
- 2 tsp xanthan gum
- 15 g psyllium husk
- 6 g salt
- 30 g butter melted
- 1 tsp cider vinegar or another gluten free vinegar
- 1 large egg
- 1 tsp mixed spice
- 80 g mixed peel
- 75 g sultanas
For the cross:
- 75 g gluten free white bread flour if you use gf plain flour add 1/4 tsp xanthan gum too
- 1-2 tsp oil veg or sunflower is fine here
- 4-5 tbsp water add this gradually - you might need a little less / more
For the egg wash and finishing touches:
- 1 egg beaten (size doesn't matter)
- 2 tbsp smooth apricot jam warmed
Instructions
- Place the flour, xanthan gum, psyllium husk, salt, sugar, mixed spice and easy bake yeast in to a large bowl (or the bowl of a stand mixer) and mix together to combine.
- Warm the milk and water to around 35C and then add both of these alongside the melted butter, vinegar and egg. Mix together, ideally with a stand mixer for 3-5 minutes on a medium/high setting. (You can use an electric hand mixer or even do this by hand, but you will need to mix for longer)
- Add in the mixed peel and sultanas and mix them in to so evenly dispersed, then allow to rest for 10 minutes - this helps the dough to hydrate more evenly.
- The dough will be sticky so flour your hands and surface well before getting your dough out onto it. Divide the dough into 10 even pieces. Each time you break off a portion of dough it will seem sticky but just knead each piece with the floured surface and hands and it will stop being sticky.
- Mould each portion into a rounded shape. I do this by flattening the dough with my hand into a circular shape then bringing all the edges in to the centre. I then turn the dough the other way up and the other side is lovely and smooth. Make sure its nice and round and then place each onto a prepared baking tray. Space them about an inch apart.
- Loosely cover the buns with cling film and leave to prove somewhere warm for a good 60 (or up to 90) minutes until the buns have significantly increased in size (around doubled).
- Preheat the oven to 180C fan / 200C, place a roasting dish at the bottom of the oven and boil a kettle!
- For the cross mix together the flour and oil, then gradually mix in the water - do this until you get a thick yet runny paste. Pop this into a piping bag and cut a tiny bit of the end off - no nozzle needed (if you don't have piping bags you could use a sandwich bag)
- Once the buns have proven, remove the cling film, brush with a beaten egg all over and then pipe crosses onto them. I do this across a whole line of the buns at the same time one way, then go the other.
- When ready, place the buns on the middle shelf of the oven and pour a mug of boiling water into the bottom roasting tin. Bake the buns in total for 25-30 minutes. BUT remove the boiling water after the first 10 minutes. AND cover with foil (shiny side up) for the final 5-10 minutes if browning too much.
- Transfer your buns onto a cooling rack and then brush with slightly warmed smooth apricot jam all over. Allow to slightly cool and then enjoy warm or toasted under the grill (that's how I've always had them all my life!
Notes
These are best enjoyed on the day they are baked but are fab for a few days. If you need to just refresh them briefly in the microwave or covered in the oven. They freeze well too!