Last weekend I spent the afternoon in the kitchen with both Lara AND Holly cooking an easter favourite - Hot Cross Buns - but with a bit of a twist. To be honest, I'm not a big fan of mixed peel and neither is Lara so, with a little inspiration from the people at Ribena Plus (who asked me to dream up an exciting easter recipe), I invented these fruity buns which still look very traditional but which taste totally fresh and exciting.
Raspberry and Apple Ribena Plus Hot Cross Buns
Makes 6
Preparation time: 2 hours 15 minutes
Cooking Time: 15 minutes
INGREDIENTS
For the crosses:
10g cold unsalted butter
15g plain flour
8g caster sugar
1 teaspoon undiluted Ribena Plus Raspberry and Apple
For the buns:
350g strong white bread flour
30g caster sugar
1/2 of a 7g packet of fast-action yeast
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground mixed spice
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
75ml warm milk
50ml undiluted Ribena Plus Raspberry and Apple
30g unsalted butter which has been melted and then cooled
1 small egg, beaten
100g fresh raspberries
1 medium-sized eating apple
1 knob of unsalted butter
sunflower oil for greasing
For the glaze:
2 tablespoons caster sugar
1 teaspoon undiluted Ribena Plus Raspberry and Apple
2 tablespoons water
METHOD
1. First make a shortcrust pastry for the crosses. Rub the butter, flour and sugar together with your fingertips to make a fine bread-crumb-like mixture. Add just enough of the Ribena Plus Raspberry and Apple to bring the mixture together to form a dough. Chill in the fridge for later.
2. Peel and core the apple and slice it into small pieces about 1cm cubed. Melt the knob of butter in a small pan and then gently heat the apple pieces until they soften and just begin to colour. Remove from the heat and allow to cool.
3. In a large mixing bowl, combine 250g of the bread flour along with the caster sugar, yeast, salt, mixed spice, cinnamon and nutmeg.
4. Make a well in the middle of the mixture and add the warm milk and the Ribena Plus Rasberry and Apple. Stir gently before adding the egg and the melted butter. Stir until it just starts to come together to form a dough.
5. Add the cooled apple pieces and the whole raspberries and then use your hands to combine the fruit into the dough. The bread dough will become very sticky and very pink!
6. Once combined, place the rest of the flour on a clean work surface and then place the dough into the flour. Carefully knead the dough for at least 5 minutes. The dough will take on all of the extra bread flour and may even need a little extra flour to prevent the dough from sticking.
7. Once the bread dough is bouncy and elastic, place it into a large clean bowl that has been greased with a little oil. Cover with a piece of cling film and then place the bowl somewhere warm (we use the airing cupboard) to rise for at least 1.5 hours until doubled in size.
8. Once the dough has risen, knead it again to remove any large air bubbles and then break it up into six pieces. Roll the pieces to form round buns and then place on a greased baking tray.
9. Roll out the chilled shortcrust pastry until it is about 4mm thick. Cut it into 12 slices of about 1cm wide. Brush the tops of the buns with a little water and then stick the pastry strips to the top of each bun in a cross. Trim the pastry at the sides and tuck the edges underneath the buns to make them neat and tidy.
10. Return the buns to their warm place to rise for another 30 minutes.
11. Meanwhile, heat the oven to 200 degrees centigrade.
12. Bake the buns for 15 minutes and while they are cooking, make the glaze.
13. Make the glaze by placing the sugar, water and Ribena Plus Raspberry and Apple into a small pan and warming it over a small heat until the sugar has fully dissolved.
14. As soon as the buns come out of the oven, place them on a cooling rack and brush each of them with a good coating of the glaze to give them a shiny glow.
15. Serve warm.
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| Raspberry and Apple Hot Cross Buns |
Raspberry and Apple Ribena Plus Hot Cross Buns
Makes 6
Preparation time: 2 hours 15 minutes
Cooking Time: 15 minutes
INGREDIENTS
For the crosses:
10g cold unsalted butter
15g plain flour
8g caster sugar
1 teaspoon undiluted Ribena Plus Raspberry and Apple
For the buns:
350g strong white bread flour
30g caster sugar
1/2 of a 7g packet of fast-action yeast
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground mixed spice
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
75ml warm milk
50ml undiluted Ribena Plus Raspberry and Apple
30g unsalted butter which has been melted and then cooled
1 small egg, beaten
100g fresh raspberries
1 medium-sized eating apple
1 knob of unsalted butter
sunflower oil for greasing
For the glaze:
2 tablespoons caster sugar
1 teaspoon undiluted Ribena Plus Raspberry and Apple
2 tablespoons water
METHOD
2. Peel and core the apple and slice it into small pieces about 1cm cubed. Melt the knob of butter in a small pan and then gently heat the apple pieces until they soften and just begin to colour. Remove from the heat and allow to cool.3. In a large mixing bowl, combine 250g of the bread flour along with the caster sugar, yeast, salt, mixed spice, cinnamon and nutmeg.
4. Make a well in the middle of the mixture and add the warm milk and the Ribena Plus Rasberry and Apple. Stir gently before adding the egg and the melted butter. Stir until it just starts to come together to form a dough.
5. Add the cooled apple pieces and the whole raspberries and then use your hands to combine the fruit into the dough. The bread dough will become very sticky and very pink!6. Once combined, place the rest of the flour on a clean work surface and then place the dough into the flour. Carefully knead the dough for at least 5 minutes. The dough will take on all of the extra bread flour and may even need a little extra flour to prevent the dough from sticking.
7. Once the bread dough is bouncy and elastic, place it into a large clean bowl that has been greased with a little oil. Cover with a piece of cling film and then place the bowl somewhere warm (we use the airing cupboard) to rise for at least 1.5 hours until doubled in size.8. Once the dough has risen, knead it again to remove any large air bubbles and then break it up into six pieces. Roll the pieces to form round buns and then place on a greased baking tray.
10. Return the buns to their warm place to rise for another 30 minutes.
11. Meanwhile, heat the oven to 200 degrees centigrade.12. Bake the buns for 15 minutes and while they are cooking, make the glaze.
13. Make the glaze by placing the sugar, water and Ribena Plus Raspberry and Apple into a small pan and warming it over a small heat until the sugar has fully dissolved.
14. As soon as the buns come out of the oven, place them on a cooling rack and brush each of them with a good coating of the glaze to give them a shiny glow.
15. Serve warm.
