Hot Cross Buns - 2016 version

Ever since I left home, I've always made fresh hot cross buns on the morning of Good Friday. Having children with allergies didn't stop that, they've just evolved with the restrictions and a better understanding of free from baking.

Same recipe, but Coori flour on left and Doves Farm on right

I always struggled a bit with gluten free bread as it tends to need more of a batter type consistency and, for me, part of the joy of making bread was in the kneading. Even in the 4 years since Mini Monster had to cut out wheat too, as well as the huge improvement in ready made breads (although most still contain egg, milk, soya or chickpea, all of which we still have to avoid), there has been an improvement in flour mixes available, with many having more elasticity even without the gluten. 

One of the downsides to wheat/gluten free baking is that the huge variety of flours now available all have different properties, this makes generic recipes more difficult to follow as some require more or less fluid than the recipe suggests. The difficulty with my job is we're not supposed to recommend specific brands, or if we do, we have to give more than one example of a particular product. 

While I've been a bit lax at posting recipes over the last year and a half, anyone who follows me on Twitter will know I've developed a love affair with Coori flour mixes, however, these are not readily available so I made this recipe with Doves farm White Bread Flour too (I had also meant to do a batch with Bakels White Bread mix too, but don't have any at the moment) just so you have a more accessible option. They may look very different, but both taste good, which is the main thing…

For 12 buns

400g Coori Puff Pastry Mix or 380g Doves Farm White Bread Flour, plus 20g Arrowroot

30g sugar (I used light muscovado)

2tbsp Mixed Spice

260mls Milk Substitute (hand hot)

2tsp Dried Yeast

100g Dairy and Soya Free Spread 

150g chopped dried fruit/chocolate chips

75g Wheat Free Flour plus Milk Substitute mixed to smooth paste that just holds it's shape, for crosses

2tbsp Caster sugar and water to glaze

Sprinkle yeast onto the warm milk substitute, stir and set aside for 5 minutes.

Place flour, sugar and spices in a bowl.

Stir in the frothed yeast mixture with a blunt knife. Once  it's come together, knead gently to form a smooth ball (you may need a little extra flour if too sticky, but don't be tempted to add too much).

Cover and set aside in a warm place to rise for 30mins.

Knead again, then roll out to a large rectangle (I do it on cling film to proven cross contamination from worktop or rolling pin).

Spread on half the dairy free spread, then fold the dough into thirds.

Re roll and repeat. Fold and roll another couple of times until the spread stops oozing out (you can just knead it again, but don't add too much flour).

Add the dried fruit and knead in.

These had dried sour cherries and chocolate chips

These were apricot, candy peel and chocolate chips

Divide the mixture and shape into balls and place on a greased baking tray. Oil the tops and cover lightly with cling film, set aside to rise.

Add caption

Mix the flour and milk substitute to a thin paste. Put in piping bag (or a greaseproof paper cone). Pipe crosses onto the tops of the risen buns.

Mixture for my crosses was a little too thick this year...

Bake at 200-220ºC for 25 mins (I don't think my oven is hot enough at the moment, so turned the temp up to 220, but that may be too hot in some) or until nicely browned.

Unglazed

Glazed

Dissolve the sugar in a little boiling water and brush on the buns as soon as they come out of the oven. Put them back in for a minute to 'set' the glaze.

Eat warm from the oven, or split them and toast them (isnseparate toaster, or in a toaster pocket to prevent cross contamination).

Tea cakes (Chocolate marshmallow ones, not bread)

Mulberry Marshmallow Filled Teacakes

Since I discovered how easy it was to make marshmallows I've had a craving for teacakes. I don't know how many times I've looked at the moulds on Lakeland's website and dithered over whether to order 1 (not enough for more than one each...) or 2 (but then realised they look too big for more than 1 anyway…). Then I looked online and realised hemispherical moulds came in many different sizes! I found one with 15 domes of about 3.5-4cm across and ordered it in time for 7 year olds birthday. Just. 

I hadn't planned to post this recipe yet as it was just an experiment, so I don't really have many pictures, but so many people on Twitter got excited I felt need to post it sooner. So here goes. It's another one of those recipes that looks more complicated then it is. Honest.

First I realised I was almost out of chocolate and needed most of it for the requested chocolate birthday cake (will also post recipe eventually, but don't feel you need to go for the same level of decoration!). 

'Naked' dragon during assembly

Ferno the Fire Dragon

Hunted around and discovered a Moo Free chocolate santa lurking at the back of the cupboard. Just don't tell the kids I melted it - I'm sure that by about June Mini Monster will suddenly remember he had one that he hadn't eaten!

My next mistake was putting the rest of the bowl of melted chocolate in the kitchen, ready to cover the bases when all assembled. Helpful husband ate it while doing the washing up, not realising I hadn't finished! Fortunately I found half a pack of chocolate buttons lurking in the bottom of the snack box…

I'd read somewhere about mixing a little coconut oil with the melted chocolate to give a crisp shiny finish, but I still got a bloom on my chocolate. Next time I'll skip the coconut oil (found coconut flavour overpowering) and try to temper the chocolate properly. Or not. Who cares if the chocolate is a little swirly? 

These seem complicated, but can be made in lots of little stages over a few days if necessary.

Biscuits (these can be made in advance)

60g Dairy and Soya Free Spread (Pure or Vitalite)

40g Caster Sugar

2tbsp (30mls) Oat Cream (or rice/almond cream)

1/2tsp Vanilla Paste (or extract)

145g Plain Flour or Wheat Free Plain Flour (may need a little extra if not using almonds)

25g Ground Almonds (optional)

1/4tspn Baking Powder

Put spread, sugar, vanilla and cream in a bowl and whisk together.

Add flour, baking powder and ground almonds, if using.

Mix together with a spatula until it comes together.

Add a little more flour, if necessary and kneed lightly.

Roll out to 2-3mm thick. 

Cut into circles slightly smaller than the diameter of your mould.

Bake for 12-15mins at 170ºC or until crisp.

Set aside (this amount of mix is much more than needed for the teacakes, so cut the rest of the mix into any other shape you want and bake. Or wrap in cling film and leave in the fridge for a few days until you need more biscuits).

Chocolate

100g melted dairy and soya free chocolate (I used a mixture of Moo Free and Mortimer's for a slightly darker chocolate)

Brush the inside of your mould with melted chocolate (if you don't have a brush, just do what I did and use the back of a teaspoon, you just won't get such an even thickness).

If you're in a hurry, pop the mould in the freezer to set.

In the meantime, dip one side of the biscuits in melted chocolate and set them aside until ready.

Brush another layer of chocolate into the mould and leave to set again (I did this the day before I needed them).

Marshmallow (original recipe)

Vanilla and Mulberry Marshmallows

3 sheets leaf gelatine (I haven't had a go with vegetarian gelatine yet, but I'm sure it's possible too)

110g caster sugar

40g golden syrup

30mls water or fruit juice (I used about 60mls Mulberry juice reduced down to concentrate the flavour)

1/2 tsp vanilla paste (or extract)

Put sugar and syrup into a pan and just cover with cold water.

Heat gently until most of the sugar dissolved (do not allow it to boil at this stage) - swill the pan rather than stirring.

Remove from heat and put on a tight fitting lid for 10 minutes (the steam helps dissolve any sugar crystals remaining on the sides of the pan - if you leave these it will affect the caramelisation).

Return to heat and remove the lid.

Soak gelatine in cold water and set aside for 10 minutes.

Drain water off the gelatine and add the 30mls of water or fruit juice.

Microwave for 10-20 seconds to dissolve the gelatine (if you don't have a microwave, add boiling water, or hot fruit juice).

Bring to the boil and boil until you get to 130ºC - if you don't have a sugar thermometer, this is the 'hard ball' stage (fill a glass with cold water. Once the syrup has boiled rapidly and is starting to change colour, put a few drops into the water. If it breaks up it's not ready, if it goes into a long string it's not ready, if it forms a ball, but it's still soft when you squash it it's not ready, when if it forms a ball that is hard, you are there!)

Slowly pour the syrup into the gelatine mix, whisking constantly.

Continue to whisk until thick and pale and producing threads like chewing gum.

Assembly

Spoon marshmallow mix into chocolate shells - probably needs to be about 2/3 full (don't overfill or there will be no room for your biscuits - I pushed my biscuits down forgetting that silicon moulds are soft and shattered the tops of most of them!).

Pour the rest of you marshmallow mixture into an oiled tray to set. Cut into shapes and toss in a mixture of icing sugar and cornflour.

Top with the chocolate side of one of you biscuits.

Spread melted chocolate over the base to seal everything in (don't worry if you go over the edges, they can easily be trimmed).

Leave somewhere cool to set.

Turn out carefully - don't push bottom of mould! I stretched the mould around the edges to loosen it.

Enjoy!