Gluten Free Hot Cross Buns (Version 2)
During the pandemic I became addicted to watching The Great British Bakeoff. It is a competition reality show, but the tips and techniques highlighted there are fantastic. I learnt more about proving yeasted products than I ever had with the comments provided by Paul Hollywood. One thing became clear, I needed a proving oven/drawer when I next updated my kitchen! In 2020 I also came across a fabulous blog by fellow coeliac, Cooking with Sass. Sass had become a home test baker for flour manufacturer FG Roberts and the results she shared looked amazing. I tried her white bread roll recipe and OMG! So in 2022 when she released a Hot Cross Bun recipe I decided I needed to try it.
The combination of successfully proving the buns in a regulated environment, along with using a bread flour and soaking the fruit is an absolute game changer! That's why, for the first time in the eleven years of doing this blog and YouTube videos I have gone back and done a Version 2 of a recipe.
This recipe is a combination of my mum's recipe and Sass's, using a couple of new techniques I have learned along the way.
As someone who always soaks fruit for Christmas Cakes, the need to soak the fruit for these buns was one of those "slap palm to forehead" moments. Of course, it plumps up the fruit and stops them drawing moisture from the dough. The result is a better, lighter, fluffier bun. Just make sure to pat dry the fruit before adding to the dough, soggy fruit can make your dough too wet.
Paul Hollywood taught me the importance of warming the milk before adding the yeast to activate it properly. Sass demonstrated that this needs to be between 40-45°C. Doing so, depending on the humidity and room temperature, the yeast blooms rapidly and fully within 5-8 minutes. I realised I often added the yeasty liquid to my dry ingredients too soon, before it had fully bloomed. You need to have a thick, "cream-like" top on the liquid, teeming with bubbles. If you're using a clear jug, you'll notice little bubbles on the side that resemble the top of a crumpet, filled with lots of tiny holes.
The other big change in this recipe is the flour. I now use a bread flour from Gluten Free World (formally known as FG Roberts). This bread mix contains Maize, Rice Fine Flour, Psyllium, soy isolate, soy flour enzyme active, dextrose, methocel K4M and salt. Psyllium is a crucial ingredient in gluten free bread making. It acts as a binder and gives the dough the elasticity which allows it to prove properly (and not collapse when exposed to cooler air.) Psyllium husk is a hydrocolloid - it binds with water to form a sticky elastic gel. This turns a bread batter into a bread dough. If you are interested more in how psyllium works check out https://theloopywhisk.com/2021/10/23/psyllium-husk-101/
I can definitely recommend using a high sided baking tray, like a slice tin for these buns. The structure of the tin, and having them close together allows the buns to grow up, rather than spreading out.
I mention it in nearly every video, but the hardest part is always the waiting. And wait you must, especially after these have come out of the oven and you've glazed them. If you split them while still hot, they'll seem undercooked and doughy.
These buns are delicious at room temperature or lightly toasted the next day. Store them in an airtight container at room temperature. It's best to avoid refrigeration, as it tends to dry out the buns. I usually split the buns when they're cold and freeze them to enjoy over the next few months.
Makes 8
For the dough:
• 330 g Bread Mix (I use Gluten Free World)
• 80 g soft brown sugar
• 2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1 tsp ground allspice
• ¼ tsp ground fresh nutmeg
• ¼ tsp ground ginger
• 1 tbl mixed peel or zest of an orange
• 400 g milk
• 6 g instant dry yeast
• 5 g white vinegar
• 30 g flavourless vegetable oil
• A pinch of salt flakes
• 50 g currants
• 50 g sultanas
• 50 g dried cranberries
• 1 egg, room temperature, beaten
For the crosses:
• 4 tbl plain flour (GF), combined with just enough water to be piped onto the buns.
For the glaze:
• 50 ml water
• 50 g soft brown sugar
• ¼ tsp cinnamon
Place dried fruit in a small bowl with a couple of tablespoons of warm water for at least 30 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 200°C (fan-forced) and line a baking tray with baking paper.
Warm the milk and one tablespoon of sugar to 40-45°C. Add the yeast and gently mix into the milk. Cover and leave until the yeast starts to bloom.
In a large bowl of your stand mixer, combine the bread flour, salt, and spices.
Once the yeast blooms, add the vinegar, oil, egg, and remaining sugar and gently mix.
Make a well in the dry mixture and add the yeast mix.
Using the dough hook on your mixer, mix for 5 minutes until the flour is incorporated and the dough pulls away from the sides of the bowl. Scrape down the bowl. The dough will be quite sticky. Continue using the dough hook for another 3-5 minutes until the dough is smooth.
Drain the fruit and pat dry using paper towels. Add the fruit to the dough and mix for another 2-3 minutes until evenly distributed.
Place a piece of oiled cling film on your scales and weigh the dough. Divide by 8 to determine the weight of each bun, around 130 g each. Divide the dough into 8 even portions.
With lightly oiled hands, shape the portions into buns and place them almost touching on the prepared tin.
Cover with oiled cling film and allow the dough to rise in a warm spot until doubled in size, about 30 minutes using the dough proving function of your oven, or about 1 hour in a warm spot.
When the buns are ready to bake, mix the flour and water to make a thick paste. The mix should have the consistency of thick cream. Use a piping bag to pipe a cross onto the top of each bun.
Mist the buns lightly with water and place them into the pre-heated oven.
If your oven doesn't have a bread baking function, place a small oven-proof dish of water at the base of the oven to produce moisture while baking.
After 5 minutes, lower the temperature to 180°C and bake for a further 25-30 minutes. Time will vary depending on your oven.
To make the glaze, heat the glaze ingredients in a small saucepan until the sugar dissolves and the glaze bubbles.
Gently brush the glaze over the buns with a pastry brush while they are still hot.
Allow the buns to come to room temperature before splitting open. Serve with plenty of butter :)
Comments