Sourdough Hot Cross Buns & Easter, Baking and Running,

Are you a hot cross bun fan? My mom makes them almost every Easter but this year I decided to put my spin on them using my sourdough starter. They’re perfectly spiced, not too sweet, and enjoyed by all!

Trust me, even if you do not celebrate Easter, you can make these tasty buns. Since being introduced to sourdough, I have discovered an amazing online artisan bread community and my baking skills have improved tremendously. I have learned so much from them. In fact, my new friends I have made since I have started my own sourdough bread journey remind me so much of the running community. Both are so very helpful, willing to share information, and definitely non competitive.

This is my second batch of hot cross buns. The first batch I didn’t bother with the cross since Easter was at over 2 weeks away. I am not quite sure if they still can be called a hot cross bun without a cross, but I am convincing myself they can😉. My first batch of buns were also not as soft and fluffy as these🤷🏼‍♀️. Although these are not perfect, my friend over at Breadtopioa says perfect circles are over-rated. Love his advice!

In any case, the main thing is that the sourdough nature of this recipe means that it requires a much longer rise (8-12 hours), depending on temp in your home and strength of your starter. That’s okay though, just let it rise overnight and you can bake the buns the next day! Perfect for a weekend baking project for Easter, or to be perfectly honest, anytime you need a Sunday morning treat. I personally can’t wait for Easter. It’s one of my favorite holidays and this year it will definitley feel more normal since we will be attending sunrise service inside our church this year verses in the parking lot.

Just like my Sourdough Irish Soda bread, I used raisins since I still haven’t replenished my currants. I do love currants but I am quite please how these turned out. I love the flavor of Kamut Wheat so I opted to use Breadtopia’s method. My mom used a recipe from Taste of Home magazine but I believe King Arthur also has a yeasted version.

SOURDOUGH HOT CROSS BUNS WITH KAMUT WHEAT

(adapted from Breadtopia)

These fragrant, sweet, and tangy hot cross buns are made with 50% whole grain Kamut flour and sourdough leavening. They’re soft and delicious, with spices and dried fruit inside, and an orange favored icing on top. Hot cross buns are traditionally eaten around Easter, but can be enjoyed by anyone for breakfast or a snack any time of the year.  

Ingredients:

• 265g warm milk (1 cup + 2 Tbsp)
• 43g unsalted butter (3 Tbsp)
• 45g brown sugar or coconut sugar (3 Tbsp)
• 1 egg
• 200g sourdough starter (~2/3 cup stirred down)
• 220g organic whole grain Kamut Flour  
• 220g organic bread flour
• 1 tsp salt (6g)
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon (2.6g)
• 1/2 tsp ground allspice (1.3g)
• 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg (1.3g)
• 1 cup dried currants or raisins (140g)

• 40g all purpose flour (3 Tbsp)
• 65g water (1/4 cup)

• Juice of a mandarin or medium orange (3 Tbsp, 45g)
• 1/2 cup maple syrup

Directions:

• I built 200 grams of ripe starter overnight by feeding 40g of starter with 80g water and 80g flour. This 1:2:2 feeding the night before worked well to have ripe starter by morning in a cold springtime kitchen. Other possibilities for timing and build are fine too.
• These instructions are for using a stand mixer, but hand/spatula mixing is fine too, and you may find that slapping and folding works well to incorporate the ingredients and develop gluten without a mixer

1. Heat the milk until it is quite warm but don’t worry about reaching the scalding temp of 170F. You just want the milk hot enough to melt the butter and sugar.
2. Chop the butter in pieces, then add it and the sugar to the hot milk. Stir until everything is mostly melted. Set aside to cool a bit while you prepare the other ingredients.
3. In the bowl of a stand mixer, add the egg, sourdough starter, flours, salt, and spices. Then add the warm milk-butter-sugar mixture.
4. Mix with the dough hook on medium speed until the dough comes together, about 3-5 minutes. It’s okay if the dough is a little sticky because the dried fruit will pull some moisture from the dough over time.
5. Finally, add the dried fruit to the mixer bowl and mix another minute or so. Or add to dough after the final proof below.
6. Transfer the dough to a lightly greased bowl, cover, and place somewhere warm to rise until the dough has expanded by about 75% in size. I proof mine over night.

Shaping and Final Proof

• Grease one 9″x 13″ pan (15 rolls) or two round 9″ inch pans (16 rolls).
• Scrape the dough out onto a lightly floured surface, gently de-gas it by pressing down on the dough, and then divide it into 15 or 16 pieces.
• Roll the pieces into balls and place them in your pan(s) with some space between them.
• Cover and let the dough proof somewhere warm until the rolls have doubled, around three hours.

Decorating, Baking, and Icing

• Preheat your oven to 350F.
• For the piped crosses, mix the flour and water in a small bowl and then spoon the paste into a small zip-top bag.
• Cut a 1/4″ or smaller hole in one corner of the bag and pipe horizontal and vertical lines onto the buns.
• Bake the buns for 24 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through if the buns are not browning evenly. You may choose, like I did, to then switch your oven to broil for 1 additional minute to further brown the tops of the buns. Keep a close eye on them if you do this.
• Remove the pan from the oven and set it on a towel or cooling rack.
• Mix a few tablespoons of orange juice (ideally fresh-squeezed) with 3/4 cup of powdered sugar, and then brush the icing on the warm buns.
• You can serve these buns warm from the oven.
• Extra buns can be covered and stored at room temperature for several days. Reheat them for 10-15 seconds in the microwave, or by toasting them in a toaster oven.

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Are you making hot cross buns for Easter?

Do you have any Easter Traditions?

What’s your favorite holiday?