Chef Sonu Koithara, Executive Chef at Taj Jumeirah Lakes Towers shares the recipe for hot cross buns

Hot Cross Buns

Ingredients (for 25 pieces)

Starter

• 200 gm Flour
• 250 ml Warm Milk
• 35 gm Fresh Yeast (this can also be replaced by dry yeast)

For the Dough

• 500 gm Flour
• 10 gm Salt
• 5 gm Bread Improver
• 3 Eggs
• 150 gm Butter
• 250 gm Black Raisins (soaked overnight in water)
• 5 gm Nutmeg
• 5 gm Cinnamon
• 5 gm Stollen Spice (or a mixture of cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves in the same quantity)
• 125 gm Icing Sugar
• 25 gm Oil
• 50 ml Water
• 5 gm Sugar

Method

1. Mix all the ingredients for the starter and set aside to ferment for 3 hours
2. After 3 hours, mix together the starter, flour, bread improver, egg, butter, nutmeg, cinnamon, stollen spice and sugar in a dough mixer on slow for 7 minutes
3. Add the salt and continue mixing for 4 more minutes
4. Turn up the speed and mix for another 6 minutes
5. Add the raisins and mix making sure they are evenly distributed
6. Set dough aside and let it rest for 1 hour
7. Preheat the oven at 170 degrees
8. Divide the dough into 25 even pieces (around 40g per piece)
9. Roll each piece into a smooth ball and arrange on a baking tray lined with baking paper leaving space between each ball
10. Bake for 12 – 15 minutes until the buns are a golden brown colour
11. For the icing, whisk together all the ingredients in a bowl until it is a smooth consistency
12. Lightly brush the buns with olive oil and pipe along each row of the buns and repeat in the other direction, creating the cross marks