A twist on the Easter tradition of hot cross buns, this orange and anise hot cross bun loaf is best served sliced with butter and marmalade.
And for a classic hot cross bun recipe, try these golden saffron hot cross buns.
Ingredients
For the sponge (see know-how)
- 120g ‘00’ flour (see Fergus’s tips)
- ¼ tsp dried yeast
For the dough
- Finely grated zest 1 large orange and juice ½
- 160g candied orange peel
- 12g aniseed (or fennel seeds – see tips)
- 80g raisins or currants
- 445g ‘00’ flour, plus extra for dusting (see tips)
- 110ml whole milk, scalded (see tips)
- 45g free-range egg, beaten (see food team’s tip) plus 1 medium free-range egg, beaten, for glazing
- 10g salt
- 1 tsp dried yeast
- 60g caster sugar
- 60g unsalted butter, softened
For the cross topping
- 40g plain flour
- 20g self-raising flour
- Pinch caster sugar
- 2 tsp veg oil, plus extra to grease
- 1 tbsp marmalade to glaze
You’ll also need…
- Stand mixer with dough hook
- 2 x 1.5lb/680g loaf tins, lightly buttered
- Disposable piping bag
Method
- Mix the sponge ingredients with a large pinch of salt and 80ml room temperature water in a small bowl to form a stiff dough. Cover with cling film and leave for 12 hours at room temperature. It should more than double in size.
- The next day, mix the orange zest and juice, candied peel, aniseed/fennel seeds and raisins/currants in a mixing bowl, then set aside to soak.
- Weigh 190g of the sponge mix, tear it into pieces and put in the bowl of a stand mixer with a dough hook attached. Add the flour, milk, 45g egg, salt, yeast and 135ml room temperature water.
- Mix on a low speed for 2 minutes, scrape the sides of the bowl down with a spatula or palette knife, then mix for another minute or so until all the dry ingredients are incorporated.
- Increase the speed to medium. After about 5 minutes, the dough should be smooth and elastic. If it’s still looking a bit ragged or uneven, keep mixing until smooth.
- By this point, the dough should be ready for the sugar and butter. Still on a medium speed, add the sugar to the bowl, bit by bit. The dough will become softer and stickier. Carry on mixing until the dough comes back together (this should take 2 minutes or so).
- Cut the butter into 4-5 pieces and add them to the bowl, then mix again on a medium speed for 2 minutes or so until fully incorporated (scrape down the sides of the bowl if necessary).
- Finally, add the soaked fruit mixture to the bowl and mix on a low speed until well incorporated.
- Transfer the dough to a lightly oiled bowl and cover with cling film or a clean tea towel. Leave to rise at room temperature until at least doubled in size (about 1½ hours).
- Once the dough has risen, turn it out onto a lightly floured work surface and knock back (knead gently to remove any large air pockets). Divide into 6 equal portions, about 215g each, then shape into tight dough balls. Put
3 balls, side by side, into each of the prepared loaf tins. Cover the tins with a clean tea towel and leave to prove for 1½-2 hours. - While the loaves are proving, make the cross topping. Put all the ingredients except the marmalade in a bowl with a pinch of salt. Add 50ml cold water and mix well until smooth. Scrape into a piping bag and set aside. Heat the oven to 200ºC/180ºC fan/gas 6.
- When the dough has at least doubled in size, brush generously with beaten egg all over, then pipe the topping in 1 long stripe down the centre, followed by 3 short ones across the top of each dough ball.
- Bake for 25 minutes until the tops of the loaves look golden. Just before the baking time is up, warm the marmalade in a small pan with a little water to make a thick syrup. As soon as the loaves come out of the oven, remove from the tins, transfer to a wire rack and brush all over with the glaze. Leave to cool before slicing.
Nutrition
- 164kcals Calories
- 3.2g (1.6g saturated) Fat
- 3.3g Protein
- 29.9g (8.5g sugars) Carbs
- 1.4g Fibre
- 0.5g Salt
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