Traditional Hot Cross Buns

Ingredients

• 10kg Flour
• 100g Mixed Spice
• 40g Melange
• 220g Dry Instant Yeast
• 100g Improver
• 200g Salt
• 1kg Sugar
• 500ml Bakery Oil
• 3kg Sultanas
• 1.5kg Currants
• 5.5L Water (approximately)

Ingredients – Easter Cross

• 1kg Cross Mix
• 1L Water

Method

1. Add all ingredients minus the fruit and mix with spiral mixers – slow: 2 minutes, fast: 7.5-8.5 minutes. Cake mixers – 1^st speed: 15 – 18 minutes

2. Add fruit in the last minute of mixing. Ensure that fruit is evenly distributed through dough. Finished Dough Temperature: 28 – 30C

3. Allow 10 minutes recovery time. Scale at 2.5kg heads and moulds.

4. Rest for further 10 minutes before final molding.

5. Mould and tray up 5 x 9 on a pre-greased baking tray

6. ¾ Prove at 38C and 86 per cent relative humidity

7. Remove from prover and cross with cross mix.

8. Bake at 190C – 200C for approximately 18 – 25 minutes.

9. Immediately after removing from the oven wash with bun wash and allow cooling.

Easter Cross:

1. Combine Easter cross mix and water with either a hand whisk or cake machine with whisk attachment.
2. Mix until a smooth batter is achieved (Do not over mix; make up only what you need).

Original Recipe: Lesaffre