*New* Gluten Free Hot Cross Buns Recipe. Easter 2011.

This year I thought I would try and make my hot cross buns recipe even better than the one I published a couple fo years ago. After eight batches I think I've got it pretty right. Tomorrow is Good Friday, so apologies for posting the recipe so late. Please try it. I think you'll find it's really worthwhile.
Ingredients:

• 450 mls of buttermilk
• 2 x eggs
• 20 grams of yeast
• 3 x dessert spoons of castor raw sugar
• 450 grams of gluten free self raising flour
• 2 x level dessert spoons of xanthum gum
• 1 x teaspoon of salt
• 1/4 cup raisins
• 1/4 cup of mixed peel
• 1/4 cup of sultanas
• 1 x dessert spoon of mixed spice
• 1 x dessert spoon of cinnamon
• 1 x teaspoon of ground ginger (optional)... I like the kick it adds to the buns.

 Method:

  

Firstly some notes:

1. Measure everyting precisely. I've made this 8 times before publishing and each time a small tweak of weight or time would either make or break the recipe.
2. Have your ingredients out on a bench ready
3. Setup your electric mixer with dough hooks.

Now let's get started...

• Start by warming the buttermilk in a microwave proof jug for around 50 seconds (depending on your microwave till the buttermilk is blood warm. Doing this will help activate the yeast. Please make sure you don't overheat it too. You certainly don't want it to boil as buttermilk will quickly split. Using buttmilk is going to make the dough light and fluffy.
• Add your 20 grams of yeast to the jug of buttermilk
• Add your 3 dessert spoons of raw sugar to the jug of buttermilk
• Give the yeast and sugar a good mix through for 40 seconds, then place the jug on a plate (to catch any overspill should it bubble over) and set the jug aside for 10 minutes. (Set a timer on the stove or microwave for 10 minutes). You'll find the yeast activates quickly and it will bubble and froth along. Which is great, that's just what you want.

You now have 10 minutes to prepare the rest of the recipe...

In your electric blender's large mixing bowl add all the remaining dry ingredients:

• Add the 450 grams of Self raising flour (GF).
• Add 1 x teaspoon of sale
• Add 1/4 cup of raisins
• Add 1/4 cup of sultanas
• Add 1/4 cup of mixed peel
• Add 1 x dessert spoon of mixed spice
• Add 1 x dessert spoon of cinnamon
• Add 1 x dessert spoon of ginger (optional)
• Add 2 x level dessert spoons of xanthum gum.
• Give all the dry ingredients a good stir through with a dry spoon.
• Place bowl on your electric mixer.

Mixing...

• Once the 10 minutes have past, crack two eggs into a glass and lightly beat them, then add them to the dry mix bowl.
• Add the bubbly / frothy yeast mix to the dry ingredients.
• Now turn on the electric beaters and mix your dough well for 5-6 minutes.
• It should be quite a thick and truly sticky and doughy consistency.

  

  Gluten Free Hot Cross Buns dough. Mix well for 5-6 minutes.

Handling the dough...

• If you do much gluten free baking you;ll know how hard it is to do basic stuff like turn out your dough. So I've learnt a simple trick...
• Rip off a piece of over paper and place it on the kitchen bench. Then give it a light spray with some oil.
• Now go wash your hands well in the kitchen sink and with wet hands, scoop out the dough from the mixing bowl onto the oven paper. You should find that if you keep wetting your hands and you use a wet knife, you should be able to handle the dough easily and divide your dough into 12 pieces.
• Roll each one into a ball and place in a circle on a tray. (Or if you are more traditional try 3 rows of 12).

Let them rise...

• Now cover your dough balls (I use a deep oven tray oer the top) and place is a warm place where they can rise for 45 minutes. I like to place them in the griller section of my oven because it's out of the way, it's not drafty and is pretty warm in there too. Again - use the microwave or oven timer and set it for 35 minutes.

Now clean up (while it's easy)...

That's the recipe pretty much done except for the baking. You've now got 45 minutes to clean up. Once thing I'v learnt with gluten free baking is to clean everythnig up straight away. If you don;t stuff sets like glue and it's twice as hard to clean later.

Baking...

• Once the 35 minute warning bell goes off, turn your oven on to 200 degrees (fan forced) and set the timer again for a further 10 minutes.
• Once that 10 minutes passes, uncover your dough buns. They should have risen butnot quite doubled in size. Lightly cut some crosses in the top of the buns with a wet knife if you want a more traditional looking bun. (I honestly cannot be bothered piping them with white dough sorry. I just care about how they taste).
• Cook them in the oven for a total of between 25 and 30 minutes at 200 degrees till they are golden brown.
• When they are cooked and if you can control yourself long enough, remove them from the oven and allow them to cool on a rack. If you want them to be shiny and glossy then mix a dessert spoon of castor sugar with 1/2 a cup of warm tap water till dissolved. Then lightly brush the buns with the sugary water using a baking brush.

Get into it....

• Enjoy them warm with an obscence amounts of butter (Hey it's Easter. I never said they were healthy) a good cup of coffee and friends and family.

Yum. Freshly baked gluten free hot cross buns with butter.

Storing...

If you want to store them. I find it's best to break them apart and wrap each one in cling film, then place them in a container in the fridge and consume them over the next couple of days. I've never been a fan of freezing as it tends to make gluten free dough brittle. When it's time to eat them, 10 seconds in the microwave, then cut them in half and toast them under the griller.

Enjoy.

Happy Easter to you and your family. Stay safe on the roads.

Lee :-)