Article

Put a decadent twist on a classic with these soft, lightly spiced chocolate hot cross buns. Made with rich dark chocolate buttons, warm mixed spice and finished with a glossy sugar syrup, these homemade buns are perfect for Easter entertaining, café specials or an indulgent afternoon treat fresh from the oven.

Chocolate Hot Cross Buns

• 100gm Unsalted Butter
• 25gm Castor Sugar
• 50gm Brown sugar
• 5gm Mixed Spice
• 1gm Vanilla Essence
• 2gm Sea Salt 
• 380gm Milk
• 65gm Egg (1 size 8)
• 650gm Strong four
• 7gm Yeast
• 100gm Dark Chocolate buttons

Cross Paste

• 40gm Strong Flour
• 15gm Cocoa Powder
• 60gm Water

Sugar Syrup

• 30gm Castor Sugar
• 20gm Water

Method

• Combine Flour, Brown sugar, Castor sugar and yeast in a mixer or bowl.
• Combine milk, egg, vanilla essence together and add to the flour mix and knead till incorporated (if using a mixer use on low speed)
• Add in salt and mixed spice and knead till incorporated.
• Place in a bowl and cover and leave on a bench to prove till doubled in size, around 1.5 hours.
• After first prove incorporate chocolate pieces into the dough and then divide into 12 portions (around 110gm each) and shape into balls and place together in a 3x4 pattern on a baking tray and leave uncovered for 30-40min till doubled.
• Whilst the buns are raising mix your cross-paste ingredients in a bowl and put into a piping bag.
• Once the buns have risen pipe a cross along the tops the of the buns.
• Bake at 180°C for 20-25 minutes, Combine Sugar syrup ingredients and heat till the sugar has dissolved.
• Once cooked remove the buns from the oven and brush the Hot cross buns with the warm sugar syrup to provide a gloss.