Hot Cross (Chocolate) Buns!

Hot cross buns!
Hot cross buns!
One ha' penny, two ha' penny,
Hot cross buns!
If you have no daughters,
Give them to your sons
One ha' penny,
Two ha' penny,
Hot Cross Buns!

Do you know why and when we eat them?

I am no Christian but finds it fun to bake hot cross buns hence tried it out.

Hot Cross (Chocolate) Buns Recipe:-

10g yeast
150ml warm water
45g caster sugar
275g plain flour
1 egg (remember to use the shell to paint Easter eggs!)
1/4 teaspoon of ground cinnamon
50g butter, softened
80g chocolate chips (keep in fridge first)

Flour paste (for the cross) -
45g plain flour (add more if you find it too watery I add about 55g to make it stickier)
15g caster sugar
15ml water

Syrup Glaze (to brush on buns when it is hot out from oven)-
15g caster sugar
10ml hot water

Step 1 -
Stir yeast with warm water and let it settle for few minutes while preparing rest of ingredients

Step 2 -
Add flour, sugar, cinnamon, egg, butter and stir with a spoon, making sure it is soft after 3 minutes

Step 3 -
Cling wrap bowl where dough is, for at least 1 hour (dough will be doubled sized by then) and add in chocolate chips taken from the fridge right before you intend to scoop into rounds and place on lined baking tray (this prevents the chocolate chips from melting giving you swirled looking hot cross buns)

Step 4 -
After placing rounded dough on baking tray, pour flour paste into a zip lock bag, snip off 1 corner and draw a cross on each bun, leave it to set for 15 mins

Step 5 -
Preheat oven for 2 mins at 170deg and place dough
in oven for 25 mins at 170deg

Step 6 -
Use brush (I use spoon) to brush glaze over hot buns when it is just out from oven then leave it to cool

Best eaten while hot!

I like mine with butter n a cuppa tea *yums