hot cross bun kugelhopf

hot cross bun kugelhopf

• 23 Mar 2015

Just before Passover arrives I get a hankering for hot cross buns. On Sunday I decided to make some hot cross buns but at the last minute decided to bake the mixture in a kugelhopf tin.

I made the dough then realised I didn't have enough currants and sultanas in the cupboard so off to the shops I went. As the dough was already resting in the fridge I changed the technique a little by soaking the fruit first then adding the plumped fruit to the dough after it's first rise.



As I'd not baked the kugelhopf version before I wasn't sure the best way to shape the dough. I did 2 layers, the first layer used a cylinder of dough. For the second layer I formed it into small buns. Next time I'd probably just use the cylinder method.



Once the kugelhopf came out of the oven, I turned it out and returned it to the oven to crisp up a little before glazing the outside. A little dusting of icing sugar and the kugelhopf was camera ready.

Here's the recipe for you, adapted from a Margaret Fulton Hot Cross Bun recipe. If you'd like to make regular hot cross buns, this recipe will make 8 buns. If you'd like to make a larger kugelhopf or 16 buns, just double all the ingredients and follow the instructions. 

For all my recipes, I use a 250 ml cup and a 20 ml tablespoon. All eggs are 60 grams and my oven is a conventional oven not fan forced, so you may need to reduce your oven temperature by 20°C.

Hot Cross Bun Kugelhopf

Ingredients

¼ cup mixed peel, sultanas and currants

boiling water

2 cups bread or plain flour

½ tsp mixed spice

¼ tsp cinnamon

½ tsp salt

30g (1 oz) butter, softened, plus extra to serve

¼ cup caster sugar

1 x 7g sachet (1½ tsp) dried yeast

1 egg, lightly beaten
100 mls lukewarm milk/water

extra milk, for glazing

Glaze

2 tbs warm water

1 tbs sugar

¼ tsp gelatine

To serve, icing sugar, butter and jam.

Method

Place dried fruit in a small bowl. Cover with boiling water and leave for an hour until the fruit is soft and plump. Drain off the water.

Sift the flour, spices and salt into a bowl. Using a dough hook or by hand, rub in the butter until mixture resembles breadcrumbs. Stir in the sugar and yeast.

Make a well in the centre of dry ingredients. Combine the egg with the milk/water mix and gradually add to the flour mix to form a soft dough. Turn onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth and elastic or mix in the stand mixer using the dough hook for 7 – 8 minutes. Shape the dough into a ball and place in a clean, greased bowl. Turn over once so that top of dough is greased.

Cover bowl completely with plastic wrap and a tea towel. Leave to rise in a warm place for 1-2 hours or until doubled in bulk. At this stage you can put the covered dough in the fridge overnight, otherwise gently knead in the drained dried fruit mixture.

Lightly grease a small Kugelhopf tin. Turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface and gently roll out to form a long sausage. Cut into equal halves and place in the base of the Kugelhopf tin, gently squeezing the two ends of the dough together. Place the tin into a large plastic bag and leave to rise in a warm place for 20-30 minutes.

Preheat oven to 200ºC/400°F. Place a small container of cold water on the lowest shelf of the oven. Brush the top of the kugelhopf with the extra milk and bake for 20 minutes, until the top is golden brown. Meanwhile make the glaze by stirring together the water, sugar and gelatine in a small container. Heat the mixture in the microwave for 30 seconds to a minute or until the gelatine is completely dissolved.

When the kugelhopf is cooked, remove it from oven and unmould it onto a rack. Return the kugelhopf to the oven still on the rack and cook for a further 5 minutes to crisp the outside. Remove the kugelhopf from the oven and liberally brush the outside with the glaze and return the kugelhopf to the turned off oven until the glaze is dry. Lightly sprinkle the kugelhopf with icing sugar just before serving. The kugelhopf can be served warm from the oven, cold or even better, with lashings of butter.



I hope you enjoyed my twist on hot cross buns. See you all again next week for Passover week.

Jillian