No knead hot cross bun bread | Bibbyskitchen recipes | Bread (2024)

FAQs

Why is my hot cross bun dough not rising? ›

CHECK YOUR YEAST expiry date – The #1 problem because most people don't bake with yeast very often, and yeast does go off! If your yeast is past its expiry date OR you've kept it in hot humid conditions (instead of fridge or freezer), your dough will not rise.

Can Hot Cross Buns Be Frozen? Yes – after baking let the buns cool. Place them in an airtight container and freeze. The dough can also be frozen but sometimes the dough doesn't rise after freezing.

Teacakes are often larger and flatter with a slightly harder consistency, meaning they can be enjoyed with a range of condiments, including jams and marmalades. A Hot Cross Bun is softer, with more spices baked in, so is often just enjoyed with butter.

Split the hot cross buns and toast them on each side, butter well. Put each bun toasted side up on a plate and spread with a little marmalade.

“If the dough has risen too long, it's going to feel fragile and might even collapse as you poke it,” says Maggie. If this is the case, there's a chance you can save your dough by giving it a quick re-shape. Learn more about this fix in our blog on saving overproofed dough.

Why are my hot cross buns so dense? Not kneading the dough long enough results in dense buns. As you knead the dough, the gluten in it stretches, providing the needed structure and texture for the buns. You shouldn't over-knead the dough either.

Hot cross buns contain a little fat from butter/shortening (around 5%) and are high in carbohydrate so consideration is needed around portion size for people with diabetes. Hot cross bun sizes vary a lot. For example, one commercial variety sold in a 6 pack contains 40g carbohydrate and 920 kJ (220 calories).

In 1592, during the reign of Elizabeth I of England, the London Clerk of Markets issued a decree forbidding the sale of hot cross buns and other spiced breads, except at burials, on Good Friday, or at Christmas. The punishment for transgressing the decree was forfeiture of all the forbidden product to the poor.

The risk of toxicity from hot cross buns, comes from the consumption of sultanas and raisins. Often found in traditional hot cross buns, ingestion of grapes and their dehydrated versions can cause irreversible kidney failure in cats and dogs.

The French don't do hot cross buns.

If you're in the Paris region, Marks and Spencer's is your saviour with a selection that included a version with chocolate chips instead of raisins for dried-fruit refuseniks. Best of all, they're often reduced in price because their existence confuses Parisians.

Do you toast or grill hot cross buns? ›

HCBs are notorious for shedding chunks in toasters and causing them, if not all the kitchen sockets, to blow. Use the grill. And, no, microwaving them will not have the same effect. Instead, it may reduce your buns to steaming, damp lumps of perilously hot dough.

Place them on the baking sheet whole instead. Bake the buns for about 5 minutes or until they are slightly crispy. Put the baking sheet on the middle rack in the oven or toaster oven. Close the door and let the buns bake for at least 5 minutes or until they start to get crispy.

HOT CROSS BUNS ON GOOD FRIDAY

In Ireland, the UK and as far abroad as New Zealand, Australia, Canada and India, Hot Cross Buns are eaten every Good Friday in Christian communities. They are symbolic of this significant day in the Christian faith when Jesus was crucified.

Toasted with butter: This is the classic way to eat hot cross buns. Simply slice the bun in half, toast it, and spread some butter on top. With jam or marmalade: If you like your buns sweeter, try spreading some jam or marmalade on top of the butter.

I even tried a raw hot cross bun with a layer of raw orange marmalade through the middle, and that really worked as well. So many ways to enjoy them!

But almost as good as a proofing box is taking a Mason jar filled halfway up with water, microwaving it for two minutes, then putting your bowl of dough into the microwave with the jar to rise. The other thing you can do is place your lidded container or bowl of dough into a second, larger bowl of warm water.

Yeast is too hot Yeast may have been dissolved in water that was too hot, or the liquid ingredients in the recipe may be too hot, causing the yeast to die. Yeast needs to be warm - not too hot, not too cold. Yeast is too cold If the other ingredients are too cold, it could cause some of the yeast to die.

If you're dough didn't rise, the yeast is probably dead. This could be because the yeast was old, it wasn't refrigerated, or because the water you bloomed it in was too hot (ideally the water should be warm, about 100F). You can still bake the dough but don't expect the same flavor.