Hot Cross buns have a long history dating back to the 12th Century and have evolved over time from being sweet, spiced buns to the inclusion of dried fruit. Our maple bacon and pecan hot cross buns are for the non-lovers of dried fruit who also enjoy the flavour combination of sweet, salty and smoky. Once you try these buns lightly toasted with lashings of whipped maple bacon butter you may very well find yourself creating a new Easter tradition, as they’re seriously good!
Ingredients
Hot Cross Buns
150g Skara Smallgoods Maple Streaky Bacon, finely diced
2 teaspoons fast action dried yeast
¾ cup (180ml) maple syrup + extra for glazing
1 cup (250ml) warm milk
60g unsalted butter, melted
1 extra-large egg, lightly beaten
4 cups (600g) strong baker’s plain flour (eg. Lauke Wallaby)
1 teaspoon mixed spice
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
¼ teaspoon salt
½ cup (60g) pecan nuts, roughly chopped
Flour paste for crosses
½ cup (75g) plain flour
2 teaspoons caster sugar
2 teaspoons oil
¼ cup (60ml) water, approximately
Maple bacon butter
50g Skara Smallgoods Maple Streaky Bacon, finely chopped
2 tablespoons maple syrup
125g salted butter, softened
Method
- For the hot cross buns, place a non-stick frying pan over a medium heat. Add bacon and cook for 3 minutes. Remove from heat and drain on kitchen paper. Set aside until required
- Combine yeast, maple syrup and warm milk together in mixing bowl of a stand mixer, stirring to combine. Cover and allow to stand in a warm place for 10 minutes or until mixture starts to froth. Add butter and egg, stirring to combine.
- Add flour, mixed spice, cinnamon and salt to the yeast mixture and using an electric stand mixer with a dough hook, mix until dough comes together. Knead the dough for 5 – 10 minutes or until dough is smooth, elastic but still quite sticky. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and leave to stand in a warm place for an hour or until doubled in size.
- Preheat oven to 200°C (180°C fan-forced) and lightly grease a 23cm square cake tin.
- Knock air out of dough and place dough onto a clean floured surface, knead for a further 5 minutes or until smooth, working in the cooked bacon and pecan nuts, making sure they are well distributed through the dough.
- Divide dough into 16 equal pieces and shape into balls. Using a knife gently score a cross on the top of each ball. Place balls into prepared tin, cover with plastic wrap and stand in warm place for about 30 minutes or until balls have doubled in size.
- For the flour paste, combine flour, sugar, oil and water, stirring until smooth. Place paste in a disposable piping bag or clean zip lock bag and snip the corner, pipe crosses onto balls.
- Bake in preheated oven for 30 minutes or until buns have risen and tops are golden. Remove from oven and turn buns out onto a wire rack. To double check they are cooked, the base should sound hollow when tapped. Brush tops of warm buns with extra maple syrup, to glaze and allow to cool on wire rack.
- For the maple bacon butter, place a non-stick frying pan over a medium heat. Add finely chopped bacon and cook for 3 minutes. Remove from heat and allow to cool. In clean bowl of electric stand mixer with balloon whisk attachment, beat butter until pale and creamy. Slowly add maple syrup until combined before stirring in cooked bacon. Place maple bacon butter in a small serving bowl.
- Serve maple bacon and pecan hot cross buns with whipped maple bacon butter.