Maple-Glazed Brioche Hot Cross Buns
Soft buttery buns with a subtle hint of warming spices and a sticky maple glaze. Once you try these you won’t be making hot cross buns any other way!
Do yourself a favour and put these Maple-Glazed Brioche Hot Cross Buns on your to-do list this weekend.
Maple-Glazed Brioche Hot Cross Buns
MAKES: 12
READY IN: 3 hours 30 mins
DIETARY: VEG
Ingredients:
¾ cup milk
½ cup + 1 tbsp sugar
1 ½ tsp dry active yeast
3 ½ cups all-purpose flour
2 tsp mixed spice
2 tsp ground cinnamon
¼ tsp fine sea salt
3 eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
170g unsalted butter, room temperature
2 tsp finely grated orange zest
1 cup sultanas
Crosses
½ cup plain flour
⅓ cup water
Maple Glaze
3 tbsp maple syrup
Method:
Heat the milk until warm but not hot (about 40°C/100°F). Stir in 1 tbsp of sugar and the yeast and set aside for 10 minutes or until frothy.
Put the flour, remaining ½ cup of sugar, mixed spice, ground cinnamon and salt in the bowl of a stand mixer with the dough hook attachment in place. Briefly mix at a low speed to combine the dry ingredients.
Make a well in the middle of the dry ingredients and add the yeast mixture along with the eggs and vanilla extract. Start on a low speed to combine the ingredients then move to a medium to high speed until the mixture is well combined.
Add the butter into the bowl. Start on a low speed to combine, then move to a high speed for about 10 minutes. You may need to stop and use a spatula to scrape the butter from the edge of the bowl. The dough will be sticky at first but it will start to come together. Add the sultanas and orange zest and mix for a further minute or until they are well distributed through the dough.
Take the dough out of the mixer and use your hands to shape into a ball. Pop the dough into a large greased bowl, cover and leave to rise for about an hour or until doubled in size.
When the dough has doubled in size, remove from the bowl and divide it into 12 equal-sized pieces. Roll each piece in your hands to make a smooth ball and place them evenly spaced into a greased deep baking dish. Cover and leave to rise for about an hour or until doubled in size again.
While the buns are rising, preheat your oven to 180°C (350°F) and prepare the mixture for the crosses by mixing the flour and water together in a small bowl until smooth. Spoon into a piping bag (or snaplock bag and use scissors to cut off a small piece of one corner). Pipe crosses on the buns and pop into the preheated oven to bake for 25 minutes or until golden brown.
Once the buns have finished baking, remove them from the oven and use a pastry brush to glaze with a couple of layers of maple syrup. Serve warm with a generous amount of butter.
TIPS:
The buns will stay fresh for a couple of days in a sealed bag or airtight container. Once they have passed their best they are still great toasted or used in a hot cross bun pudding. You can also keep them in the freezer for a couple of months.
The speed your dough rises largely depends on the temperature. Sit it in the warmest spot in your house or if you are impatient like me you can pour 3 cups of boiling water into a loaf pan or small oven dish and put it on the bottom rack of your oven. Put the dough on the rack above, keeping the oven turned off and the door closed. The hot water will keep the oven warm and moist so your dough can rise without drying out.