Chocolate orange hot cross buns

The first reference to hot cross buns in the Oxford English dictionary dates back to 1733, but they've been around in various forms for much longer.  Carbonised buns with crosses were found by archeologists in the Roman city of Herculaneum, and the Saxons slashed crosses in buns to honour Eostre, their goddess of spring and fertility.  In any case, I think we can all agree that hot cross buns were being baked up and down the country for Easter in the 1970s...

However, this is not a recipe for purists. As much as I enjoy a traditional spicy hot cross bun, the Bearded Argentinian is averse to dried fruit in any form, and there's only so many baked goods I can get through on my own. These creations, adapted from Paul Hollywood's brioche loaf recipe in Bread, are really hot cross buns in disguise with satsuma zest for the candied peel and chunks of chocolate masquerading as raisins.

The final buns *look* like the real deal but taste even better! The rich brioche dough is delicious with the sweetness of the satsumas and the bitterness of the chocolate. Enjoy warm with a pot of tea and a little butter for an afternoon treat. They also make a great breakfast option, not unlike a pain au chocolat.

Ingredients

(Makes 8 buns)

250g strong white bread flour

3g salt

30g caster sugar

1 tsp fast action dried yeast

80ml full fat milk

2 eggs

2 satsumas

130g unsalted butter 

100g dark chocolate

Bring all the ingredients to room temperature before you start.

For the crosses and glaze:

30g shortcrust pastry

1 egg

 

Method

1. Mix together the flour, salt, yeast and sugar. Add the eggs and milk, the zest of the satsumas and squeeze in the juice of one. Mix gently to combine.

2. If you have a mixer with a dough hook, mix on medium speed for 5 minutes, otherwise knead by hand for a little longer. Then add the butter bit by bit until the dough becomes elastic and shiny.

3. Chop the chocolate into chips and mix gently into the dough.

4. Place the dough in an oiled bowl; cover and chill in the fridge overnight.

5. The following day, tip the dough out onto a lightly floured surface, roll into a sausage, cut into 8 equal sized pieces and shape into balls.

6. Arrange on a baking tray lined with greaseproof paper, cover with a clean tea towel and leave to prove at room temperature for 2 hours, or until doubled in size.

7. Heat the oven to 200C. Prepare the crosses by rolling out the pastry to 3mm thick and cutting into thin strips (about 5mm wide). Carefully place the pastry strips on the buns without knocking the air out, then glaze the buns with beaten egg.

8. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes until dark golden brown.

Happy Easter!
And if it's not Easter, squidge the buns into a loaf tin before proving and bake a brioche tear 'n' share loaf :)