CHOCOLATE CHIP HOT CROSS BUNS
 
 
Ingredients
  • FOR THE BUNS
  • 3 sachets instant dry yeast (21g, ¾ oz)
  • ½ cup sugar
  • 1½ cups lukewarm milk
  • 4½ cups plain flour
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 50g unsalted butter, melted
  • 1 egg, lightly beaten
  • 2½ cups chocolate chunks or chips
  • FOR THE GLAZE
  • ¼ cup sugar
  • 3 tbsp hot water
  • FOR THE CROSSES
  • 60g white chocolate (2 oz)
Method
  1. To make the buns, combine the lukewarm milk, sugar and dry yeast in a small bowl. Set aside for 15 minutes. It should become frothy and increase in size.
  2. Fit your mixer with the dough hook and put the flour and salt in the bowl of your mixer (if you don't have one, you could do this by hand). Make a well in the center of the flour and pour in the melted butter, lightly beaten egg and frothy yeast mixture, as well as half the chocolate chips.
  3. Turn the mixer on low and knead for about 5 minutes, until the dough is smooth and elastic. Place it in a large bowl (not metal), cover with plastic wrap and set aside in warm place for 1 - 1½ hours, until the dough doubles in size.
  4. Line a large baking pan with parchment paper.
  5. Once the dough has risen, knock it down and add the remaining chocolate chips, kneading lightly to incorporate them. Divide the dough evenly into 15 or 16 balls and place them close together on the baking tray, in a 4 x 4 or 5 x 3 arrangement.
  6. Preheat the oven to 200 C. Cover the hot cross buns with plastic wrap and set aside to rise for 20 minutes.
  7. Bake for 20-25 minutes, until golden brown and fragrant. While the buns are baking, prepare your glaze.
  8. For the glaze, dissolve the sugar in the hot water.
  9. Once the buns are cooked, remove them from the oven and quickly brush them with a few coats of the glaze.
  10. To make the crosses, melt the white chocolate in the microwave in short bursts, stirring in between. Put the chocolate into a small zip loc bag or piping bag, snip off the end and pipe crosses across the chocolate chip buns.
  11. Serve warm. Makes 15-16 hot cross buns.
Recipe by Butter Baking at https://www.butterbaking.com/2012/03/31/chocolate-chip-hot-cross-buns/