Now Easter may be over, but don’t fret! I have this wonderful recipe from Yutaka that brings you a super tasty and zesty tang!
Taking to the kitchen one Sunday afternoon, I rolled up my sleeves and dug into this beautiful basket of goodies from Mad as a March Hare, and delved into the wonderful world of Hot Cross Bun making. *I realise that the recipe can take a good afternoon, but the results are so worth it!
Yutaka – Good Food Made Japan-easy | Yutaka means ‘good harvest’ in Japanese and that’s exactly the aim of the company: to create authentic Japanese food products made in the traditional way. Their ethos ensures their products are of the highest quality and feature minimal additives compared with other brands on the market. They are the makers of the ‘Yuzu seasoning’ used in this recipe, and if you’ve never heard of Yuzu, it is a citrus additive, very similar, but sweeter in flavour to a lemon; and here it creates the super zesty kick to these mouth-watering Hot Cross Buns. – Find out more about Yutaka and their other products here
Yuzu & Honey Hot Cross Buns | Makes 15-20
Ingredients | For the buns:
- 575g strong bread flour
- 75g caster sugar
- 75g sultanas
- 50g mixed peel
- 7g quick working yeast
- 1 tsp salt
- ½ tsp ground nutmeg
- ½ tsp ground cinnamon
- 250ml milk
- 3 tbsp honey
- 1½ tbsp. Yutaka Yuzu
- 2 tbsp water
- Zest of 2 lemons
- 50g butter
- 2 eggs beaten
For the cross:
For the glaze:
- 1 tbsp caster sugar
- 1 tbsp water
Method |
- Combine the flour, sugar, yeast, salt, nutmeg and cinnamon in a large bowl.
- In a small saucepan, heat the milk, honey, yuzu, water, lemon zest and butter stirring constantly until butter has melted. Remove from heat and let cool 5 minutes then pour into a well in the centre of the flour mix.
- Combine using a wooden spoon then use your hands until the ingredients are all combined. Tip out onto a floured surface and knead for around 5 minutes, until the dough is smooth and stretchy.
- Place your dough in a greased bowl, (see our dough below) cover with cling film and leave somewhere warm to rise until doubled in size. Then add your sultanas and mixed peel whilst still in the bowl, knead to combine all the ingredients and leave once again to rise for about an hour. Make sure the cling film is also greased to avoid a crust forming on your dough.
- Once the dough has risen again, divide into 15-20 pieces and roll into smooth balls. Line them up on parchment-lined baking trays allowing enough space for them to once again expand. Cover with a clean tea towel and leave for a further hour.
- Preheat oven to 220c or gas mark seven. Mix the flour for the cross with some water to make a basic dough. Place in piping bag and pipe one line across each bun then repeat to form the cross.
- You can brush buns beaten egg to give a glaze.
- Bake for around 20 mins or until buns are golden brown on top. Remove pan from the oven and let buns cool on a rack for 15 minutes.
- Mix the caster sugar with boiling water and, once buns have cooled a little, brush with glaze.
Buy Yutaka Yusu Seasoning, 100ml (perfect for seasoning grilled fish, chicken & salads), £5.59, The Japan Centre or look in Supermarkets nationwide including Tesco.com, Waitrose.com & Ocado.com
To find more Japanese inspired recipes from starters to dessert, head online to Yutaka London
Looking for a super #snack or a tasty #breakfast topper? Try these naturally dark, organic soft apricots – we have them on our breakfast everyday and now we only buy Crazy Jack Organic as they’re super soft, not to dry, have a wonderful flavour and don’t cost the earth!! Plus they also have other dried fruit, nuts, pulses, grains and herbs and spices too within their ranges!
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