Giant Hot Cross Bun Scroll
An Original Recipe by Lorraine Elliott
Preparation time: 40 minutes plus 2 hours rising time and 1 hour soaking time
Cooking time: 40 minutes
Serves: 8
This recipe is best started the night before
- 1 cup/180g/6ozs. sultanas
- 1 cup/250ml/8.8flozs port or whisky
- 2.5 cups/375g/13ozs. flour
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 2 teaspoons instant dried yeast
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1/2 teaspoon mixed spice
- 3/4 cup/185ml/6.5flozs. lukewarm water
- 1 egg, beaten
- 50g/1.7ozs butter, melted
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 egg, beaten for egg wash
For Custard
- 1 cup/250ml/8.8flozs milk
- 50g/1.7ozs caster or superfine sugar
- 20g/0.7ozs, cornflour/fine cornstarch
- 1 egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste
For Cross
- 2 tablespoons apricot jam (the liquid part, not the chunky fruit)
- 3/4 cup/ 120g/4ozs icing or powdered sugar
- 22mls/0.7flozs. cream
- 15g/0.5oz butter, room temperature (not melted)
Step 1 - Soak the sultanas in the port or whisky overnight to plump up or heat port up and add to the sultanas and let it soak in and absorb.
Step 2 a- Mix the flour, sugar, yeast, cinnamon, nutmeg and mixed spice together. Add in the water, beaten egg and melted butter and knead this mixture until elastic, around 7-8 minutes or so.
Step 2b - Thermomix directions: add the flour, sugar, yeast, cinnamon, nutmeg, mixed spice, water, beaten egg and melted butter into the Thermomix bowl and set to knead for 6-7 minutes.
Step 3 - Grease a large bowl and scoop the dough out shaping into a ball with no cracks on the top. Cover and allow to rise in a warm area for 1 hour or until triple in size.
Step 4a - Meanwhile make the custard. Whisk the sugar, cornflour, egg and vanilla together. Add the milk to a small saucepan and heat until almost boiling. Add a third of the boiled milk to the egg mixture to temper it and whisk it in. Then add the rest of the milk and place back in the saucepan and allow to thicken on low heat stirring occasionally with a flat bottomed spatula so that it doesn't stick.
Step 4b- Thermomix directions: Add the milk, sugar, cornflour, egg and vanilla into the bowl and set to 10 minutes, speed #3 and 90C.
Step 6 - Drain the sultanas from the port (there shouldn't be much liquid left as it should have mostly absorbed). Punch down the dough and knead in the salt.
Step 7 - Have a large 30cm/12 inch round tray ready and spray with oil. Punch down the dough and knead in the salt. Flour a large surface and roll out the dough to a 50x30cms/20x12inch rectangle. Spread with the custard and the drained sultanas. Slice the dough into 1 inch strips with a pizza cutter. I usually don't use the two end pieces as they aren't complete strips.
Then once you can't add more strips to the rolling coil as it gets heavy, cut the strips of dough in half and add these to the coil
Step 8 -Start by rolling up a strip into a coil. Then keep adding more strips to the large coil. There will get to a point where you can't add more strips, around halfway through the dough. At that time place the coil in the centre of the greased tray and cut the remaining strips in half. Lift up the dough strips and press them against the coil. Don't worry if the sultanas drop off, just gently slide them back in.
Step 9 - Preheat oven to 180C/350F. Cover with parchment and allow to rise for 30-45 minutes until puffy. If the centre rises too much gently push it down. Brush with egg wash and bake for 20 minutes. Cover with greased foil and bake for an additional 15 minutes. Brush with apricot jam with cool completely.
Step 10 - To make the cross, place the icing sugar in a food processor and blend until there are no lumps. Then add the cream and butter and process until smooth and pipeable (not too stiff, not runny). Pipe over the scroll when completely cool (otherwise the cross with melt).