Sticky Date Hot Cross Buns
An Original Recipe by Lorraine Elliott
Preparation time: minutes plus 1.5 hours resting time
Cooking time: 35 minutes
Serves: 15
- 1.5 cups/210g/7ozs medjool dates
- 1 cup/250ml/8.8flozs port wine
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 25g/1oz bread flour
- 1/2 cup/125ml/4flozs water
- 1/2 cup/120g/4ozs. brown sugar
- 1.5 teaspoons salt
- 2 eggs
- 1 cup/250ml/8.8flozs milk
- 3.5-3 3/4 cups/525g-560g/18.5-20ozs. plain all purpose or bread flour
- 1 tablespoon/20g/0.7oz instant dried yeast
- 1.5 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
- 60g/2ozs butter, cubes, softened
Flour crosses
- 40g/1.41ozs. plain flour
- Around 4-5 tablespoons water
Glaze:
- 80g/2.8ozs butter
- 80ml/2.8flozs. cream
- 135g/4.8ozs brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste
- Pinch of salt
Step 1 - First pit and finely chop the dates and place in a small saucepan. Heat with 1 cup of port and cinnamon until simmering and cover and set aside to plump up for 20 minutes. Make the tangzhong or water roux. Take 1/6 cup/25g/1oz of the flour and whisk with 1/2 cup/125ml/4flozs of water in a saucepan until smooth. Heat on low to medium heat and whisk until it thickens to become a roux. You want it to reach 65ºC/149ºF - it will take 3-5 minutes so just watch it so that it doesn't go over that temperature. Remove from the heat and whisk in the brown sugar, salt and eggs. Then gradually add in the milk and whisk together until combined.
Step 2 - Place the rest of the bread flour (use 3.5 cups and then add the extra 1/4 cup later if you need it), yeast, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, vanilla and cloves in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a dough hook and whisk to distribute the spices and yeast.
Step 3 - Add the milky tangzhong mixture to the flour mix and knead until it comes together to form a dough. Add the butter cubes one at a time. Add a bit more flour if the mixture is too wet. The dough needs to be elastic and stretchy but not break and can take up to 18-20 minutes kneading with the mixer. You should be able to pull it apart between your fingers and see through it without it breaking. Roll it into a ball making sure that there are no cracks on top of the ball and allow it to rise in a warm place. It should take less than an hour.
Step 4 - Preheat the oven to 180C/350F. Drain the dates very well. Mix the flour and water together to make a pipeable paste and place in a small piping bag. Punch down the dough add the drained dates and knead to mix them in well so that they are evenly distributed.
Troubleshooting: your dough will be sticky but try not to add too much flour. A little is fine because flour varies from supplier to batch but adding too much will affect the texture of the buns. Instead, add a little flour and then lightly oil your hands just before shaping them.
Step 5 - Line a 30x20cm/12x8 inch baking tray with parchment. Flour your hands and a surface and shape Easter buns. I weighed mine and they were around 90g/3ozs each and I got around 15 of them. Do not give these a long rise, as long as they puff up a bit that is perfect. Cut a small hole at the end of the piping bag and pipe crosses on top and then bake for 30 minutes.
Step 6 - While the buns are baking make the salted butterscotch sauce glaze. Place the butter, cream, brown sugar and salt in a small saucepan and heat until simmering. Simmer for 5 minutes whisking to ensure that the butter is incorporated and not separate. Once done remove from heat and whisk in the vanilla. Once the buns are baked, generously brush this glaze over the buns. Serve the buns with butter and the extra butterscotch sauce and a glass of the spiced port as reward for the cook.