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How about another recipe for Easter made with some yeast? Something typical but not quite typical? ;) This time I made a classic bake aka. Hot Cross Buns but went for the not so classic version of a Hot Cross Bun Loaf. I think it turned out pretty rad!

Hot cross buns – as far as I know – originate in the UK but are also common on many places in the U.S. It’ a classic bake for your Easter breakfast or brunch. Even though I was living in the U.S. for some time, I never saw those buns with the typical crosses on top in any restaurant or bakery around Easter. Maybe it was/is just not common in the South? I mean Florida has some wacky dishes, maybe they did not have more space for some classic good old hot cross buns from the mother country on their table :P

Of course, I am just kidding… but still no clue why it took me so long to notice those buns – and finding them first on Pinterest and not on a buffet or something like that. Well. It doesn’t matter – I know them now and made them already several times for an Easter brunch.

If you made it up to this point and still have no clue what I am talking about: Hot cross buns are kind of spiced bread rolls, often made with raisins or cranberries. They have a very distinct look which is caused by a flour paste you pipe on top of the buns before baking to get a cross on each bun. End of the Wikipedia explanation :P

Well… I like those buns and if you are having a bunch of people at home it is definitely something that can feed a crowd. With the Hot Cross Buns Loaf, you probably get as many people happy since the recipe is basically a hot cross buns recipe just made into a different shape. You get a quite massive loaf that will be enough for 10 I guess. Or three in my family ;)

I used a pre-made mix of dried fruits for the recipe that included some dried cherries, plums, cranberries, etc. – use whatever you want. If you like raisins, use raisins. If you hate raisins, use something else. Same for the nuts. You can use whatever you like or your pantry has to offer at the time of making the dough. If you do not mind some booze in your bakes, I recommend to let the dried fruits soak in some rum before using them (best overnight) – that brings some additional flavor into the loaf. I did that several times already and it always turned out pretty nice.

If you take a look at the recipe, you will notice that there is a lot of waiting time when the dough has to rise. If you want to serve that Hot Cross Buns Loaf for breakfast, you got to start pretty early that day. If you have some experience with letting yeast dough rise in the fridge – do that! It saves you some time on baking day!

INGREDIENTS / ZUTATEN

For the dough:
17.6 oz. (500g) all-purpose flour (plus more)
1/4 cup (50g) sugar
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. ground cinnamon
pinch of nutmeg
pinch of allspice
5.75 fl.oz. (170ml) lukewarm milk
0.25 oz. (7g) active dry yeast
2 large eggs
2.8 oz. (80g) butter, at room temperature
5.3 oz. (150g) mixed dried fruits/berries, chopped
1.7 oz. (50g) hazelnuts, chopped
zest of 2 organic oranges

For the crosses:
0.9 oz. (25g) all-purpose flour
1 tsp. sunflower oil
2-3 tbsp. cold water

2 tbsp. orange marmalade (without pieces)

Für den Teig:
500g Mehl (Type 550) plus mehr
50g Zucker
1/2 TL Salz
1/4 TL Zimt
Prise Muskanuss
Prise Piment
170ml lauwarme Milch
7g Trockenhefe
2 Eier (L)
80g weiche Butter
150g gemischte Trockenfrüchte/Beeren, gehackt
50g Haselnüsse, gehackt
Abrieb von 2 Bio-Orangen

Für die Kreuze:
25g Mehl (Type 550)
1 TL Sonnenblumenöl
2-3 EL kaltes Wasser

2 EL Orangenmarmelade (ohne Stücke)

DIRECTIONS / ZUBEREITUNG

1. Add the flour, sugar, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg and allspice to a large bowl and mix until well combined. Make a depression in the middle and fill up with the lukewarm milk. Sprinkle the dry yeast on top and mix with a wooden spoon until well combined. Let the yeast milk bubble for about 5 minutes, then add the eggs and butter and knead about 10 minutes until you get a nice smooth dough. Cover the bowl and let rise in a warm place for about 1 1/2 – 2 hours until the dough has doubled in size.

2. When the dough has risen enough, place on a lightly floured surface. Flatten the dough a bit and sprinkle the dried fruits/berries, chopped nuts, and orange zest on top. Fold and knead the topping into the dough, when incorporated well, place in the bowl and let rise another 45-60 minutes.

3. Divide the dough into 8 equal pieces and shape each piece into a fat, short sausage. Place the sausages upright next to each other in a greased loaf tin (about 9×5 inches) – try not to have any fruit/berry pieces on the surface – cover and let rise another 45-60 minutes.

4. Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C). Mix the flour with oil and gradually add the water to get a thick and smooth paste – it should not be too liquid. Fill into a small piping bag and pipe two long lines across the buns and four shorter lines to get a cross on each bun (or sausage end, as I called them before). Place in the oven and bake for 30-40 minutes until golden brown. Take out of the oven and remove from the baking tin. Place on a wire rack. While the loaf is still hot, whisk the orange marmalade a bit to soften it up (if it is too thick, add a tiny bit of hot water and mix), then brush the top of the loaf with the marmalade and let cool down.

1. Das Mehl mit Zucker, Salz, Zimt, Muskatnuss und Piment in einer großen Schüssel vermischen. In die Mitte eine Mulde drücken und die lauwarme Milch hineinschütten. Die Trockenhefe dazugeben und mit der Milch verrühren. Für etwa 5 Minuten blubbern lassen. Dann die Eier und die Butter dazugeben und alles in etwa 10 Minuten zu einem glatten Teig verkneten. Die Schüssel abdecken und an einem warmen Ort etwa 1 1/2-2 Stunden gehen lassen, bis sich das Volumen in etwa verdoppelt hat.

2. Sobald der Teig genug gegangen ist, auf eine leicht bemehlte Fläche geben und etwas auseinanderziehen – die Trockenfrüchte/Beeren, gehackte Nüsse und Orangenschale daraufgeben und in den Teig kneten. Den Teig zurück in die Schüssel legen, abdecken und noch einmal 45-60 Minuten gehen lassen.

3. Den Teig in 8 gleiche Stücke teilen und jeweils in eine dicke Wurst formen. Die Teigwürste dann senkrecht nebeneinander in eine gefettete Kastenform (ca. 23x13cm) setzen – versucht dabei, dass keine Fruchtstücke an der Oberfläche sind. Wieder abdecken und noch einmal 45-60 Minuten gehen lassen.

4. Den Ofen auf 180°C (350°F) vorheizen. Das Mehl (für die Kreuze) mit dem Öl verrühren und nach und nach das Wasser dazugeben und glatt rühren – es muss eine relativ dicke Paste entstehen. In einen Spritzbeutel füllen und dann längs zwei lange Linien über die Enden der Teigwürste/Wölbungen aufspritzen und dann vier kurze, damit sich in der Mitte der Wurstenden Kreuze bilden. In die Mitte des Ofens stellen und für 30-40 Minuten backen, bis der Laib eine schöne Bräune bekommen hat. Aus dem Ofen nehmen, vorsichtig aus der Form lösen und auf ein Kuchengitter setzen. Die Orangenmarmelade kurz verrühren, damit sie flüssiger wird (ggf. etwas heißes Wasser dazugeben) und dann den noch heißen Laib damit bestreichen. Abkühlen lassen.

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Here is a version of the recipe you can print easily.

Hot Cross Bun Loaf

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Author: Bake to the roots
Prep Time: 40m
Cook Time: 40m
Total Time: 5h 30m
Yield: 1
Category: Bread
Cuisine: United Kingdom

Print Recipe

Description

Delicious yeast bread based on a classic bake from the UK: Hot Cross Bun Loaf!

Ingredients

For the dough:

17.6 oz. (500g) all-purpose flour (plus more)

1/4 cup (50g) sugar

1/2 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. ground cinnamon

pinch of nutmeg

pinch of allspice

5.75 fl.oz. (170ml) lukewarm milk

0.25 oz. (7g) active dry yeast

2 large eggs

2.8 oz. (80g) butter, at room temperature

5.3 oz. (150g) mixed dried fruits/berries, chopped

1.7 oz. (50g) hazelnuts, chopped

zest of 2 organic oranges

For the crosses:

0.9 oz. (25g) all-purpose flour

1 tsp. sunflower oil

2-3 tbsp. cold water

2 tbsp. orange marmalade (without pieces)

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Instructions

1. Add the flour, sugar, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, and allspice to a large bowl and mix until well combined. Make a depression in the middle and fill up with the lukewarm milk. Sprinkle the dry yeast on top and mix with a wooden spoon until well combined. Let the yeast milk bubble for about 5 minutes, then add the eggs and butter and knead about 10 minutes until you get a nice smooth dough. Cover the bowl and let rise in a warm place for about 1 1/2 – 2 hours until the dough has doubled in size.