Hot Cross Buns

I’ve had several cracks at making hot cross buns, but previously they’ve always turned out like rock cakes :(. This time around, I decided to try substituting aquafaba, the cooking liquid from chick peas which seems to have a thousand different uses, for the oil that the Thermomix recipe book called for.

Eureka – perfect hot cross buns that are moist and chewy but not overly dense.

If you have a Thermomix, this recipe will be a snap. If you don’t, you’ll need to use an eggbeater or stick mixer to whip the aquafaba until it’s light and fluffy and then to mix the piping mixture, warm the plant milk over low heat on the stove, and knead the dough by hand for around 6-8 minutes or until smooth and elastic.

Ingredients:

Buns

1 tbsp ground linseed
3 tbsp water
70 g aquafaba (cooking liquid from chick peas, or the canning liquid from no added salt canned chick peas)
250 g/ml plant milk (I used oat milk)
500 g wholemeal flour
1 tsp salt
45 g date sugar*
2 sachets of dried yeast or 20 g fresh yeast
1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp ground cloves
20 g mixed citrus peel
100 g sultanas
70 g currants

Piping mixture

40 g wholemeal flour
40 g arrowroot
1 tsp aquafaba
100 g water

Syrup

2 tbsp boiling water
2 tbsp coconut nectar or rice malt

Method:

Buns

In a small bowl, whisk linseed with water and set aside.

Using butterfly attachment, whip aquafaba for 2 minutes on speed 6. Transfer to a small bowl and set aside. Remove butterfly attachment.

Place plant milk in Thermomix bowl and heat for 50 seconds at 90°C on speed 1.

Add all remaining ingredients except for the dried fruit to the bowl and mix for 6 seconds on speed 7.

Set dial to closed lid position and knead for 3 minutes on Interval setting. Add mixed peel, sultanas and currants and knead for another minute.

Transfer to a large bowl, cover with plastic wrap or a damp tea towel and leave in a warm place for 1-1 1/2 hours, or until doubled in size.

Using floured hands, divide dough into 12 equal portions. Roll into balls and place close together on a greased baking tray. Cover and let rise for 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, preheat oven to 220°C.

Pipe risen buns with crosses and bake for 10-15 minutes or until golden. Brush with hot syrup while still warm.

Piping mixture

Place all ingredients in Thermomix bowl and mix for 30 seconds on speed 4. Mixture should be the consistency of pancake batter. Spoon into a piping bag to pipe the crosses.

Syrup

Whisk water and liquid sweetener together until well combined. Use a pastry brush to brush mixture over the buns after you take them out of the oven.

* I order date sugar from iHerb; if you don’t already have an account with iHerb, you can use the coupon code UTE208 to get a discount on your first order.