My sister has always loved Hot Cross Buns and since becoming gluten intolerant, we have struggled to find a good substitute. This is my first successful Gluten Free Bread recipe and I’m proud to say that these buns are just as good as the real thing.. if not better as they are homemade!
Ingredients
- 375g Gluten Free Flour *
- 7g Sachet Dried Yeast
- ½ Tsp Xanthan Gum
- ½ Tsp Cinnamon
- ¼ Tsp Ginger
- ½ Tsp Salt
- 1 Tsp Lemon Zest
- 75g Raisins
- 170ml Milk
- 5 Tbsp Maple Syrup
- 2 eggs
- 60g Butter
- 2 Tbsp Gluten Free Flour
- Drop of water
- 1 Egg
Directions
- In a small pan, heat the milk until warm. Add the butter to the milk to melt and add the maple syrup. Set aside to cool slightly.
- In a large mixing bowl, combine the flour, yeast, Xanthan gum, cinnamon, ginger, salt, lemon zest and raisins.
- Pour the luke-warm liquid evenly over the dry mix. Use a cutlery knife to mix all of the ingredients together. You should end up with a wet dough.
- Sprinkle some extra flour over a clean work surface and rub some on your hands to stop the dough from sticking to them. Take a handful of the dough at a time and gently shape into a round bun. Place the buns on a lightly oiled baking tray, a few centimetres apart. Cover with lightly oiled Clingfilm and leave to rise for 45 minutes.
- Meanwhile, mix together a little gluten free flour with a drop of water until you have a thick but smooth paste (it should run a little). Place into a piping bag and either cut a very tiny hole or use a very small piping nozzle.
- Once the buns have risen, use a cutlery knife to very lightly mark crosses on each bun (more like denting than cutting). Use the piping bag to draw the crosses on the buns with the flour and water mixture.
- Bake the buns in the oven for 20 minutes until golden. Remove from the oven and lightly brush each bun with egg wash. Place back in the oven for two minutes. Remove from the oven again and cover with a clean tea towel, to allow the buns to cool and remain soft.
- Enjoy warm or cold!
My favourite gluten free flour is Provena’s Baking with Oats Mix, which is available in Waitrose. However, I have also made these with a combination of rice flour and tapioca flour and they work just as well.
