This recipe is a sample from my upcoming ultimate guide to baking: The Vegan Baker (out worldwide Sept-Oct 2023).
Photography by Emily Weaving.
DOUBLE CHOC HOT CROSS BUNS
VEGAN RECIPE USING EITHER
SOURDOUGH STARTER
OR INSTANT YEAST
Makes 12 hot cross buns.
These buns aren’t just cross. They’re positively seething. With double chocolate flavouring, sourdough starter to raise the dough, and totally vegan the whole way through, there’s not a thing that’s traditional about ’em. And given that supermarkets have been making hot cross buns earlier each year until they’re no longer just an Easter treat anymore, you don’t need to feel weird about making these year round.
INGREDIENTS
120g granulated white sugar
35g cocoa powder
7g active dry yeast
1 1⁄2 teaspoons psyllium husk powder
1 teaspoon sea salt
80g vegan butter
125g dark chocolate (preferably one with nuts), roughly chopped
PLUS EITHER (for instant yeast)325 ml plant-based milk
550g plain flour
10g instant yeast (1 + ⅓ packet)
OR (for sourdough)
250 ml plant- based milk
150g sourdough starter, at peak (100% hydration)
480g bread flour
CROSS PASTE
60 g (2 oz) plain (all-purpose) flour
2 teaspoons neutral- flavoured oil
cooking spray, for greasing
vegan cream, for brushing
simple syrup, for brushing
Warm the milk in a saucepan over low heat to the temperature of a room in a hot and sunny holiday house, then add it with the starter or yeast and sugar to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook. Stir together the flour, cocoa powder, psyllium husk powder and salt and dump it on top.
Begin kneading on medium speed for 5 minutes. Add the butter, tablespoon by tablespoon, over the course of another 3 minutes or so of kneading, occasionally scraping down the side if needed. Leave the dough to knead for a total of 18 minutes, until the dough is the rough consistency of playdough. During the last minute, add the chocolate chunks to the dough so that they disperse.
Lightly mist a rectangular baking tray with cooking spray, then line with baking paper (the spray will help it stick).
Move the dough to an unfloured workbench and knead by hand a few times to form a ball. Now smoosh it! Divide the flattened ball into 12 pieces. Press one of the portions into a rough square, then make a letter fold by folding one side into the centre, followed by the opposite side. Rotate 90 degrees and roll up tightly. Pinch together the seams, then roll and shape the ball between your palms.
Cup the bun in one hand and squeeze gently between your palm and fingertips, pressing down on top with your other hand, to square it off. Place on the prepared tray and repeat with the remaining dough portions, evenly spacing them out. Once done, press them all down slightly to fill in any glaring gaps.
Seal tightly with plastic wrap. If using sourdough, rest in the fridge overnight (8–12 hours). Remove from the fridge to a warm location for 2–4 hours, until doubled in size. If using instant yeast, rest in a warm location for 2 - 4 hours right away.
Preheat the oven to 230°C (445°F). Whisk the paste ingredients and 60-70 ml of water in a small cup until it makes a smooth, pipeable paste. Transfer to a zip-lock bag and seal shut. Snip a small hole in one of the bottom corners. Use your impromptu icing bag to pipe a cross on top of each bun, then brush generously with the cream.
Reduce the oven temperature to 180°C (350°F). Bake the buns for 22–25 minutes. A skewer inserted should come out clean, but watch out for chunks of delightfully melted chocolate, which may deceive you, so check in a few spots.
Brush the hot (cross) buns with syrup for a shiny finish, then cool slightly on a wire rack. Each bun should tear off cooperatively and send you straight to heaven. Keep the buns in an airtight container in the pantry for up to 3 days, after which time they will be unable to be resurrected.