Gluten Free Hot Cross Buns
There are many traditional Easter dishes worth trying. One of my favourites are Hot Cross Buns, typically eaten on Good Friday in the UK and other British colonized countries. What makes them special and recognizable is white cross marked on the top of each bun, which symbolises the Crucifiction of Jesus. Hot Cross Buns are aromatic sweet yeast buns studded with raisins, currant or candied orange peel, usually serve with butter and a cup of tea.
If I was to describe my Gluten Free Hot Cross Buns, they are between a dinner roll and cinnamon roll. They are delicious, quite easy to make and no kneading required. So why don’t you give them a try and you will enjoy them freshly baked even year-long.
Gluten Free Hot Cross Buns
Ingredients
Ingredients for 6 rolls:
- 110 g oat flour
- 60 g rice flour
- 70 g wholegrain rice flour
- 50 g almond flour
- 80 g tapioca starch
- 10 g psyllium
- 7 g dried yeast
- Pinch of salt
- 30 g dates powder sweetener or coconut powdered sugar
- ½ teaspoon honey
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon cardamom
- Lemon zest from one big lemon
- Orange zest from one orange (optional)
- 50 ml fresh orange juice
- 250 ml warm vegetable milk
- 40 g ghee butter (melted)
- 1 egg (room temperature)
- 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
- ½ cup mix of raisins and dried cranberries
- Apricot jam for glazing
Flour cross:
- 15 g rice flour
- 10 g tapioca starch
- Water (around 3-5 tablespoon)
Instructions
- Mix all flours, tapioca starch, salt, cinnamon, cardamom, lemon zest, sweetener in a large bowl.
- Soak the raisins and cranberries in hot water for 5-10 minutes.
- Warm up the milk in a small pot. (Dip your finger in to check the temperature, it should be between lukewarm and hot.) Then mix ⅓ cup of milk in a small bowl with honey and yeast. Put aside for a few minutes, until the yeast bubbles up.
- Mix remaining milk with melted butter, orange juice, apple cider vinegar and psyllium husk. Then stir in the egg.
- Add buttery mixture and yeast to the bowl with dry ingredients and mix with spatula until well combined. Then add drained dry fruits and stir into the dough.
- Wet your hands with water and roll the dough into 6 balls and place them on the baking tray. Cover the buns with a kitchen towel and let it rise at room temperature for about an hour. Meanwhile preheat the oven to 180°C
- To make a flour cross, mix rice flour and tapioca with a bit of water, one tablespoon at a time, until you have a thick paste. Transfer it into a piping bag with a very small nozzle and pipe crosses over your buns.
- Bake your buns in 180°C for about 20 - 25 minutes. Remove baked buns from the oven and brush the top of each of them with apricot jam. Transfer on a wire rack to cool a bit. Enjoy warm and freshly baked.