Cinnamon apple hot cross buns

Serves: 12
Prep: 25 + rising
Cook: 20
Spiced hot cross buns with a delicious apple twist, what a perfect Easter treat!

Looking for more egg-sellent Easter ideas? Check out this collection of Easter treats plus our favourite family-friendly activities that’ll help make Easter that little bit sweeter. 

Ingredients

  • 3 Weet-Bix™ wheat biscuits, finely crushed
  • ​1/2 cup + 1/4 cup hot water
  • 1 cup So Good unsweetened milk
  • 1 packet dry yeast (2 1/4 tsp, 7 g)
  • 2 tsp honey or maple syrup
  • 1/4 cup olive oil, plus extra for bowl
  • 2 cups plain wholemeal flour (280 g)
  • 2 cups plain white flour (280 g), plus extra for kneading
  • 2 tsp ground cinnamon, divided
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1 cup finely diced apple (approx. 1 medium apple)
For the Crosses
  • 1/4 cup plain white flour, extra
  • ​2 - 3 Tbsp cool water
To Glaze
  • ​1 - 2 Tbsp honey, or strained jam, warmed

Method

  1. Step 1

    Combine Weet-Bix and 1/2 cup boiling water in a small bowl. Stir to make a porridge, and set aside. Combine So Good milk and 1/4 cup boiling water in a large bowl – the liquid should be room temperature, not hot. Add honey and sprinkle over yeast, stirring well. Set aside 5 to 10 minutes until foamy – this means your yeast is alive.
  2. Step 2

    Add Weet-Bix porridge and oil to the yeast mixture. Stir, with a large spoon or scraper, then add the white flour, wholemeal flour, 1 tsp cinnamon, and salt. Mix well, using clean hands if necessary, to create a shaggy dough with no visible dry ingredients.
  3. Step 3

    Cover bowl and rest for 10 mins, to allow the dry ingredients to hydrate – this makes the dough much easier to knead. Dust bench-top lightly with a bit of extra flour and turn dough out of bowl. Knead 3 mins, adding a pinch or two of extra flour if necessary. The dough should be smooth and elastic.
  4. Step 4

    Flatten dough into a rough round, sprinkle over remaining 1 tsp cinnamon and the diced apple. Roll to enclose apple in the dough, and knead a further minute or two to evenly distribute.
  5. Step 5

    Drizzle about a teaspoon of extra oil into the mixing bowl, add dough, and turn to coat. Cover bowl with plastic or a damp tea towel, and leave to rise in a warm place until doubled in size, roughly 1 hour.
  6. Step 6

    Punch down dough, divide into 12 even pieces and form into balls. Line an oven tray with baking paper and arrange buns on the tray, leaving about 1 cm between each. Cover tray with plastic or a damp tea towel and leave buns to rise until nearly doubled, 30 - 45 mins.
  7. Step 7

    During the last 15 minutes of rising, preheat oven to 180°C (355°F). In a small bowl, combine flour and water for the crosses and stir to create a thick, smooth, paste. Spoon paste into a small piping bag and pipe crosses onto buns.
  8. Step 8

    Bake 22 - 25 minutes, until golden. Cool slightly on tray, then transfer to a rack and brush with warm honey, if using.

Tips

  • Blooming the yeast first (Step 1) confirms it’s fresh and alive before adding the other ingredients. If you’re not used to working with yeast, blooming in a narrow jug instead of a wide bowl can make it easier to see activity.
  • Rising time of dough can vary based on the temperature of your kitchen and temperature of ingredients used. Dough will rise more quickly in warmer weather, slower when it’s cooler.
  • The need for extra flour will depend on a range of factors including brand used, and humidity in the air. It’s better to have dough that’s a bit sticky or tacky after kneading, than one that is dry and too firm! Flour will continue to absorb liquid as it rises.