March 11, 2022
Vegan Hot Cross Buns
We couldn't let this one go... it had to be done. There is nothing better (in our opinion) at Easter time than toasted hot cross buns drizzled with syrup. Traditionally hot cross buns are not vegan friendly as they contain milk, butter and egg - so here's a treat minus the dairy and eggs from the Lazy Cat Kitchen.
It looks like a long recipe but as far as buns go these are relatively easy and well worth the effort - they need a bit of kneading 😉 Dairy free and Vegan! If you're after gluten free we recommend grabbing the GF buns we have in store (Over Easter period only!) from Cook and Baker. Selling until Sunday but they freeze amazingly!
These buns are deliciously studded with lots of little pops of flavour, fragrant with spices and orange zest.
*Everything except the yeast from Alive Wholefood Store (You can find the yeast in most local supermarkets!)
| TIME | SERVES | DIFFICULTY |
| Prep 30 mins / cooking 20 mins | Makes 12 buns |
|
INGREDIENTS
For the Buns
500g / 4 cups whole meal flour
7 g / 2¼ tsp instant dried yeast
75 g / 6 tbsp coconut sugar
Approx. 3 tsp spices**: 1½ tsp cinnamon, ¼ tsp ginger, ½ tsp nutmeg, ½ tsp cardamom, ¼ tsp cloves
zest of 1-2 oranges (2 if you like a prominent citrus flavour)
100 g / ¾ cup sultanas soaked in 60 ml / ¼ cup liquid (You can use Amaretto or fresh orange juice for this)
100 g / ½ cup finely chopped dried apricots
60 g / ¼ cup applesauce (if you prefer to make this yourself, boil a few apples in some water and a dash of apple cider vinegar until soft approx 20mins.)
50 g / ¼ cup coconut oil melted
240 ml / 1 cup plant milk, warm – we like almond milk
The Cross Flour Paste
METHOD
Mix the flour, salt, yeast, sugar, spices and orange zest in a large mixing bowl.
Next, throw in sultanas and their soaking liquid and finely chopped ginger or apricots. Mix well into the dry ingredients, breaking up any stuck together ginger pieces with a wooden spoon.
Make a hole in the centre, add the room temperature applesauce and melted coconut oil (make sure it’s cooled down) and most of the warm plant milk – hold about ¼ of it back as not all of it may be needed. Mix all three liquid ingredients in the centre roughly and then mix them into the dry ingredients using a wooden spoon. Switch to using your hands to bring the dough together, if the dough is too dry, trickle in more plant milk. The dough should feel a little sticky/tacky – higher level of dough hydration gives your buns a better rise so resist the temptation to add extra flour.
Transfer the dough to the bench and knead it for until elastic and smooth (it may take 10 minutes or more,keep persevering ir ask a friend to help 😉 !)
Shape dough into a ball and place in a large mixing bowl, coat in a thin layer of olive oil and cover the bowl with a tea towel. Leave it in a warm place (ie; the bench if you’re in Bali) for between one and two hours (until it looks like it has doubled in size).
Empty the dough out on to a work surface and push the air out with your fingertips.
Split the dough into twelve equal parts.
Shape each portion of the dough into a ball by pinching the dough around from the top to the underside so that the seam is at the bottom.
Pre-heat your oven to 220° C and lay the buns on a paper lined baking tray in a 3×4 grid so that they just touch each other (they will slowly merge with each other as they expand during the next rising). Cover with cling film and leave another 60 minutes for another rising.