Espresso Chocolate Chip Hot Cross Buns
Ingredients
For the buns:
- 1 tbsp instant dry yeast
- ½ cup sugar
- 1½ cups lukewarm milk
- 4½ cups plain flour
- 50g unsalted butter, melted
- 1 egg
- ¼ cup karajoz espresso
- 2 tsp ground cinnamon
- ½ tsp ground nutmeg
- ½ tsp ground ginger
- ½ tsp vanilla extract
- ½ tsp salt
- 1½ cups chopped milk chocolate, melted
- ½ cup desiccated coconut
- 2 cups dark chocolate chips
- 30g brown sugar
- 40g hot Karajoz Coffee
- 60g white chocolate (2 oz)
Method
- To make the buns, combine the lukewarm milk, sugar and dry yeast in a small bowl. Set aside for 5 minutes. It should become frothy and increase in size. This indicates that the yeast is active.
- Put all the remaining ingredients in the bowl. Add the yeast mixture. Mix until the dough is smooth and elastic.
- Place it in a large bowl (not metal), cover with plastic wrap and set aside in warm place for 1 hour, or until the dough doubles in size.
- Grease and line an 8 x 8 inch pan with baking paper.
- Once the dough has risen, divide it equally into 12 balls. Shape them tightly and place them close together, 3 x 4 in the baking pan.
- Preheat the oven to 200 C (400 F). Cover the hot cross buns with plastic wrap and set aside to rise for 30 minutes.
- Bake for 25 - 30 minutes, until golden brown and fragrant. While the buns are baking, prepare your glaze.
- For the glaze, dissolve the sugar in the coffee.
- Once the buns are cooked, remove them from the oven and quickly brush them with a few coats of the glaze.
- To make the crosses, melt the white chocolate in the microwave in short bursts, stirring in between. Put the chocolate into a small zip loc bag or piping bag, snip off the end and pipe crosses across the chocolate chip buns.
- Serve warm. Makes 12 hot cross buns.
Happy Easter!