Spiced sticky buns
A warm, spicy mouthful with an Australian native twist. Glaze for a spiced bun at any time of year; add a cross for hot cross buns.
Equipment
- Food processor with dough hook (or use your hands)
- Small saucepan
- Bowl for dough
- Baking tray dusted with flour
- Sharp knife
- Oven preheated to 170 degrees Celcius
- Piping bag with nozzle OR sandwich bag (for piping cross) Optional.
- Pastry brush (for glaze)
Ingredients
Buns
- 4 cups plain flour
- 14 grams dried yeast This is 2x7g packets.
- 1/4 cup Wattle Sugar
- 2 tsp Oz El Hanout (or other native spice)
- 1 pinch salt
- 1½ cups currants
- 40 g butter
- 300 ml milk
- 2 eggs lightly beaten
- 4 tbsp water
Cross (for hot cross buns)
- 1/2 cup plain flour
- 4 tbsp water
Glaze
- 1/3 cup water
- 4 tbsp apricot (or other) jam or plain sugar Quandong jam is excellent if you can find it.
Instructions
Make the buns
- Combine the flour, yeast, Wattle Sugar, Oz El Hanout, salt and currants in a large bowl.
- Melt butter in a small saucepan over a medium heat and add the milk. Heat for 1 minute, or until lukewarm.
- Add warm milk and butter mixture to currant mixture. Add the eggs.
- Use a flat bladed knife, or the dough hook on a mixer, to mix until it's a soft dough. You may need to use your hands to bring the final parts together.
- Turn dough out onto a floured surface OR continue with the dough mixer. Knead for 10 minutes, or until dough is smooth.
- Place into a lightly oiled bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Set aside in a warm, draught free place for 1 – 1 ½ hours, or until dough doubles in size (OR place in fridge for at least 5 hours).
- While this is happening, line a large baking tray with non-stick baking paper.
- When dough has risen, punch dough down to its original size. Knead for 30 seconds on a lightly floured surface until smooth.
- Divide into 12 even portions and shape each portion into a ball.
- Place balls on baking paper, just touching eachother.
- Cover with oiled cling film and set aside in a warm, draught-free place for 30 minutes, or until buns double in size.
- While they're proving, preheat fan-forced oven to 170C and make the flour paste for the cross.
Make the cross (optional)
- Make a flour paste by mixing ½ cup plain flour and 4 tablespoons of water together in a small bowl until smooth, adding a little more water if paste is too thick.
Pipe the cross (optional)
- When the buns have finished proving, add the cross if you want it.
- Spoon the paste into a small snap-lock bag and snip off one corner about half a centimetre up, to create a small-nozzled piping bag, OR pour into piping bag with the smallest nozzle.
- Pipe flour paste over tops of buns to form crosses. (Or any other shape you want!).
- Place buns into preheated oven and bake for 20 – 25 minutes, or until buns are a darkish brown and cooked through.
Make the glaze
- Place water and jam into a small saucepan over low heat and stir until jam or sugar dissolves. Bring to the boil for 3-4 minutes, then remove from heat.
- Remove the buns from the oven.
- Immediately brush glaze over warm hot cross buns.
- Allow to cool, then gently separate.
Notes
Serve warm, or split and toasted with butter spread in the middle.
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!
