Spelt Chocolate & Cranberry Hot Cross Buns
Deliciously soft and fragrant brioche-styled hot cross buns, overflowing with chocolate chips and cranberries.
Servings: 12 Buns
Ingredients
Buns
- 300 ml Buttermilk, Lukewarm
- 75 grams Castor Sugar
- 10 grams Instant Yeast
- 2 XL Eggs
- 500 grams Spelt Flour
- 2 tsp Xanthan Gum
- 1½ tsp Salt
- 2 tsp Cinnamon (Ground)
- 100 grams Butter (Cubed)
- 100 grams Dark Chocolate Chips
- 180 grams Cranberries (Dried)
Crosses
- 70 grams Spelt Flour
- ⅓ cup Water
Glaze
- ⅓ cup Water
- 2 tbsp Castor Sugar
Instructions
- Into the bowl of your stand mixer, add the yeast, castor sugar, and lukewarm buttermilk. Allow the mix to stand for 5 minutes and the yeast will begin to foam.
- Add in the beaten eggs and mix until well combined.
- Add in the Spelt flour, xanthan gum, ground cinnamon, and salt. Knead for 5 minutes on low speed and then increase the speed and mix for a further 5 minutes or until you are left with a soft, smooth, and elastic dough(Please note the dough will be smooth but it will be sticky to the touch).
- Add the softened butter cubes and knead for a further 5-7 minutes or until you have a soft and homogenous dough. The dough will be very slack after the butter is added but fear not because as you knead the dough, it will result in a soft, smooth, and shiny dough. Once the butter is incorporated, stop kneading as overbeating will result in compact brioche buns.
- Add in the chocolate chips and dried cranberries. Knead for 3 minutes on low speed until the chocolate chips and cranberries have been well incorporated into the dough. (Please note the dough will be smooth but it will be sticky to the touch).
- Cover the dough with plastic wrap and allow it to rise for 1 hour at room temperature, before placing it into the fridge to rest overnight. The brioche can be made after 10–12 hours of resting. (Please note that the dough can rest for up to 3 days in the refrigerator before use.)
- Remove the dough from the fridge and turn it out onto a lightly floured surface. Deflate the dough and divide it into 12 equal pieces (I prefer to weigh the dough balls as this ensures that the buns bake evenly).
- Roll each piece of dough into a smooth ball and arrange, seam side down, on a baking tray or in a baking dish, depending on your preference.
- Cover and allow the dough to rise for 1½ – 2 hours or until the dough rounds have doubled in size.
- Preheat the oven to 180℃ and then prepare the mixture for the crosses by combining the flour and water until you have a thick smooth paste. Spoon the paste into a piping bag. (If you do not have a piping bag, place flour paste into a ziplock bag and cut off the tip of one end of the bag). Pipe a line along each row of buns and repeat in the opposite direction to create crosses.
- Bake the buns for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown.
- While the buns are baking prepare the glaze by heating the castor sugar and water in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil and simmer for 2-3 minutes. Remove the buns from the oven and immediately brush the hot glaze over the top of the warm buns. Place the buns onto a wire rack and allow them to cool ~ If you prefer them hot out the oven, then go ahead and enjoy them piping hot.
Notes
- The buttermilk can be replaced with milk.
- Spelt flour can be replaced at a ratio of 1:1 with cake flour but you will need to eliminate the xanthan gum from the recipe as well.
Nutrition
Nutrition Facts
Spelt Chocolate & Cranberry Hot Cross Buns
Amount Per Serving (1 g)
Calories 394
Calories from Fat 108
% Daily Value*
Fat 12g18%
Saturated Fat 7g44%
Trans Fat 1g
Cholesterol 21mg7%
Sodium 403mg18%
Potassium 106mg3%
Carbohydrates 62g21%
Fiber 8g33%
Sugar 22g24%
Protein 8g16%
Vitamin A 252IU5%
Vitamin C 1mg1%
Calcium 62mg6%
Iron 3mg17%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
This website provides approximate nutritional information for convenience and as a courtesy only.