Homemade Chocolate Chip Hot Cross Buns.

A classic Easter bake, made a little healthier using Barebells Chocolate Shake! A little higher in protein, enriched with chocolate chips, cinnamon and glazed with honey – delicious!

I LOVE hot cross buns. For me, they’re are such a big part of Easter. As soon as they start appearing in supermarkets, it signals brighter and lighter days ahead and that’s been such a welcome change seeing as we’ve been through a really hard couple of months.

The sweet and spicy smell is so comforting. It brings back all the memories of Easter egg hunts and Sunday lunch with my family. Nothing beats coming home from a long walk to hot cross buns with lashings of butter and a cup of tea!

This year, I thought I’d try making my own. I had a little extra time on my hands, so I thought I’d give the somewhat lengthy process a go. I can’t lie, it is time consuming but it’s a really rewarding one. A little top tip I want to share, is to ensure you don’t over work the dough – I learnt this the hard way! But without further ado, here is the recipe. I hope you enjoy!

Serving Size.

Makes 12 hot cross buns.

Ingredients.

For the Buns –

• 500g Strong White Flour
• 45g Light Brown Sugar
• 30g Canderel Sweetener
• 2tsp Cinnamon
• 5g Salt
• 10g Fast-action Dried Yeast
• 40g Flora Butter
• 300ml Barebells Chocolate Shake
• 1 Egg
• 100g Dark Chocolate Chips

For the topping –

• 40g Flour
• 2tbsp Water
• Honey/ Maple Syrup for Glaze

Method.

1. Put the flour, sugar, spices into large bowl and mix together. Add salt & yeast.
2. Melt the butter, then add to the mixing bowl. Add the shake and egg, incorporating as you go. Gradually add the milk, to form a pliable dough.
3. Tip the dough onto lightly floured work surface.
4. Knead for 8-10 minutes incorporating the chocolate chips.
5. Oil a large bowl, then place the dough in the bowl, cover with cling film and leave to rest for 1 hour 30 minutes.
6. Knock back and return to the bowl. Leave to rise for a further hour.
7. Divide the dough into 12 equal pieces, shaping into balls.
8. Line baking trays w/ paper, place the dough balls close together and flatten slightly.
9. Leave to prove again for 40 mins.
10. Preheat the oven to 220 degrees.
11. Add flour to a bowl with water – mix to form make a paste.
12. Pipe a cross across the buns, bake for 12-15 mins or until golden brown.
13. Glaze with honey while still warm.
14. Allow to cool.
15. Enjoy!

3 hours (give or take ) all your the hard work is done! Meaning it’s time to sit back with a cup of tea and enjoy a bun or two. Bliss!

Oh, and one last thing, the hot cross buns will keep in the freezer for up to a month! And if you’re looking for any other Easter recipes, have a little look here.

Amy xo.