Hot Cross Loaf by Michael James

Directions

1. To start the bun dough, slowly bring the milk to a simmer in a saucepan over a medium heat, being careful not to let it boil. (85 °C is good) Remove from the heat and set aside to cool. This helps to make for a lighter, softer crumb.
2. Place the orange in a saucepan and cover well with water. Bring to the boil, reduce the heat slightly and continue to boil for about 1 hour, until a knife goes through it easily. Drain, and when cool enough to handle, quarter the orange and remove any pips. Place it in a blender and blend for a minute or two, until you have a smooth purée, then set aside to cool.
3. Combine the flour with the sugar and salt in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook and stir to combine. In a separate bowl, lightly whisk together the milk, egg and yeast, and add to the dry ingredients. Mix for 5 minutes on a medium speed, then stop the mixer and scrape down the side and base of the bowl with a spatula to ensure that all of the dry mix is incorporated, and that the mixture is forming one large ball of dough. Mix for another 6–8 minutes until the dough is smooth and strong and comes away easily from the side of the bowl.
4. With the mixer still running, incorporate the butter, a little at a time. Make sure it is being incorporated into the dough and not just coating the side of the bowl – you may need to stop and scrape down the sides once or twice. Mix for 2–3 minutes, until the dough is firm and shiny, not sticky or wet. Use the windowpane test to check the dough. Take a small ball of dough and gently stretch it between your hands – you should be able to stretch it very thin without it breaking. If you find that it breaks easily, mix for a few more minutes to continue working the gluten in the flour, then test it again. If you are mixing by hand, this step will take a good 15 minutes of folding.
5. Once your dough has reached the right consistency, add 35 g of the orange puree (you can freeze the rest for later use). You can also use the zest of 1 orange instead.

6. Drain the fruit and sprinkle a dusting of flour over it and spices. Add the fruit to the dough, then mix for 2–3 minutes, until the fruit is evenly dispersed. Be careful not to overmix, to avoid the fruit breaking down. 

7. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured bench and knead it for about 1 minute, then place it in a lightly greased bowl and fold it by lifting it up and over itself a few times, turning the bowl 90 degrees between each fold. Leave the dough to rest in the bowl, covered with a damp tea towel (dish towel), for 45 minutes - 1 hour. If you want to spread the workload over a couple of days, the dough will be fine left in the fridge overnight at this point.
8. Once it has rested, knead the dough in the bowl for about 1 minute, then fold the dough by lifting it up and over onto itself a few times, turning the bowl 90 degrees between each fold. Leave it to rest again, covered with the damp tea towel for up to 45minutes - 1 hour, or until risen by half. Gently press the dough; it’s ready if your finger leaves a dent in the surface. If the dough springs back quickly, leave it longer, and then test again.
9. Lightly grease or line a 25x7 tin with baking paper.
10. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured bench and roll or shape the dough into a rough 20 x 20cm flat square. Starting from the top, using your fingers to roll up the dough into a log shape, like you would roll up a piece of paper. Then when you have a log shape, use the heel of your hand to close and join the dough together to create the seam. Then place the hot cross loaf into the tin with the seam on the bottom of the tin.
11. Cover with a damp tea towel and leave to rise for 1½–2 hours, until risen by half. Test the loaf again by gently pressing the surface – if your finger leaves a dent, you’re ready to bake; if the dough springs back it still needs more time.
12. Preheat the oven to 200°C fan-forced (390°F). To prepare the cross mix, combine all the ingredients in a bowl and whisk until a smooth paste forms. Put this into a piping (icing) bag with a plain nozzle and set aside.
13. Make the egg wash by lightly whisking the egg, milk and salt in a small mixing bowl, then brush it evenly over the loaf. Then pipe a cross onto the top of the dough.
14. Put the tin in the oven, reduce the temperature to 180°C fan-forced (360°F) and bake for 15 minutes.
15. While the loaf is in the oven, make the brown sugar glaze. Combine the sugar, water and spices in a small saucepan over a low heat. Bring it to the boil slowly, stirring constantly until the sugar has dissolved, then reduce the heat and simmer gently for about 5 minutes to infuse the spices. The mixture will reduce slightly, making a fragrant, sticky glaze.
16. Turn the tin and bake for a further 4–6 minutes, until golden brown. Once it has baked, lightly brush the surface of your loaf with the syrup. Cool slightly on a wire rack, but not for too long. The hot cross loaf tastes amazing when still warm, although it’s also excellent the next day, toasted and spread with lots of butter.

Hot cross bun spiced butter

1. Leave the butter at room temperature or microwave until the butter has softened. Then in a mixing bowl add the butter, zest and spice and mix until well combined. Use at room temperature to get the full spice effect!