Gluten Free & Dairy Free Hot Cross Buns Baby
Happy Easter Everyone!
Isn’t Easter just one of the best times of the year like honestly who doesn’t love a holiday involving chocolate. Well maybe your guts don’t… mine really don’t I went a little hay wire with a couple of dark chocolate raisins and Loving Earth Caramel Filled Easter Eggs and woke up with 7 ulcers but hey you got to live a little.
By the way the Loving Earth Easter range is everything a dairy free, vegan and organic persons dreams are made of.
Now lets get down to business no ifs or buns about it. You guys have been waiting to get your hands on my buns (well not my buns but my HCB) for a few weeks now and finally they are here.
So here we are… I present to you the most delicious Dairy & Gluten Free Hot Cross Bun Recipe! Please tag us in your recipe creations on Instagram @sofievankempen & Facebook @ Heal Your Gut I love to see what you all create at home and how the recipe goes for you.
Now a little word of warning. READ the recipe before you even decide your are going to bake these bad boys to really get your head around the process… it may seem like a long and in-depth process but it really is quite simple once you make it the first time. Also don’t be so hard on yourself if you don’t have perfect buns like me at the end i’ve shaped more buns this week alone then most people will their whole lives to get these photos. Just like everything practice makes perfect.
Gluten Free Hot Cross Buns
ingredients:
- BUN
- 130g (1 cup) dried fruit (and/or chocolate, mixed nuts)
- 1/2 cup boiling water or juice of an orange
- 2 tsp active yeast
- 1 tsp rapadura/coconut sugar
- 120g (1/2 cup) warm water or nut milk
- 3 eggs (at room temperature)
- 20g (1/4 cup) psyllium husk
- 1 tsp xantham gum
- 250g (1 cup) boiling water
- 300g (2 cups) brown rice flour
- 130g (1 cup) tapioca starch
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 75g (1/3 cup) rapadura/coconut sugar
- 6g (2 tsp) cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp allspice
- 1/2 tsp mixed spice
- 1.5 tsp sea salt
- zest of orange or lemon
- CROSS MIX
- 1/2 cup GF self-raising flour
- 1/2 cup water
- SPICED GLAZE
- juice of orange or 1/2 cup boiling water
- 2-3 Tbsp coconut/rapadura sugar
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp allspice
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract/bean
instructions:
- BUN MIXTURE: Boil a full kettle of water to be used throughout the recipe. Line a tray with baking paper. Fill a large bowl with boiling water and store in your OFF oven to prepare the oven for the bun rising process. Plump dried fruit with half a cup of either boiling water or warmed orange juice and allow it to sit until required.
- ACTIVATE YEAST: Mix the yeast, sugar and warm water together and set aside.
- THICKENERS: In separate bowl weigh psyllium, add xanthum gum, whisk through the eggs and pour in the boiling water. Allow to thicken for two minutes.
- In another bowl, weigh the dry flour ingredients and whisk together until combined and without lumps. Combine the activated yeast and thickeners through the dry flour ingredients to form a dough.
- Mix for a couple of minutes until well combined - mixture will be quite sticky, however not overly wet. Once combined fold through dried fruit & orange zest.
- Transfer dough onto a floured bench - use a small amount of plain rice flour on the bench and on your hands to avoid sticking.
- You do not need to knead the dough, simply shape the dough ready to cut into buns. Cut dough into 8 - 12 buns with a wet knife or dough scraper, shape and place on the baking tray approx 2 cms apart from one another. Let dough rest in the oven with door closed for at least an hour to rise.
- The buns will nearly double in size and push up against one another. Once dough has risen and is ready to bake, cross buns with crossing mix. Preheat oven to 200°C and bake buns for 25 minutes - until golden brown. Transfer buns to wire rack and glaze with spiced glaze mix. Allow to cool before cutting into the buns to stop them from becoming doughy. Store in an airtight container on the bench or in the fridge for 3 - 4 days. Best when served toasted & drizzled with honey, of course!
- CROSS MIXTURE: Combine flour and water and add into a piping bag or zip-lock with the corner cut.
- SPICED GLAZE: Use liquid of choice, add sugar, cinnamon and allspice. Heat glaze over the stove to dissolve sugar, if using juice.
FAQs
Can I make these vegan?
I would assume you could I haven’t had a chance to test it yet but you would need to just add in 3 flax eggs (1 tbsp flax to 2.5 tbsp of water = one flax egg) in replacement of the eggs in the recipe. I am going to trial it over the next few days and will let you know or if you get to it before I do let me know how you go!
Why is there not a kneading process?
Because there is no gluten in this mixture so there is no need to knead (pun intended).
Is the yeast necessary?
Yes it is what will rise the buns and allow them to become light and fluffy.
Why are they not white like usual hot cross buns?
Due to the rice flour blend and rapadura/coconut sugar it changes the colour of the dough to a brown/caramel colour.
Do I have to let the hot cross buns rest?
Yes don’t skip this step.
Can I use any sugar?
Yes. I just recommend an unrefined version of sugar for nutritional reasons.