Easter is coming, and that means one thing: hot cross buns.
Just because you’re staying at home this Easter, doesn’t mean you can’t whip up some delicious Easter-themed dishes from the comfort of your kitchen.
If you’re looking for scrummy ways to use up any hot cross buns that you might have left over from Easter, these recipes from UAE supermarket Spinneys are the ones for you.
Hot cross bun French toast
This recipe comes from Nadia Parekh, pastry chef and founder of catering company Mélange Dubai, for Spinneys.
Prep time: 15 minutes
Cook time: 5 minutes
Serves: 3
Ingredients:
• 3 spinneysFOOD Hot Cross Buns
• 1 vanilla pod
• 290ml full fat milk
• 3 spinneysFOOD Organic Free Range Eggs
• 35g all-purpose flour
• 1 pinch salt
• 25g spinneysFOOD Fine Granulated Sugar
• 3 tbsp vegetable oil
• 3 tbsp unsalted butter
• 150g whipped cream
Method:
1. Split open the vanilla pod and scrape out the beans.
2. Whisk together vanilla beans with milk, eggs, flour, salt and sugar until smooth and no lumps of flour remain.
3. Soak hot cross buns in the batter for 15 minutes, turning over every few minutes.
4. Fry in a mixture of oil and butter until golden brown.
5. Top with whipped cream and serve warm.
Cheese and sage savoury hot cross bun loaf
Prep time: 15 minutes (plus proofing time)
Cook time: 30-40 minutes
Serves: 4-6
Ingredients for the bun loaf:
• 60g salted butter, cubed and at room temperature
• 420g bread flour
• 1 tsp spinneysFOOD Salt
• 4 tbsp spinneysFOOD Unrefined Raw Sugar
• 1 tsp mixed spices
• 1 tsp spinneysFOOD Fine Cinnamon
• 1 tsp mixed candied citrus peel
• 1 tbsp fresh sage, chopped
• 1 tbsp instant dry yeast
• 1 large egg, beaten
• 200ml warm spinneysFOOD Bottled Drinking Water
• 75g raisins and sultanas
• 200g grated spinneysFOOD Mature White Cheddar
Ingredients for the ‘crosses’:
• 30g cake flour
• 1 tbsp spinneysFOOD Pure Sunflower Oil
• 2 tbsp spinneysFOOD Bottled Drinking Water
• 4 tbsp spinneysFOOD Maple Syrup, for brushing
Method:
1. Grease and line a 30cm loaf tin.
2. To make the bun loaf, rub the butter into the flour and mix in the salt, sugar, spices, mixed citrus peel and sage. Add the yeast and mix. Beat the egg and warm water together and add to the flour mixture. Mix to form a soft dough then knead for 5-10 minutes until smooth and elastic. Mix in the raisins and sultanas.
3. Divide the dough into 12 pieces and roll them into balls. Roll each ball in the cheddar cheese. Place the balls in the loaf tins, cover loosely with cling film and allow to proof in a warm place until doubled in size.
4. To make the cross mixture, mix the flour, oil and water together.
5. Place in a piping bag and pipe a cross on top of each bun.
6. Preheat the oven to 180°C, gas mark 4.
7. Bake in the preheated oven for 30-40 minutes or until golden brown and the buns make a hollow sound when tapped. Brush with the maple syrup while still hot.
Toasted hot cross bun Reuben sandwiches
Prep time: 10 minutes
Cook time: 5-10 minutes
Serves: 6
Ingredients:
• 6 spinneysFOOD Hot Cross Buns, toasted
• 80ml mayonnaise, for spreading
• 60g sauerkraut
• 12 slices pastrami
• Hot mustard, for spreading
• 12 gherkins, thinly sliced
• 120g spinneysFOOD Mature White Cheddar Slices
Method:
1. Spread the hot cross buns with mayonnaise. Top with the sauerkraut, pastrami, a thin layer of mustard, gherkin slices and the cheddar cheese.
2. Preheat the grill to its highest setting and grill the half with the toppings on until the cheese has melted. Top with the other half of the bun and serve.
Hot cross Bundt cakes
Prep time: 15-20 minutes (plus proofing time)
Cook time: 30-45 minutes
Serves: Makes three small Bundt cakes or one big Bundt cake
Ingredients for the cake:
• 250g cake flour
• ½ tbsp instant yeast
• 4 tbsp spinneysFOOD Unrefined Raw Sugar
• 2 tsp spinneysFOOD Fine Cinnamon
• ¼ tsp ground nutmeg
• ¼ tsp ground cloves
• ¼ tsp allspice
• Pinch of spinneysFOOD Salt
• 25g salted butter, melted
• 1 large egg
• 125ml full cream milk, plus extra if needed
• 100g dark chocolate, roughly chopped
Ingredients for the ‘crosses’:
• 200g white chocolate, melted
Method:
1. In a large bowl add the flour, yeast, sugar, spices and salt together and mix until combined.
2. In a separate bowl, whisk the melted butter, egg and milk together then pour into the dry ingredients and mix until a sticky dough forms. If necessary, add extra milk to the dough – it should be soft and sticky.
3. Turn the dough out onto a floured surface and knead for 8-10 minutes until it forms a smooth surface and when pressed, the dough springs back. Place the dough into a bowl and cover with cling film and leave in a warm area to rise for 1 hour (or overnight in the refrigerator).
4. When the dough has doubled in size, remove from the bowl and knead in the chocolate.
5. Grease three medium Bundt tins or one large Bundt tin. Roll the dough out into three long cylinders and place them in the tins, seal the seams by pinching the ends together. Cover with cling film and place the tins in a warm part of your kitchen to proof for one hour or until puffy and doubled in size.
6. Heat the oven to 180°C, gas mark 4. Remove the cling film from the Bundt tins and bake for 30-45 minutes or until golden brown and cooked through.
7. Place the white chocolate in a piping bag and pipe a ‘cross’ over each Bundt.
If you’re looking for more things to cook at home, here are some quick, easy and tasty recipes from Spinneys that you can use with store cupboard staples and that you can batch cook ahead of time, so you don’t need to worry about spending hours in the kitchen.
For more ways to enjoy spending time at home in the UAE, head here for Dubai, here for Abu Dhabi and here for Sharjah.
