Dairy-Free, Vegan, No-Knead Sourdough Hot Cross Buns
Makes 12
I made my first sourdough starter back in December. Named Cuthbert, he has gone on to make regular loaves and pizza dough without any need for yeast.
This Easter I decided to use him as the base of my hot cross buns. I’ve opted for a no-knead method. Essentially a 24 hour process with very little human input and no need for any machinery to produce the dough.
This year I’ve gone for a dairy-free bun, due to dietary requirements, but these can be made with butter if no such requirements are needed.
They can also be made in advance and frozen; simply defrost for a few hours before re-heating or splitting and toasting.
- Ingredients:
- 330g recently fed sourdough starter (fed 2-3 hours before using)
- 80ml/g vegetable oil (or melted butter if you’re not making these vegan/dairy-free)
- 300ml luke-warm water
- 10g salt
- 50g caster sugar
- 250g strong white bread flour
- 250g strong wholemeal bread flour
- 30g mixed spice
- 200g dried fruit (I used 150g sultanas and 50g of candied peel)
- For the crosses:
- 50g plain flour
- Water
- For the glaze:
- 25g caster sugar
- 25ml water
Step 1: Begin by placing the bubbling starter in a large bowl, add the oil, water, salt, sugar, mixed spice and flours and use a wooden spoon to mix into a combined dough. This will not take long and will be a rather wet mix. Cover the bowl with cling film or a damp tea towel and leave for an hour.
Step 2: Uncover the dough and start folding the sides into the middle. Add the dried fruit as you go. Keep rotating the bowl, moving the outside in until you have done about 20 folds. Re-cover and leave, revisiting three more times over the next few hours to turn and fold a few times each visit. Each time the dough should have risen slightly and become smoother.
Step 3: Cover and leave in a cool place to prove over night.
Step 4: The next morning you should have a smooth, well risen dough. Tip out onto a lightly floured surface and divide into 12 pieces (I cut in half, divided each half in two and then each quarter into three).
Step 5: Line a baking sheet with parchment and roughly shape each piece into a ball and place on the baking sheet.
Step 6: Mix the paste for the crosses by combining the flour with a little water until a smooth paste is formed. Place in a piping bag and pipe crosses across each bun (each row can be piped as a continuous line).
Step 7: Bake in a preheated oven (200c/190c fan) for 25 minutes, or until browned, risen and have a hollow sound when tapped underneath. Make the glaze whilst they are baking by heating the water and sugar to a bubbling syrup in a saucepan.
Step 8: Brush each bun with the glaze and allow to cool.
These are best eaten warm. Either eat fresh from the oven, re-heat in the oven or split and toast. They can be frozen too; just make sure to remove and defrost a few hours before needed.