Hot cross buns are a quintessential Easter treat in Australia, rivalling the popularity of foil-wrapped eggs. The spiced delights, marked with a distinctive cross on top, evoke a sense comfort akin to America’s pumpkin spice latte — an indulgence that perfectly complements the onset of Autumn.
Traditionally a hot cross bun recipe features a blend of cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, clove, and citrus, but over time, it has evolved through various iterations. Melbourne’s Lune Croissanterie has innovated with a hot cross cruffin (a muffin-shaped, hot cross bun-spiced croissant) and Pirate Life Brewing has gone as far as creating a chocolate chip hot cross bun-flavoured stout. At Sydney’s Fabbrica Bread Shop, the head baker Aniruddha Bhosekar adds a more subtle twist to the hot cross bun, spicing it up with a chai glaze.
“I come from Mumbai and there are a lot of eateries there that have a bun maska, which is essentially bread and butter, and chai as a breakfast option,” Bhosekar says.
“I wanted to recreate that here and also show the similarities between this breakfast option in Mumbai and hot cross buns.”
The chai-glazed hot cross buns are baked fresh at Fabbrica Bread Shop in Rozelle each day. Stop by for an individual bun, a pack of six or the hot cross bun hamper which includes a stick of the signature Fabbrica chai-spiced butter.
Can’t make it to the store? Below, Bhosekar shares his recipe with T Australia, as well as expert tips on how to eat a hot cross bun.
On the best way to eat a hot cross bun…
As bakers, we have the luxury of eating hot cross buns straight out of the oven. So I’d recommend that. Otherwise, toasted with a healthy amount of butter and served with a chai, preferably.
On the local producers to shop…
Most of our baked goods are made with a cultured butter that comes from St David Dairy in Victoria and our flour is from Wholegrain Milling Company, a family-owned business in Gunnedah NSW. [Fabbrica Bread Shop] has been using both of these suppliers from day one.
Chai-Glazed Hot Cross Buns
Ingredients for the buns
500 gr all-purpose flour
1.5 tsp salt
50 gr caster sugar
50 gr butter
1 egg
50 gr rapadura or brown sugar
30 gr fresh yeast
1.5 tsp cardamon powder
1 tsp cinnamon
1.5 tsp ground ginger
250 ml water
250 gr soaked dry fruits (currants, raisins, sultanas)
Ingredients for the cross
75 gr OO flour (a finely ground Italian flour)
1/2 baking powder
70 ml water
15 ml oil
A pinch of salt and sugar
Ingredients for the chai glaze
150 ml water
60 gr sugar
25 gr black tea leaves
20 gr grated ginger
3 cardamom pods crushed
1 cinnamon quill
Method
In a large bowl, mix the flour, salt, sugar, yeast, spice mix, eggs and water until combined, then knead the dough for 5 minutes before adding butter and soaked fruits.
When the dough is ready, allow it to ferment by covering and leaving in a warm space for 45mins–1 hour, it should double in size.
Portion the dough into buns, line them on a greased tray and proof for another hour, or until the buns double in size. While the buns are resting, pre-heat the oven to 200 degrees celsius.
For the chai glaze, add water, sugar, crushed cardamom pods, ginger and cinnamon quill to a pot and bring to boil. Add the tea leaves and continue boiling for 2–3 minutes. Cover the bowl and let the tea steep into a syrup.
Strain the syrup and return to the stove over a medium heat. Stir until the syrup has reduced to about 1/2 in volume and is thick like a glaze.
When the buns are ready to be baked, use the batter made for the cross to pipe the cross on top. Bake the buns at 200 degrees celsius for 14–15 minutes.
As soon as the buns are out of the oven, brush them with the chai glaze and enjoy fresh with a healthy smear of butter.
