Hot Cross Buns
 
Makes 12 buns
Ingredients
  • 1 cup (128 grams) dried currants
  • ¾ cup (180 grams) hot fresh orange juice (180°F/82°C to 185°F/85°C)
  • ¾ cup (180 grams) whole milk
  • ½ cup (120 grams) water
  • ⅓ cup (76 grams) unsalted butter, cubed
  • 4¾ cups plus ⅔ cup (688 grams) bread flour, divided
  • ¼ cup (50 grams) granulated sugar
  • 2 (0.25-ounce) packages (14 grams) active dry yeast*
  • 4 teaspoons (12 grams) kosher salt
  • 1 teaspoon (2 grams) ground cinnamon
  • ½ teaspoon (1 gram) ground nutmeg
  • ¼ teaspoon ground allspice
  • 2 large eggs (100 grams), room temperature and divided
  • ⅔ cup (90 grams) chopped candied orange peel
  • Orange-Almond Paste (recipe follows)
  • Sugar Syrup (recipe follows)
Instructions
  1. In a small bowl, combine currants and hot orange juice. Cover with plastic wrap, and let stand for 20 minutes. Using a fine-mesh sieve, strain currants well, discarding excess liquid.
  2. In a medium saucepan, heat milk and ½ cup (120 grams) water over medium heat to scalding. (An instant-read thermometer should register 180°F/82°C.) Remove from heat, and add butter; stir occasionally until butter is melted and an instant- read thermometer registers 120°F (49°C) to 130°F (54°C).
  3. In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine 2½ cups (318 grams) flour, sugar, yeast, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, and allspice. Add hot milk mixture to flour mixture; using the paddle attachment, beat at low speed until well combined. Add 1 egg (50 grams), beating until combined. Gradually add 2⅓ cups (296 grams) flour, beating until combined; scrape sides of bowl.
  4. Switch to the dough hook attachment. Beat at low speed until dough is smooth and elastic, 6 to 8 minutes. (Dough will not be sticky and will pass the windowpane test; see Note.) Add currants and candied orange peel, and beat until evenly incorporated, 3 to 4 minutes. Add ⅓ cup (42 grams) flour, and beat until a soft, somewhat sticky dough forms, 14 to 16 minutes; add up to remaining ¼ cup (32 grams) flour, 1 tablespoon (8 grams) at a time, if dough is too sticky. (Dough will pass the windowpane test.) Turn out dough onto a clean surface; knead 3 to 4 times, and shape into a smooth round.
  5. Spray a large bowl with cooking spray. Place dough in bowl, turning to grease top. Loosely cover and let rise in a warm, draft-free place (75°F/24°C) until doubled in size, 1 to 1½ hours.
  6. Spray a 13x9-inch baking pan with cooking spray.
  7. Lightly punch down dough, and let stand for 5 minutes. Turn out dough onto a clean surface, and divide into 12 portions (about 122 grams each). Roll each portion into a ball. Place about ¼ inch apart in prepared pan. Cover and let rise in a warm, draft- free place (75°F/24°C) until puffed, buns are touching, and dough holds an indentation when pressed, 45 minutes to 1 hour.
  8. Preheat oven to 375°F (190°C).
  9. In a small bowl, whisk remaining 1 egg (50 grams). Brush tops of buns with egg.
  10. Spoon Orange-Almond Paste into a pastry bag fitted with a ¼-inch round piping tip (Ateco #802). Pipe paste on top of buns in continuous lines following curves of buns to form a cross over each.
  11. Bake until golden brown and an instant-read thermometer inserted in center registers 190°F (88°C) to 200°F (93°C), about 30 minutes, loosely covering with foil after 15 minutes of baking to prevent excess browning. Let cool for 5 minutes; brush tops with Sugar Syrup. Serve warm or at room temperature.
Notes
*We used Red Star® All-Natural Active Dry Yeast.

To use the windowpane test to check dough for proper gluten development, lightly flour hands and pinch off (don’t tear) a small piece of dough. Slowly pull the dough out from the center. If the dough is ready, you will be able to stretch it until it’s thin and translucent like a windowpane. If the dough tears, it’s not quite ready. Beat for 1 minute, and test again.
Recipe by Bake from Scratch at https://bakefromscratch.com/baking-school-in-depth-hot-cross-buns/