Hot X buns

Instructions

1. Prepare the tangzhong (see Note) by adding the bread flour (1) and water in a small saucepan and mixing until the flour is completely dissolved. Heat over a medium heat, stirring constantly with a silicone spatula until the mixture thickens. Place cling film (plastic wrap) on top, then chill in the refrigerator until cool to touch.
2. Pour the plant-based milk into a bowl, add the instant yeast and stir to dissolve. If using active dry yeast you might need to leave it to stand for 10 minutes to dissolve the coating.
3. Add the bread flour (2), sugar, salt, spices, orange zest and olive oil to a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook attachment. Add the milk and yeast mixture and the chilled tangzhong and start mixing on low speed. A dough will start to form. Once all the flour is combined, increase the speed slightly and mix for about 5 minutes – the dough should be smooth and developed. Keep kneading until a windowpane test shows a well-developed dough.
4. Tip the dough out onto a lightly oiled work surface and press it into a flat disc. Add the sultanas and candied citrus peel and keep folding and kneading the dough until everything is incorporated. Lightly oil the bowl with a little oil, then return the dough to the bowl. Cover with cling film and leave it to rise at room temperature for 1½-2 hours until doubled in size.
   
   TIP This initial rise – or what professionals call a bulk ferment – allows the dough to develop flavour and to rest. Timings are always a guide, based on a room temperature of 20–22°C (68–72°F). If your room is warmer or colder your timings may need to shift. Yeast is a living organism and if it’s warmer it works quicker and if colder it’s much slower, so read your dough for its visual cues rather than rigidly sticking to timings.
5. When ready to use, knock the dough back by punching all the air out in the bowl. Try to avoid mixing it at this stage as you want to keep the dough flexible for rolling or shaping into your desired shape – although not a huge problem, as this can be remedied by a 15-minute rest on the work surface before shaping.
6. Use a scraper or knife to cut the dough into 75 g (2.7 oz) portions, then shape them into balls by pressing the weighed portion into a disc, pinching the sides into the centre, then flipping them over so the smooth side is on top.
7. Once you have shaped the buns, arrange them on a sheet of baking parchment or directly onto a lightly greased and floured baking sheet. Make sure there is half the distance of a dough ball’s worth of space (about 2-3 cm/1 in) in between if you would like them joined together as is traditional, or give them plenty of space if baking individual buns.
   
   TIP Make sure there is plenty of space if baking individual shapes. A bun will expand twice its initial size during the proving stage. If lightly flouring the baking sheet (use a pencil if using baking parchment), mark this size as a guide so you know when it is proved and how far apart you need to place your buns.
8. When proving, you can place the baking sheet in a switched-off oven with a roasting tray in the bottom, which is half-filled with water, to create a humid and warm environment. Leave for 40 minutes–1 hour, then remove and preheat the oven for baking immediately after. Alternatively, place a piece of cling film (plastic wrap) loosely on top and wrap the baking sheet. Try to keep them in a warm place (about 25°C/77°F); at room temperature (20–22°C/68–72°F), it should take roughly 1 hour for them to double in size.
   
   TIP Proving is the one stage most inexperienced bakers will rush but it is crucial to ensure light fluffy products that eat beautifully. Underproved doughs result in a dense, unenjoyable eat. You will know most doughs have fully proved once they have doubled in size or pass the jiggle test – where a gently wobbled baking sheet makes the buns jiggle. I also find it useful to mark the size of the buns on the tray before proving.
9. Make the spiced bun wash while your dough is proving, or any time before the buns come out of the oven, because you want to brush the buns as soon as they come out of the oven, otherwise they stay sticky on top. Bring all the ingredients to a simmer in small saucepan, then set aside.
10. Prepare the piping mix by mixing all the ingredients together in a medium bowl until combined, then spooning into a piping (pastry) bag. Use a 4 mm (1/6 in) plain piping tube or cut a hole 3–4 mm (⅛–1/6 in) across. This can be prepared up to 3 days in advance and stored in the refrigerator.
11. About 40 minutes into proving, preheat the oven to 200°C (180°C fan/ 350°F/gas 4), making sure the oven rack is in the middle.
12. Before putting your buns into the oven, use the piping mix to pipe the crosses on the top of the buns.
13. Bake the buns for 12–15 minutes until golden all the way over the top. As soon as the buns are ready, remove them from the oven and immediately glaze with the spiced wash.
14. Carefully transfer the buns to a wire rack to cool. Store well wrapped or in a sealed container at room temperature for up to 5 days. You can also wrap and freeze for up to 3 months. Defrost at room temperature before slicing in half along the bun’s equator and toasting.

• If you don’t like candied citrus peel, use the zest of a whole orange instead.
• Tangzhong, a ‘cooked flour’ or yudane method, is from Asia. It gives extra softness to many Asian-bakery-style soft breads, perhaps most famously the Hokkaido milk bread. The tangzhong can be made when you start the recipe or made a day in advance and stored, wrapped, in the refrigerator.
• See Philip Khoury making these hot cross buns on YouTube
  here
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