HXB

best festive bake of the year, if you ask me

What I’m reading: An Everlasting Meal, by Tamar Adley. This is a really beautiful book that I have a feeling I’ll be dipping into for many years to come. Essentially a collection of essays/recipes, but written in such a moving way that it made me a bit emotional about eggs.

What I’m listening to: this podcast about regenerative agriculture on the Food Programme by BBC Radio 4. I wrote my Masters thesis on regen ag, and attended Groundswell a couple of years ago, so this podcast episode was right up my street - some really interesting interviews and conversations about the way in which “regenerative” is used in industry today.

What I’m eating: breakfast sandwiches from Secret Sandwich Shop (delivered to my flat and eaten out on the balcony)

It’s hot cross bun season! I really genuinely look forward to this time of year: the weather has improved dramatically in the last few weeks, we have extra sunlight in the evenings, and the seasonal produce is starting to look a lot more interesting. Although Easter is a religious holiday (and I don’t count myself among the faithful), it’s hard to argue with a holiday whose key dates are marked by baked goods. Shrove Tuesday (pancakes) for the beginning of Lent, chocolate to celebrate Easter Sunday, and hot cross buns for the interim period - or more specifically, on Good Friday, to commemorate the crucifixion of Jesus. This is a somewhat morbid association, and I gently encourage you to detach the traditional significance from the food, and enjoy it for what it is: a soft, delicately spiced bun, filled with aromatic fruit and plenty of citrus, perfectly glazed and enjoyed fresh or toasted - preferably with butter and jam.

Last year, I was in Auckland for Easter, and we made (and I ate) an inordinate amount of HXB. For a few weeks, my morning croissant was replaced by my morning HXB, and I woke up on Easter Monday pretty despondent that another year would pass before the next batch. The Mor HXB are excellent, and if you live in Auckland, I highly recommend that you go and eat as many as you can while the season lasts. We also made a limited edition chocolate HXB last year, which was especially good with marmalade (below).

Last year was also the year I nailed down my hot cross bun recipe. I had worked on it for the Easter season for the previous few years, and had even done a recipe test where I made 9 different hot cross buns (see below) and analysed them according to ingredients/method/baking etc.

I’ve decided not to tweak my HXBs at all this year, so what you will find below is my ultimate recipe. If you’re familiar with enriched doughs (brioche, milk bread etc.), you should find this recipe pretty easy to follow. The differences are in the aromatics and flavourings: I’ve gone for a blend of flours, a lovely warm spice mix and whole boiled pureed orange (as well as orange zest). This recipe makes 9, which I find fits perfectly into a square brownie tin. I like baking them nestled snugly enough together that as they prove and bake, they connect at the edges - and then you can pull them apart (preferably while still warm) to eat. You can also bake these more spaced out on a baking tray, if you want them to be perfectly round.

The glaze is a spiced honey orange situation (that would also be lovely on duck, now that I think about it). The cross is purely symbolic, as far as I’m aware, but I do recommend making it even though it doesn’t add to the flavour/texture. I’ve just added a pinch of salt so that it’s not completely flavourless. If you feel like shunning tradition, you could also leave off the cross, or do an alternative pattern like this one:

Either way, you should definitely make these. Supermarket versions pale in comparison, and as an added bonus, you get to eat one still warm from the oven, which is honestly the best feeling in the world.

recipe: hot cross buns