Hot Cross Buns...

I know Easter has come and gone, but I was not ready and able to post before during and immediately after- so better late than never right??

These beauties are my favourite part of Easter I fell in love with their doughy buttery goodness when I was little and it is something I look forward to every year.
Though it does make me have slightly conflicted feelings when I see them come out in stores right after Christmas... seriously WTF?! 

When I made the switch to my healthier lifestyle and eating habits I saw that as an excuse for me to have a crack at doing it myself!!!
I looked at heaps of different recipes, both traditional and new, both 'normal' person diet and health conscious... I couldn't find one exact recipe I would say I truely liked so in true Doe-full style I butchered about 10 recipes all at once and come up with my own! 
I am happy with the recipe, but next time I make these lovelies I need to make sure the yeast I have in stock is actually still good; as these ones didn't rise as much as they should have and turned out a little like scones.
Yummy scones- but still slightly scone-ish!
The recipe below will give you actual hot cross buns and not hot cross scones- just make sure you have yeast that is still good!!

Makes: roughly 16
Ingredients:
   2 x 7g sachets granulated yeast
   1/4 cup low GI cane sugar
   1 1/2 cups warm almond milk
   4 cups GF/WF plain flour
   60g vegan spread, room temperature
   1 egg   pinch ground ginger
   pinch ground cloves
   pinch ground nutmeg
   pinch ground cardamon
   1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
   zest of 1 lemon
   3/4 cup sultanas 
   1/4 tsp salt
   Sunflower oil/ or any other weak flavoured oil, if needed
   Extra GF/WF flour for kneading
Flour Paste for Crosses:
   1/2 cup GF/WF plain flour
   2 tsp low GI cane sugar
   1/3 cup water, approximately
Glaze:
   1 tbsp low GI cane sugar
   1 tbsp gelatin
   1 tbsp water
Method:

1. Combine yeast, sugar and milk in a small bowl or jug; cover, stand in a warm place for approximately 10 mins or until mix is frothy.
2. In a large bowl mix flour, spices and zest; rub in butter. Using a wooden spoon stir in the yeast mixture, egg and sultanas; mix into a soft sticky dough. Cover with cling wrap and stand in a warm place for about 45 mins or until mixture has doubled in size.
3. Grease a large baking pan or slab cake pan, you may want to do two. This depends on whether you want the buns to touch completely or be slightly separate (I went with slightly separate).
4. Turn dough onto a floured surface, knead for about 5 minutes or until mix is smooth and no longer sticky (but not overly doughy- if needed add a little sun flower oil to ensure the buns surface does not crack).
   Divide dough into 16 peices, knead into balls and slightly (very slightly) flatten them. Place balls in prepared pan/'s; cover and stand in a warm place for a further 10 minutes or until buns have risen to the top of the pan.
   Meanwhile, preheat oven to 190°C.
5. Make flour paste: Combine flour and sugar in a small bowl. Gradually add in enough of the water to form a smooth paste. Spoon the mixture into a piping bag and using the fine nozzle pipe a cross on each bun.
6. Bake the buns in the hot oven for approximately 20 minutes or until golden brown. While they are in the oven combine the glaze ingredients in a small saucepan on the stove top on low heat; stir until sugar and gelatine are dissolved.
   Turn the buns onto a wire rack (with baking paper underneath) and brush the tops with the hot glaze; cool on the wire rack.

Enjoy!!

These beauties will last for up to two to three days in an air tight container- for best results keep them in the fridge.
You can freeze them, in fact they freeze rather well and are a great way to get ahead of time.
Also don't forget that stale left over buns are still delicious toasted!!