Salted Caramel Hot Cross Buns
Hot cross buns with a twist. By adding blended dates and peanut butter you get a caramel taste. Using 50% wholemeal flour and unrefined sugars keep these delicious buns healthy. Great warm from the oven or toasted spread with vegan butter.
Servings 6 buns
Ingredients
- 1 cup plant milk – warm I used soya unsweetened
- 2 tbsp sugar I used date sugar
- 7 g fast acting yeast
- zest of one orange
- 150 g plain flour
- 170 g wholemeal flour
- 1 tsp pink/sea salt
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1 tsp all spice
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup sultanas soaked and drained
- 9 pitted dates soaked and drained
- 2 tbsp peanut butter
- 1 medium banana
Instructions
- Warm the milk in the microwave (not too hot) and mix in the yeast and 1 tbsp of sugar. Set aside for ten minutes for the yeast to activate. It will go frothy and thick.In a large bowl add the flours, salt, spices, 1 tbsp sugar. Mix together with hand whisk or fork.In a blender add the drained dates, peanut butter, banana and half the yeast liquid. Blend until you have a lump free liquid. Pour the yeast mix and the mix from the blender into the flour. Add the sultanas (drained), orange zest and vanilla.Mix together with a wooden spoon until all the ingredients start forming a dough. Once the dough forms use your hands to combine everything together. Add a little more flour if the dough is very sticky. Keep doing this until the dough isn't sticking to your hands. On a clean work surface sprinkle with flour and knead the dough for 5 minutes. Sprinkle a bowl with flour (stops the dough sticking) and place the dough in the middle. Cover with a warm, damp tea towel and place in a warm area for one hour. I put just the light on in the oven which creates a warm place for it to rise.When an hour is up the dough should have doubled in size. Flour a clean surface and knead for a couple of minutes. Line a baking tray with parchment paper. Cut the dough into 6 equal parts and roll into a ball. Place in the tray and pop back in a warm place for half an hour. No need to cover.Preheat oven to 180oC 356oF.To make the cross mixture add the flour and water to a bowl and mix together. You might have to add more flour/water until you get a thick glue like paste. If it's too runny it will ruin the buns.Pour the cross mixture into a piping bag (or food bag) and cut the corner. Squeeze over the buns to make a cross (see video).Place in the oven and bake for 25-30 minutes until golden brown. Once removed from the oven brush with maple syrup to give a gorgeous glaze. Enjoy warm or toasted with butter and jam
Video
Notes
Tip: Soak the dates and sultanas in just boiled water for a few minutes to soften them. Drain off the water before using in the recipe. I microwaved the milk for 1 minute to warm it so the yeast reacts faster. When mixing the flour and water for the cross you want it to be thick like glue. Mine was a little too runny.
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