This is a delicious wheat free, double chocolate hot cross bun recipe everyone will love! See below for the drunken bun option of adding rum & coffee liquor soaked nitrate-free sultanas into the mix instead of cranberries. If you prefer something a little less indulgent, remove the added chocolate pieces from the recipe.
Ingredients:
350g unbleached organic spelt flour
70g raw cacao powder
200g rye starter
2 heaped tblsps mesquite powder
2 tsp cinnamon powder
2 tsp vanilla powder
1 tsp nutmeg
1 tsp finely grated fresh young ginger
Pinch of Himalayan salt
1/2 cup coconut sugar or rapadura
160g raw or organic milk (I used a raw goat milk)
1 egg
100g organic butter
1 cup nitrate-free dried cranberries (or use rum & coffee liquor soaked sultanas in place of cranberries to make drunken buns)
1.5 cups roughly chopped dark chocolate (I used dairy free)
For the egg wash:
Whisk 1 egg with 3 tblsps milk
For the crosses:
Add 2 heaped tblsps of spelt flour with 2-3 tblsps milk, 1 tsp coconut oil & 1 tsp maple syrup
Method:
1. Mix all dry ingredients in a bowl, except coconut sugar, vanilla, chocolate & sultanas
2. Whisk the egg, vanilla powder and coconut sugar into the milk
3. Make a well with the dry ingredients in the middle of the bowl and slowly add the milk mixture
4. Combine until the mixture has formed into a rough dough, then start adding in pieces of butter while you kneed. Once all of the butter has been added, continue to kneed for another 5 minutes or so, or until dough is smooth and elastic
5. Mix through the chocolate and sultanas and place the dough back into the bowl and cover with a tea towel or cloth for around an hour in a warm spot, but out of direct sunlight. The dough should double in size
6. Once the dough is ready, pull it apart and roll into smooth balls to form buns. Place onto a baking tray lined with baking paper roughly 1cm apart to allow for expansion, and leave covered in a warm place for roughly another hour
7. Preheat oven to 200 degrees C. Pipe crosses onto the buns, brush with egg wash and let dry before placing in the oven for around 20 minutes at 180 degrees C
8. Once golden brown, remove buns from the oven and leave to cool for around 15 minutes before serving. Serve with a slather of Pepe Saya butter, or with a little whipped coconut cream & raspberry chia jam for an extra naughty treat!
