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Bread Ahead Bakery’s Hot Cross Buns

  Rating 0.0

Prep

3 HR

Bake

15 mins

Serves

8

Difficulty

Medium

About

Bread Ahead, the infamous bakery known to many Londoners has graced us with their classic Hot Cross Bun Recipe. They only produce them for one month over the Easter period but we won't blame you if these become an all year round bake after trying!

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Instructions
Ingredients
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Step 1

Place the flour, salt sugar and butter into a mixing bowl. Rub in the butter to form a sandy consistency.

Step 2

Mix the yeast and milk together until the yeast has dissolved, then add to the dry ingredients. Use your hand or a dough scraper to bring the ingredients together into a rough dough. Ensure all of the ingredients have come together, there should be no pockets of flour or butter left.

Step 3

Place the dough on the work surface and knead. Hold onto the dough with one hand and with the other hand stretch and fold for around 5 minutes until the dough is nice and smooth.

Step 4

Stretch out the dough into a pizza shape and add your fruit combination and spices in the centre, fold over into a Cornish pasty shape covering your fruit.

Step 5

Gently start to roll and fold the dough until the fruits are evenly distributed. Once distributed, place the dough in a bowl, cover with a damp cloth/plate or shower cap and leave at room temperature for one hour or until doubled in size.

Step 6

Line a baking tray with baking paper.

Step 7

Once proved, place the dough on a lightly floured surface and cut into 65g pieces.

Step 8

Roll each one into a smooth ball and place on the baking tray, leave plenty of room as they will spread out. Cover with a damp cloth and leave at room temperature to double in size.

Step 9

While the buns are proving, make the cross mixture and the glaze.

Step 10

Mix together the flour, salt and 120g water until you have a smooth paste, pour into a piping bag with a 4mm plain nozzle.

Step 11

In a small pan place the sugar, lemon juice and 80g water, bring to the boil to dissolve the sugar or about 5 minutes.

Step 12

Preheat the oven to 200Β°C/Fan 180ΒΊC/Gas 5.

Step 13

Once the buns have proved, pipe a cross on the top of each one and bake for 16 minutes, until golden brown.

Step 14

Remove from the oven and place on a cooling rack. After 2 minutes, brush with the bun glaze.

Step 15

Serve warm with plenty of butter.

Ingredients – 10 items

Serving

1

For the buns

Flour

strong white bread flour

250 g
Salt-table

Salt

3 g
Fairtrade Golden Caster

Fairtrade Tate & Lyle Golden Caster Cane Sugar

40 g
Butter

Cold butter, unsalted

30 g
Yeast

Easy-bake yeast

8 g
Milk

Milk

150 g

Mixed spice

2 g
Nutmeg

Nutmeg

3 g
Currants

Sultanas

40 g

Mixed peel

25 g

For the cross

Flour

strong white bread flour

100 g
Water

Water

120 g
Salt

Pinch of fine sea salt

1

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We hope everyone's eyes are suitably peeled today, because you don't want to miss this latest tip from @elliebakess!
Two of our favourite fruity flavours in one delicious scone triangle! 

Here's how to make them: 

Ingredients 

For the scones

3 tbsp Tate & Lyle Granulated Sugar
Zest of one lemon
175g self raising flour
ΒΌ tsp salt
Β½ tsp baking powder
45g unsalted butter
80ml milk
1Β½ tsp lemon juice (squeeze fresh from the zested lemon)
100g blueberries
A little milk, for brushing the scones

For the glaze (optional)
80g Tate & Lyle Icing Sugar
2-3 tsp lemon juice

Method 

Preheat the oven to 200C/390F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
In a mixing bowl, rub the Tate & Lyle Granulated Sugar and lemon zest together.
Add in the flour, salt and baking powder, stirring everything together.
Tip in the butter and rub in until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs.
Separately in a jug, mix together the milk and lemon juice. Pour into the flour mixture and roughly bring together. Add in the blueberries and mix through evenly, bringing the dough together.
Lightly flour your worktop then tip the dough out, squeezing together to form a disc about 1” thick. Cut into eight wedges, then transfer to the prepared baking sheet.
Lightly brush the tops of each scone with a little milk, then bake in the preheated oven for 18-20 minutes until the scones are baked and golden on top.
For the glaze, mix together the Tate & Lyle Icing Sugar and as much lemon juice as required to achieve the consistency you like. Drizzle over the scones and enjoy!
Yet another dessert mash-up... and this time it's Battenburg Blondies!

A delicious marzipan chessboard you can't help but make a move for, it's your favourite cake with an irresistible new texture...

Serves: 16

Ingredients:
200g unsalted butter
125g Tate & Lyle Caster Sugar
125g Tate & Lyle Soft Light Brown Sugar
ΒΌ tsp salt
ΒΎ tsp almond extract
2 large eggs
225g plain flour, sifted
75g ground almonds
Pink food colouring
6 mini Battenberg cakes (optional)

Method 

Preheat the oven to 180ΒΊC (fan oven). Line an 8” square loose-bottomed tin with parchment paper and set aside.

In a large microwave-safe bowl, add in the butter and both sugars. Heat in 20-second bursts in the microwave until completely melted. Whisk the ingredients together until fully combined. Allow to cool for a couple of minutes.

Stir in the salt and almond extract, then whisk in the eggs one at a time until completely combined. Tip in the flour and ground almonds and mix again until completely combined.

Divide the blondie mixture equally between two bowls. Colour one of them pink using some food colouring, then transfer both into piping bags. Pipe alternating lines of the mixture in the tin, covering the bottom and using about half of the batter to do so. Shake the tin or use a small knife or spatula to help level the batter, then pipe a second layer of blondie mixture on top of the first, topping the pink lines with plain batter and the plain with pink. Again, shake the tin a little to level the top and fill in any gaps. Don’t worry too much, it will also spread during baking in the oven.

Once all the blondie mixture has been piped, place the tin in the preheated oven and bake for 20-25 minutes. The blondie is done when the top is pale golden and a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean or with a few damp crumbs. Cool completely before slicing.

Once cooled, slice the blondie into 16 squares. Top with a couple of slices of mini Battenberg cake if you wish, using a little apricot jam to hold it in place. 

Enjoy!
You don't even need to dip these in your tea... though we're sure you will anyway!

Infused with Earl Grey and lemon, these fragrant and floral biscuits are something a little different if you can bear to part with the chocolate digestives...

Recipe below:

Prep Time – 30 mins (4 hours to chill)

Yield – 12 – 16 (dependant on the size of your cutters)

Ingredients 

Biscuits

50g Tate & Lyle Fair Trade – Pure Cane Icing sugar
250g unsalted butter
2 tbsp of Earl Grey Tea Leaves
220g plain flour
Pinch of salt
 Icing

A squeeze of lemon
100g Tate & Lyle Fair Trade – Pure Cane Icing sugar

Instructions

Combine your tea leaves and butter, leaving overnight preferably to infuse. You can cover in a bowl and leave to the side as this mix shouldn’t be chilled.
Add your butter mix to a bowl your sugar and combine, then add the flour salt until a dough forms
Roll out your dough mix until even – about half an inch thick and cut with your biscuit cutter.
Pop onto a baking sheet and into a preheated oven at 180Β°C/ 160Β°C fan/ gas mark 4/ 350Β°F and bake for 15 mins. Keep and eye on them as they can burn quickly.
Whilst they cool make your icing and then drizzle generously once the biscuits are completely cold.
Cheesecake on a stick!? We'll have 6 please...

Like frozen yoghurt but creamier, smoother and cakier, this summer recipe is our most delicious dessert idea yet!

Find the link in bio.

#cheesecake #icepops #summertreats #icecream #berrycheesecake
A little behind the scenes at The Wren Bakery... one of the Leeds community's most special spots!
We've missed making sponge cakes and we know you have too.

So let's make this summer's cake quota as light and fluffy as possible!

Here's a selection of our favourite fillings for a soft and sugary sponge... (Recipe link in bio.)
Coming soon... 

Can anyone guess what this recipe is? (We'll be VERY impressed if you do!)
We're honoured to be even just a small part of the project Clare! 

Found near Leeds city centre, @the.wren.bakery helps train women with disadvantages to employment to become confident baristas and bakers. 

So we're proud to be helping them become the absolute best they can be!

#TrustedByTheBest

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