

With clean hands, grab a small piece of dough and see if you can stretch it out slowly without tearing it, until it is so thin it is almost see-through. After around 15 minutes of kneading, check to see if the gluten has developed enough with the window pane test. Soon you will begin to feel strength gather in the dough. It will be very sticky but don’t be tempted to add more flour. Using swift motions can stop the dough from sticking to your hands too much. Tip it on to a clean bench to knead it further.Ī slap and fold method is easiest for a wet dough like this - slap the dough down hard on the bench and pull it forward quickly, and repeat. Begin the mixing of the hot cross bun dough in a bowl with a fork until it is mixed into a shaggy dough. Kneading by hand can be done but it requires a bit of elbow grease. To test the viability of yeast before beginning, warm the milk (to around 95-104☏ / 35-40☌) and mix in the yeast along with one tablespoon of the sugar.

Usually, the instant yeast sachets are pretty full-proof, but sometimes active dried yeast can lose viability. Whichever one you use, it needs to be viable. Instant yeast will rise faster than active dried yeast. The yeast used in this recipe can be instant yeast or active dried yeast. A high hydration dough, kneaded to perfection is what will make superior fluffy hot cross buns. It can be kneaded by hand or in a bench mixer, but bear in mind that the dough starts off quite sticky, so it needs a long period of kneading time. If kneading by hand, flour with a higher protein level is easier. For this recipe, an all-purpose flour is used, one with a protein level of around 11% is best. The dough for the hot cross buns is simple to put together, though it needs plenty of time to be kneaded. Soft Hot Cross Buns Recipe Flour, Yeast and Dough
