This recipe is perfect for those occasions when you have Hot Cross Bun cravings but neither the time, (nor the inclination) to make bread from scratch. Spicy, full of fruit and delicious hot from the oven smothered in butter – these are so easy and so tasty you may never make the real thing again!
Hot Cross Scones
Spicy, full of fruit and delicious hot from the oven smothered in butter – these are so easy and so tasty you may never make the real thing again!
Ingredients
Crosses
- 75 grams (½ cup) plain flour
- 80 ml (⅓ cup) water
Scones
- 575 grams (3 ½ cups) plain flour
- 100 grams cold butter grated or cubed
- 50 grams (¼ cup) brown sugar
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 25 grams (5 teaspoons) baking powder
- 4 teaspoon ground mixed spice
- 4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon ground ginger
- 2 eggs
- 1 cup currants
- 1 cup sultans or raisins
- ½ cup chopped mixed peel optional – See Baker’s Note below
- 250 ml milk
Glaze
- 2 tablespoons apricot jam
- 2 tablespoons boiling water
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 220 °C and line a baking tray with baking paper.
- To make the crosses, put the flour and water into a small ziplock bag. Seal the bag (removing any air) and mush together until well combined. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, rub together flour and butter until the butter is no larger than a pea. Stir in sugar, salt, baking powder and spices until well combined, then stir in currants, sultanas and peel.
- Stir in eggs until well combined then stir in half the milk, mixing gently. Add the rest of the milk in splashes, stirring until just combined after each addition. Lightly knead dough in the bowl a couple of times to bring it together – the dough will be very sticky.
- Tip dough out onto prepared tray and press into a rectangle about 18 x 30 cms. Cut dough into 12 scones and pull apart, allowing about 2 cms between each scone.
- Cut a small corner off the ziplock bag and pipe crosses over scones.
- Bake for 15 minutes or until golden brown. Cool on a wire rack for 10 minutes.
- Make the glaze by combining the jam and water in a small bowl and brush over hot scones. Best eaten the day of baking.
Notes
Leaving out the Mixed Peel
Many people aren’t too fond of peel in Hot Cross Buns but the citrus notes really do add to the flavour and help to bring out the spices. So if you don’t include it, I recommend adding the finely grated zest of an orange and a lemon instead and increasing the currants OR sultanas by a ¼ of a cup.
Many people aren’t too fond of peel in Hot Cross Buns but the citrus notes really do add to the flavour and help to bring out the spices. So if you don’t include it, I recommend adding the finely grated zest of an orange and a lemon instead and increasing the currants OR sultanas by a ¼ of a cup.
Photography by Alice Arndell © 2013-2020. All rights reserved. Post may contain affiliate links.
