Hot Cross Buns

INGREDIENTS
1 1/4 cups milk
1/3 cup caster sugar
2 x 7g sachets dried yeast
4 cups plain flour
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
1/4 tsp ground ginger
1/4 tsp ground cardamom
1 cup mixed dried fruit
1 egg, lightly beaten
100g unsalted butter, melted, cooled

Crosses
1/3 cup plain flour
1 tbs sugar
1/4 cup water

Glaze
1/3 cup sugar
2 tbs water


METHOD
Stir milk and 1/3 cup sugar in a saucepan over low heat until lukewarm, turn off heat.
Stir in yeast, then stand on stovetop for 10 minutes or until mixture is foamy.
Sift 4 cups flour, spices and 1/4 tsp salt into bowl, stir in fruit.
Add yeast mixture, egg and butter then stir until mixture forms a dough.
Knead on a floured surface for 10 minutes or until smooth and elastic.
Place in a lightly oil bowl and cover with plastic wrap.
Stand in a warm place for 1 hour or until doubled in size.
Punch dough in the centre, then knead again for 5 minutes.
Divide dough into 16 pieces and shape into balls.
Place in a greased (or use baking paper to line) 23cm square cake tin, cover with plastic wrap.
Stand in a warm place for 30 minutes or until risen level with tin's rim.
Preheat oven to 200°C.
Meanwhile, make crosses: stir flour, sugar and water until smooth.
Spoon into a piping bag then pipe crosses over buns.
Bake for 10 minutes then reduce over to 180°C and bake for 15-20 minutes or until golden and risen.
Turn on to a wire rack to cool.
Make glaze: stir sugar and water in a saucepan over low-medium heat until sugar dissolves then bring to boil.
Brush hot syrup over top of buns and serve warm.

SERVINGS
16


COMMENTS
I added about a tablespoon of bread improver, which made them light and fluffy.
If you don't have a large square tin, use a rectangular lasagne tin, and divide dough into 12 large (3x4) or 20 small (4x5) buns.


SOURCE
Taste.com.au

Naan Bread

INGREDIENTS
2/3 cup warm water
1 tsp dry yeast
1 tsp sugar
2 cups flour
1 tsp salt
4 tbsp ghee, melted (alternatively, use olive oil)
2 tbsp yoghurt
2 tsp kalonji (black onion seeds)

METHOD
Whisk water, yeast and sugar in bowl until yeast is dissolved.
Cover and stand in warm place for 10 minutes.
Sift flour and salt into a large bowl, add yeast mixture, yoghurt and half the ghee.
Mix to a soft dough then knead, on floured surface, about 5 minutes or until dough is smooth and elastic.
Place dough in large greased bowl, cover and stand in warm place for about 1½ hours, or until dough has doubled in size.
Once proved, punch dough, then knead on a lightly floured surface for 5 minutes.
Divide dough into 6 pieces and roll each piece into a 20cm round naan.
Cook each naan separately on an oven tray covered with foil, under the grill for approximately two minutes each.
Brush naan with remaining ghee and sprinkle with kalonji and cook a further 30 seconds.
Alternatively, cook each naan in a well greased (but not oily) fry pan until puffed and just brown.

SERVINGS
Makes 6

COMMENTS
Party favourite, although takes ages to prepare, especially if you fry it

SOURCE
AWW Indian

Basic Pizza Dough

INGREDIENTS
800g strong white bread flour
200g fine ground semolina flour or strong white bread flour
1 level tablespoon fine sea salt
2x7g sachets dried yeast
1 tbs golden caster sugar
650mL lukewarm water

METHOD
Add the yeast and sugar to the tepid water.
Mix with a fork and leave for a few minutes.
Pile the flours and salt on to a clean surface and make an 18cm well in the centre.
Pour yeast mixture into well.
Using a fork and a circular movement, slowly bring in the flour from the inner edge of the well and mix into the water- it will look like stodgy porridge.
Continue to mix, bringing in all the flour.
When the dough comes together and becomes too hard to mix with the fork, flour your hands and begin to pat it into a ball.
Knead the dough by rolling it backwards and forwards, using your left hand to stretch the dough towards you and your right hand to push the dough away from you at the same time.
Repeat this for 10 minutes until you have a smooth springy soft dough.
Flour the top of the dough.
Cover with clingfilm and let rest for at least 15 minutes at room temperature - this will make it easier to roll it thinly.
Divide the dough into as many balls as you want to make pizzas - small or large - 6 is a good quantity for this amount of dough.
Roll pizzas out 15 to 30 minutes before you start to cook them. If you want to work more in advance, keep the dough in clingfilm in the fridge.
Take a piece of the dough.
Dust your surface and the dough with a little flour, and roll it out into a rough circle about 0.5cm thick.
Tear off an appropriately sized piece of tinfoil, rub it with olive oil, dust it well with flour and place pizza base on top.
Continue doing the same with other pieces and then, if you dust them with a little flour, you can pile them up into a stack, cover them with clingfilm and put in the fridge.
Preheat oven to 250C.
Apply toppings.
Cook for 7 to 10 minutes, until the pizzas are golden and crispy.

SERVINGS
6 - 8 medium sized pizza bases

SOURCE
Jamie's Italy

Hot Cross Buns

INGREDIENTS
1¼ cups milk
¼ cup sugar
1 ½ Tbsp dried yeast (Jesus rises)
4 ¼ cups flour (Eucharist)
½ tsp salt (preserving)
1 tsp cinnamon
½ tsp mixed spice (annointing)
¼ tsp ground cloves (nails)
2 eggs (resurrection)
125g melted butter
1 ½ cups dried fruit (wine)
¼ cup chopped peel (bitterness)

CROSSES
½ cup flour
1 Tbsp melted butter
5 Tbsp water (water gushed out his side when pierced)

GLAZE
2 Tbsp milk
2 Tbsp sugar

METHOD
Heat the milk to scalding point.
Remove from heat and stir in sugar.
Cool to lukewarm and sprinkle on the yeast.
Set in a warm place for 10 min or until frothy.
Sift together flour, salt and spices and place half in a large bowl.
Make a well in the centre.
Beat the eggs.
Add the yeast mixture, eggs and melted butter to the large bowl of flour.
Beat well with a wooden spoon.
Then stir in the mixed fruit and peel.
Gradually mix in the rest of the flour to form soft dough.
Turn onto a floured board and knead lightly.
Place in a greased bowl.
Turn over to grease the top of the dough.
Cover with a cloth and put in a warm place until double in bulk about an hour.
Turn onto a floured board and knead lightly.
Divide into 24 even-sized pieces.
Shape into balls and place slightly apart on a greased tray.
Cover and leave to rise again until double in size.
Meanwhile make the dough for the crosses.
Sift the flour and stir in the melted butter and enough of the water for the dough to be piped.
Using a fine nozzle pipe crosses on each risen bun.
Bake at 200 degrees C for 25 mins.

GLAZE
Mix milk and sugar together.
Brush over the buns.
Return to oven for another 5 mins.

SERVINGS
24

Chocolate Banana Bread

INGREDIENTS
2 cups plain flour
2 tsp baking powder
1 cup caster sugar
3 bananas, mashed
125g unsalted butter, melted
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup dark choc-chips
icing sugar, to dust

METHOD
Preheat the oven to 180C.
Grease a 24 x 13 x 7cm loaf pan.
Sift the flour and baking powder into a bowl.
Add the caster sugar.
In a separate bowl, combine the bananas, butter, eggs, vanilla and choc-chips.
Add to the dry ingredients and stir until just combined.
Pour into the loaf pan.
Bake for 1 1/4 hours.
Dust with icing sugar, serve warm.

SERVINGS
4 (large!!!)

SOURCE
Bill Granger Bill's Food