Grain-Free Hot Cross Buns

It's Easter next week - woot! Did anyone succumb to the soft and fluffy hot cross buns in the supermarket? Hehe. This absolutely used to be my downfall when I was transitioning to "healthy" eating. As hard as I tried, I couldn't resist hot cross buns (or any fruit bread item for that matter!). If you're anything how like I used to be, give this delicious hot cross bun recipe a go. It might just be the fix for your hot cross bun cravings! It's grain-free, refined sugar-free, and not loaded with nasty additives like many of the supermarket hot cross buns are.

Let me know how you found them?! :)

Ingredients

Dough

• 300ml nut milk (or diluted tinned coconut milk 1 part coconut milk to 1 part water)
• 50g raw grass-fed salted butter (or 50g coconut butter)
• 2 tbsp coconut oil
• 1½ cup potato starch
• 1 cup tapioca flour
• ½ cup almond flour
• ½ cup coconut flour
• ¾ cup coconut sugar
• 1 tbsp baking powder
• 2 drops cinnamon bark essential oil
• 2 tsp xanthan gum
• 1 drop of nutmeg essential oil
• 1 drop of clove essential oil
• 1 tsp yeast
• 1 egg
• 1¼ cup tapioca flour (for 2 kneading stages)
• Upto 4 tbsp coconut oil (for greasing the dough and your hands!)

Fruit Mix

• 1 cup mixed fruit (sultanas, raisins, etc.)
• Zest of 1 orange
• 5 drops orange essential oil
• 1 red apple (peeled, cored, and diced)
• 1 tbsp raw grass-fed butter
• 1 tbsp coconut sugar

 Cross

• 5 tbsp potato starch
• 1 tbsp almond flour
• 3-4 tbsp  water

 Glaze

• 3 tbsp/45 ml raw honey

Method

1. Pour your nut milk into a small pan, place on low heat, and bring to a boil. Turn off the heat and add your butter and coconut oil and stir in until dissolved. Set aside to cool for 5 minutes.

2. Place the remaining ingredients for your dough (excluding the egg & extra tapioca flour reserved for kneading) into your food processor bowl and pulse a few times until everything is evenly mixed. Carefully pour in your cooled milk mixture, add your egg and pulse a few times before processing until smooth. The mixture will begin to form a very sticky ball of dough. 

3. Dust your surface with about ¼ cup of tapioca flour and set aside the rest. Scrape out your dough onto the work surface and knead. The dough will be very sticky so oil your hands up with coconut oil and tapioca flour. Knead until the dough forms a nice firm ball that is no longer tacky. 

4. Place the dough into a large (heatproof) mixing bowl and cover with a very damp towel. Place in 50C oven and close the door and leave for 10 minutes. Turn off the oven and leave for a further 5 minutes before removing and checking on the dough. Place back into the oven for a further 15 minutes. Your dough will be ready when it either has risen to twice the size and/or you can press your finger in and leave a permanent indentation.

5. Whilst your dough is rising prepare your fruit mix. Place your dried mixed fruit into a bowl, with orange zest and orange oil.  Stir this together and then set it aside.

6. Start by caramelising your apple. In a small pan melt your butter on low heat, add in your coconut sugar, and then your diced apple. Cook until the apple becomes lightly golden and all of the moisture has evapourated. Pour into your fruit mix and stir in thoroughly. Set the mixture aside.

7. Remove your dough from the oven and set it aside. Using ¼ cup of your tapioca flour dust your work surface. Turn out your dough onto the work surface and then flatten the dough out with the palm of your hand. Pour your fruit mixture (juice and all) over your dough and carefully fold the dough over. Begin to knead the dough with your hands until it is very very sticky.

8. Add another ¼ cup of tapioca flour over your dough and knead it again  until your dough forms a nice ball again. You may need up to another ¼ cup of tapioca flour for this to be possible. Roll your dough into a long sausage and divide into 9 equal pieces.

9. Grease and line a baking tray with baking parchment. Roll each piece of dough into a nice smooth and round ball, lightly grease with your coconut oil, and place onto your lined baking tray. Make sure that the dough balls are placed directly next to each other on the tray. Cover with a damp tea towel and place back into your oven at 50C for 15 minutes. Make sure you heat the oven for the first 10 and then turn it off for the remaining 5 minutes.

10. Start preparing your cross mixture by mixing all of the ingredients into a small bowl until a thick paste has formed. Fill your piping bag, twist, and set aside.

11. Remove your buns from the oven and remove the tea towel. Pre-heat your oven to 180C. Using your piping bag pipe a line across the row of buns in one direction and then repeat in the opposite direction to create your crosses.

12. Place your buns into the oven for 20-30 minutes until a lovely golden brown colour and cooked through. 

13. When your buns are ready remove them from the oven and set them aside. Melt your raw honey in a saucepan over the stove and using a pastry brush glaze the buns generously. Place back into the oven for a couple of minutes. Remove and then leave to cool for 5 minutes before removing the buns and placing them on a wire rack to cool completely.