Sourdough Hot Cross Buns

Spiced, a little bit sweet, and a lot fluffy. These sourdough hot cross buns are a creative use for sourdough starter.

Heat the juice of the orange in a saucepan and pour over raisins and orange zest. Stir together and leave it to sit for 30 minutes.

In a large bowl, mix together flour, spices, sugar, eggs, salt, and sourdough starter.

Add softened butter and the bowl of raisins, orange juice, and zest. Use your hands to squish everything together until the butter is incorporated.

It will be a sticky and shaggy dough.

Over the next two hours, perform 4-5 sets of stretch and folds. One every 20 minutes or so.

After the dough has been kneaded, cover the bowl and let it rise in a warm spot, ideally at around 77°F/25°C, until bulked out by around 50%. Then refrigerate until time to shape.

Tip the proofed dough onto a lightly floured work surface and cut it into 9 or 12 equal pieces.

Form each piece into a ball, tucking the edges underneath to create a bit of surface tension.

Let them rise until doubled in size (either overnight or in a warm spot. Mix flour, sugar and water into a paste. Pipe crosses on the buns.

Bake for around 25-28 minutes until they are a deep golden brown colour.

When the hot cross buns come out of the oven, use a pastry brush and brush them with a simple syrup glaze.

See the link for the full recipe!