a hot cross bun recipe that is [good] for people and our planet.

21 Mar

hot cross buns are such a comforting and nostalgic treat, why do we save them for easter?

that said, waiting a year for them makes it all the more special when they fill the house with that freshly toasted cinnamon smell. to make them just the way i like, and without animal products, i needed to come up with my own recipe. i wanted them extra moist with chunks of apple, and plenty of cinnamon, so here they are my vegan apple and cinnamon hot cross buns.

the moisture

it’s so easy to replace the animal fats in traditional hot cross buns with plant-based fats, resulting in just as moist a bite, but in a much healthier way. the added moisture from the apple helps with this too. vegan butter is made mostly from sunflower oil and almond oil and that melted into some sweet soy milk infused with vanilla is a delicious wet base to start the recipe with.

the crunch

for the dry mix, i use strong bread flour to endure a little bit of chew, along with yeast, caster sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg. if you use all purpose flour, it can result a little bit of a cakey texture rather then that of bread.

the glaze

a must for any hot cross bun, that shiney top. i’m using my home made apricot jam with a little water, as the tangy apricot will add another nice layer to them. if you don’t have apricot jam, any fruit jam or even some sugar syrup would do the job here.

the symbolism

whether your religious or not, we can all agree that the symbolism of rebirth is something that we all aspire to and hope for in our lives. rebirth in a modern sense, simply means being able to change and evolve, and keep life moving from one chapter to another with fresh starts along the way. this is how i like to look at the cross symbol, such as the one on these hot cross buns. that said, you don’t have to stick to the rules, why not paint love hearts or peace signs on yours?! a simple blend of flour and water is all it takes to make the white topping for hot cross buns. if you have a piping bag with a fine tip, that can make for the cleanest lines. however you create your buns, i hope you love these hot cross buns and relish them right through the easter holidays.

vegan apple + cinnamon hot cross buns

ingredients

1 cup soy milk
60g vegan butter
1 tsp vanilla essence
3 1/4 cup strong bread flour
½ a cup currants
1/4 cup caster sugar
1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 a tsp nutmeg
2 heaped tsp yeast
1 small apple
pinch of salt

glaze

1 tbsp apricot jam
1 tbsp hot water

cross

2 tbsp water
3 tbsp flour

method

heat the milk in a small saucepan with the vanilla to infuse, then add the butter and melt into the milk
set aside to cool off until just warm
cut the apple into very small pieces
combine all the ingredients except the butter and milk mixture
make a well in the middle and pour in the milk mixture then combine it all with your hands
knead for about 10 minutes, then set aside to rise in a warm place until doubled in size
knockback, then divide into 8 small balls and lay them out in a buttered baking tray
leave again to rise in a warm place for about an hour, or until puffed up a little.
mix the flour and water, transfer into a piping bag and paint the crosses on top.
bake in a preheated oven of 180 degrees, for 30 minutes
let cool
mix together the jam and water and paint on top
simply take a seat and devour with a group of loved ones, or on your own

olive wood vegan is the brainchild of katie white, a west australian born singer songwriter turned vegan chef and food photographer. passionate about eating from the heart for a more sustainable life, katie was one of the first to be accepted into the plant based culinary arts, le cordon bleu diploma. katie shares with her community just how easy it is to create simple, beautiful and delicious, garden to plate seasonal vegan food. katie writes and sings about her love of animals, gardening, harvesting, and cooking on instagram and facebook or olive wood vegan.