Chocolate Hot Cross Buns

Cook's note

This is the second Easter I made hot cross buns so I decided to venture away from tradition and made Jamie Oliver's chocolate hot cross buns.

What this moment held

What made this version different

The chocolate bun made this distinct from a traditional hot cross bun.

Moment

Holiday or season

Why this version matters

Seasonal return

Recipe snapshot

Servings: 12
Prep time: 90 min
Cook time: 25 min

General recipe notes

Ingredients

7g dried yeast
200ml warm milk
50g sugar
50g unsalted butter
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp dried ginger
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp allspice
1/4 tsp salt
400g flour
50g cocoa powder
150g dark chocolate, chopped into small pieces
100g raisins

Directions

Mix yeast, milk, and a teaspoon of the sugar in a small bowl. Allow to get bubbly for approximately 15 minutes.
Melt butter on the stove and mix in the rest of the sugar, the spices, and the salt. Remove from heat. Cool slightly and then mix in the egg. Be careful it's cool enough so the egg doesn't cook.
Whisk flour and cocoa powder in a mixing bowl to combine.
Add milk and butter mixtures while running a stand mixer with a dough hook. Allow the mixture to knead until dough is smooth about 10-15 minutes. Knead in the raisins and chocolate to combine.

The dough can mixed and kneaded by hand without a mixer, also.
Transfer to a bowl sprayed with oil, cover with plastic wrap, and let it rise until double about 90 minutes.
Divide the dough into 12 equal pieces. Use a scale to be precise. Roll each piece into a ball and set on a cookie sheet sprayed with oil. Cover with damp paper towels and allow to proof again for about 45 minutes.
Preheat oven to 350F.
Pipe crosses onto buns with bag or baking syringe.
Bake for 25 minutes until golden brown and sound hollow when tapped on the bottom.
Brush with the syrup while hot after removing from the oven.

Recipe notes

It worked ok, but I didn't like to it enough to return to the cocoa powder version. Instead for subsequent years, I have split a traditional hot cross bun into half raisin and half chocolate chunks. I like that much better.

Crosses

Ingredients

4 tbsp flour
water

Directions

Mix the flour and water together to form a thick paste that can be piped.

Glaze

Ingredients

2 tbsp sugar
1 tbsp water

Directions

Heat the sugar and water together on the stove until dissolved.

Source

Jamie Oliver

Type: Website

What changed

Adding the chocolate.

See the full dish story and other preparations for Hot Cross Buns.