There are so many ways to have a Waste Free Easter. A fun one is to make zero waste Hot Cross Buns. Some recipes are worth taking a little more effort to collect ingredients, others have few ingredients and are easy to make, some people don’t like dried fruit, others need to go gluten free. Whichever way you like them, we have all the ingredients in the quantity you need at Wasteless Pantry for plastic free Hot Cross Buns and a waste free Easter. Plus, if you give us a little notice we can even put together the ingredients for you so you can just get on with the baking!
Ingredients
- 4 cups plain flour
- 14g dried yeast
- 1/4 cup caster sugar
- 1 1/2 teaspoons mixed spice
- pinch of salt
- 1 1/2 cups currants
- 40g butter
- 300ml milk
- 2 eggs, lightly beaten
Flour paste
- 1/2 cup plain flour
- 4 to 5 tablespoons water
Glaze
- 1/3 cup water
- 2 tablespoons caster sugar
- Warm butter and milk, combine with eggs and dry ingredients
- Knead on floured surface until smooth, place into oiled bowl covered with a damp tea towel and set aside for 1-1.5 hours until dough doubles
- Punch down dough and knead for 30 seconds. Divide into 12 even ball-shaped portions and place on a greased tray 1cm apart. Cover and set aside for 30 minutes to double in size. Preheat oven to 170C
- Make flour paste by mixing together ingredients and pipe over buns to form cross. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until cooked through
- Make glaze by mixing ingredients over low heat until sugar dissolves, boil for 3-4 minutes and brush warm glaze over warm hot cross buns. Enjoy!
Bread base:
500g Crusty or Wholemeal Bread Mix
7g dried yeast
250g lukewarm water
65g sultanas
65g currents
10g mixed spice
- Mix together bread base with dried fruit and spice until a smooth dough forms
- Cover with a damp tea towel and allow to proof for 10 minutes
- Knock down the dough and form into 6-8 buns approximately 1cm apart on a greased tray
- Cover with a damp tea towel and allow to proof for 40-60 minutes
- Make flour paste for cross by mixing 1/2 cup plain flour with 4 to 5 tablespoons of water and piping across buns
- Bake until golden brown for approximately 20 mins in 180-190C oven
- Brush with sugar glaze made by mixing 1/3 cup water with 2 tablespoons of sugar whilst buns are still warm
Enjoy!
For something a bit different, swap out the dried fruit and mixed spice from the Traditional or Easy & Vegan recipes above for…
Chocolate lovers:
25g cocoa powder
50g choc chips
* use melted chocolate for the cross
Choc Cherry:
25g cocoa powder
50g choc chips
65g glace cherries
Apricot & Almond:
125g diced apricots
125g sliced almonds
Date & Walnut:
125g chopped dates
125g walnuts
7g ground cinnamon
It is pretty easy to make your own gluten free hot cross buns. Simply swap the Plain Flour in the Traditional recipe above for Gluten Free Plain Flour, or swap the Bread Mix for our Gluten Free Crusty Bread Mix in the Easy & Vegan recipe above! That’s it!
Whichever recipe you choose, we hope that you enjoy them with family & friends this Easter!
Need other ideas to switch to a waste free Easter? Check out this article too.