Chai, Vanilla and Chocolate Hot Cross Buns

Who's excited to try Angela's Hot Cross Buns? Angela was a Semi Finalist on the Great Australian Bakeoff in 2015, so we are very excited to share this recipe with you!

She makes them with caramel milk chocolate, but if you can't find it where you are, you can substitute with any sort of chocolate. We like using our Turmeric Blend with white chocolate!

Ingredients

600 grams bread flour
100 grams castor sugar
15gms dried yeast
2 tsp bread improver
2 tsp mixed spice
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp fine table salt
60 gm softened butter
2 eggs
1 1/4 cups chopped white chocolate
320 ml milk
2 tbs honey
2 tsp vanilla bean paste
3 tbs Prana Chai Masala Blend

Cross paste

1/2 cup bakers flour
1/2 cup milk

Glaze

Reserved milk mix
1/4 cup sugar
1 tsp ground cinnamon

Method

Preheat oven to 40 degrees celsius.
Line a deep baking /roasting dish with cling film.
Place milk, honey, vanilla bean paste and chai in a saucepan and bring to simmer. Remove from heat let sit for two mins to allow to seep. Strain and wait till it becomes lukewarm. Measure 400 ml and reserve remaining for glaze.

Dough

Place all ingredients (including 400ml of the milk mix), except chocolate, in a bowl of electric mixer fitted with a dough hook. Mix for 10 mins till mixture forms a smooth ball. Cover with cling film and place in oven to prove until doubled in size.
Turn out onto a lightly floured surface and knead in the chocolate.
Divide dough into 12 equal portions and shape into balls. Place in a prepared baking tray. Cover with cling film and prove again in the oven at 40 degrees celsius for 40 mins.
Remove from oven and increase oven temp to 190 degress celsius.
For cross paste, mix flour and milk to form piping consistency. Pipe crosses on buns.
Bake at 190 degrees celsius for 22 mins.

Glaze