Easter can strike the fear of God into any Weightwatcher. All that chocolate, cake and roast dinners is enough to make anyone go mental. Sometimes it can be hard to resist everything. However I found a cracking Hot Cross Bun recipe in this months magazine meaning you don't have to miss out. They taste just like the real thing!
001: Place the shifted flour, salt, spices, yeast and currants in a bowl and mix well.
003: Take the dough out and knead it on a chopping board. I did this for around 5-6 minutes but it's entirely up to you.
005: Make the paste mixture for the crosses. Place in a piping bag and make an even cross. If I did these again i'd use a larger nozzle as the crosses were not thick enough for me! Brush them with milk before popping in the oven.
You'll need:
450g of Bread Flour
1 tsp of salt
1 7g sachet of yeast
1 tsp Mixed spice
1/2 tsp of ground cinnamon
50g of currants
150ml of lukewarm skimmed milk (reserve 1tbsp for brushing)
25g of low fat melted spread
50g of caster sugar (reserve 2 tsp for the glaze)
1 egg
For the crosses:
2 tbsp of plain flour
1tsp of caster sugar
Makes 12
5 Propoints each
001: Place the shifted flour, salt, spices, yeast and currants in a bowl and mix well.
002: In a seperate bowl, combine the milk with 75lm of lukewarm water and add the egg, spread and sugar. Make sure you beat well. Preheat the oven to 200 degrees/ gass mark 6 or 180 degrees on a fan assisted oven.
003: Take the dough out and knead it on a chopping board. I did this for around 5-6 minutes but it's entirely up to you.
004: Make 12 even balls of dough and mark a cross with a knife.
005: Make the paste mixture for the crosses. Place in a piping bag and make an even cross. If I did these again i'd use a larger nozzle as the crosses were not thick enough for me! Brush them with milk before popping in the oven.
006: Cook in the oven for around 15-20 minutes until they have risen and are a golden brown colour. As soon as you take them out make the glaze with 4 tbsp of boiling hot water and the reserved sugar.
Serve them hot with some low fat spread. Don't forget to add the extra propoint. Let me know if you make them!