Is there anything that signifies Easter more than the sweet citrus smell of toasted hot cross buns? We love this Easter classic, so much so, we thought we'd try a savoury version. ‘Savoury hot cross buns? Are you mad!?’ we hear you say. Trust us. This spin on the classic Easter snack really works and we can’t stop devouring one with each cup of tea.
What's great about this recipe is there are only five relatively basic ingredients, so as long as you managed to get hold of some yeast before lockdown, you should hopefully have most of this in your store cupboard.
Serve toasted with lashings of Quicke’s Cow’s Whey Butter throughout Easter weekend and beyond, or make it into a quick working-from-home lunch with shavings of Quicke’s Mature Cheddar, a fruity chutney and whatever salad leaves you've got in the back of your fridge.
INGREDIENTS
- 700g strong bread flour, plus extra 5 tbsp for crosses and dusting
- 3 x 7g sachets fast-action dried yeast
- 500ml warm whole milk
- 140g grated Quicke's Mature Clothbound Cheddar
- 5 tbsp grated parmesan (or vegetarian alternative)
METHOD
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In a mixing bowl, mix the flour, yeast and 2 tsp salt together. Make a well in the centre and slowly pour in the milk. Mix with a spoon, then with your hands, work into a soft dough. Out fo the bowl, knead for 10 mins. Put back in the bowl, lightly cover with oiled cling film and leave in somewhere warm until the dough has doubled in size (approx. 30 mins).
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Lightly flour a work surface and tip the dough on to it. Knead in most of the grated Quicke's Mature Cheddar cheese (leaving some to scatter on top) until evenly distributed throughout the dough. Dust a large, flat baking sheet with flour. Shape the dough into 12 round buns and arrange on the sheet with a 2-3cm gap between each. Loosely cover with another sheet of lightly oiled cling film and leave to prove until they have nearly doubled in size again.
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Heat oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6. For the crosses, mix the 5 tbsp flour with the Parmesan and 5 tbsp water. Spoon into a disposable piping bag and pipe a line along each row of buns, then repeat in the other direction to make crosses on each bun. Scatter with the remaining Quicke's cheddar and bake for 20-25 mins until golden.
If you make these we'd love to see your creations. Show us your finished pieces and how you served them over on social media (@quickescheese), or email us at marketing@quickes.co.uk. Happy baking!
