Sourdough Hot Cross Buns

Sometimes you meet someone and you instantly feel comfortable, and realise you share a passion. 

I totally felt this way when I met Graham Prichard at the Cake Bake and Sweets Show.

As you can probably tell, I am obsessed with sourdough, a bread making journey that I love, and it was a very special experience to learn even a little from Graham.

Graham shared a recipe for sourdough Hot Cross Buns, and a wealth of knowledge in all things sourdough.

So of course I baked sourdough Hot Cross Buns, which I adapted to my own recipe, something I am learning to do more and more with sourdough. 

Your own starter is quite unique and you learn to work with it.

I combined my ingredients of milk, flour (combination of white and wholewheat), starter, sugar (rapadura), salt, and cinnamon into a rough dough.

The butter and dried fruit which I soaked in sherry were then kneaded in.

After a few more resting times and gentle kneading the dough was divided into nine, shaped into buns and put in a square cake tin.

I left the buns in the fridge overnight.

The next day I brought them back to room temperature and then added crosses and baked them.

While still hot they were brushed with a honey glaze.

Served with some butter, they were packed with flavour and were lighter then I expected, just beautiful.

Especially with some Easter craft in the background!

The Cake Bake and Sweets Show overall was quite enjoyable, plenty of workshops and personalties to see, as well as stands which mostly had some very impressive cake decorating. 

Sourdough Hot Cross Buns

Inspired by Graham Prichard

150g white bakers flour

60g whole wheat flour

110g milk

110g starter

30g rapadura sugar

2.5g salt 

1 teaspoon cinnamon

30g butter

70g dried fruit (soaked for a couple of hours in a little sherry)

extra flour and water for the crosses

1 tsp honey and 1 tsp hot water combined for the glaze

Combine the flours, milk, starter, sugar, salt and cinnamon until a rough dough is formed.

Combine fruit (including any soaking liquid) and softened butter and knead into the dough.

Leave to rest for 15 minutes.

Knead for two minutes and rest for another 15 minutes.

Knead again and leave for 30 minutes.

Fold the dough over itself in both directions, the dough should be soft and smooth, and leave in a greased bowl covered with cling wrap for a couple of hours.

Divide into 9 pieces, shape into buns and place in a square cake tin.

Leave covered with cling wrap in the fridge overnight.

Place on the bench for 2-4 hours (depends on how cold your kitchen is!).

Combine 2 tablespoons flour with a little water and a dribble of oil until you get a nice consistency and pipe crosses on the buns.

Bake in a preheated oven at 200C for 25 minutes.

Brush with the honey glaze while still hot.

Ginger custard and cinnamon plum spelt sourdough layered cake - Cake, Bake and Sweets Show

I was given The Handmade Loaf by Dan Lepard for Christmas and have not stopped baking, it is full of inspired recipes.

When I heard Dan was coming to the Cake, Bake and Sweets Show in Sydney I was stoked for the chance to be able to see him in action.

And was very pleased to be asked by the show if I would like to let everyone know that it was coming to town very soon!

So this creation of mine was inspired by Dan Lepard's recipe for apple custard layer cake, same concept, different cake.

I decided to use my sourdough starter on its own (without the addition of yeast), and I sweetened it with honey alone. They were combined with egg and milk.

I used half white bakers flour and half whole spelt flour, and some salt flakes.

They were combined to make a rough dough.

Slices of softened butter were then rolled into the dough and then kneaded two minutes on two minutes off until it was smooth.

The dough was left in the fridge overnight.

The plums were combined with rapadura and cinnamon.

I made a custard infusing the milk with fresh ginger slices.

The dough was divided into three and flattened into discs.

The dough discs were layered with the custard and plums.

After two hours the cake was baked.

The combination of flavoursome cake with the tangy plums and gingery custard was so good!

Served with some yoghurt, yum.

Layers of sourdough cake, ginger custard and cinnamon plums.

I think Dan would be most happy with my adaption to his recipe!

The Cake, Bake and Sweets Show sounds amazing, I'm really looking forward to it.

It is on in less then two weeks, maybe I will see you there?

Ginger Custard and Cinnamon Plum 

Spelt Sourdough Layered Cake

(recipe adapted from Apple and Custard Layer Cake in The Handmade Loaf by Dan Lepard)

Honey dough

160g sourdough starter

1/4 cup honey

1 egg

1/4 cup milk

150g white bakers flour

150g whole spelt flour

1/2 tsp salt flakes

75g sliced butter, softened

Mix together starter, honey, egg and milk.

Combine the flours and salt then add in the wet mix until you get a rough dough.

Leave for 10 minutes.

Flatten out and top with sliced butter, roll up dough then knead two minutes on two minutes off about 5 times until the dough is smooth.

Place in an oiled bowl covered with cling wrap in the fridge overnight.

When ready to use cut the dough into thirds and flatten into 23 cm discs.

Ginger Custard

200ml milk

3 slices fresh ginger

1/3 cup rapadura sugar

1 egg

2 tsp cornflour

Heat 200ml milk in small saucepan with ginger until just before boiling.

Leave to infuse for 5 minutes then remove the ginger.

Whisk rapadura, egg and cornflour together, then slowly whisk in the milk.

Return to saucepan over low heat stirring until it is thick. 

Transfer to a bowl to cool for 10 minutes.

Cinnamon Plums

1 dozen plums

1 tsp cinnamon

1 tbsp rapadura sugar

Cut plums into sixths removing seeds.

Combine with cinnamon and sugar.

Cake

Preheat oven to 180 celcius.

Line a 23cm tin with baking paper.

Layer the disc of dough topped with 1/3 of the custard and 1/3 of the plums.

Repeat so there are three layers.

Leave at room temperature for 2 hours.

Sprinkle over a little rapadura and bake for 50 minutes 

(if it is browning too quickly cover with some foil).

Leave for 10 minutes before removing from the tin.

Allow to cool or eat when still warm.

Delicious with some natural yoghurt.