Hot Cross Buns No Knead Recipes

Steps:

• In a small bowl, dissolve yeast in warm milk. In a large bowl, combine eggs, butter, sugar, salt, spices, yeast mixture and 3 cups flour; beat on medium speed until smooth. Stir in currants, raisins and enough remaining flour to form a soft dough (dough will be sticky)., Turn onto a floured surface; knead until dough is smooth and elastic, 6-8 minutes. Place in a greased bowl, turning once to grease the top. Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 1 hour., Punch down dough. Turn onto a lightly floured surface; divide and shape into 30 balls. Place 2 in. apart on greased baking sheets. Cover with kitchen towels; let rise in a warm place until doubled, 30-45 minutes. Preheat oven to 375°., Using a sharp knife, cut a cross on top of each bun. In a small bowl, whisk egg yolk and water; brush over tops. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from pans to wire racks to cool slightly., For icing, in a small bowl, mix confectioners' sugar and enough milk to reach desired consistency. Pipe a cross on top of each bun. Serve warm.

Steps:

• Put the flour, both sugars, the salt, yeast, and spices into a large bowl and mix them all together very thoroughly.
• Stir in the raisins and zest.
• Add the water and the oil and mix a little. This cools the mixture a fraction.
• Add the egg and mix it all together very thoroughly using one hand. You should end up with a very sticky dough that is soft but not sloppy.
• Cover the bowl tightly with cling wrap and leave it at room temperature to rise overnight (at least 5 hours).
• When it is ready (and when you it suits you), add some extra flour so the dough is not quite so sticky. Gently break into 10-12 pieces, forming each into a ball and place in a greased 9x13 inch pan. Leave them for about an hour, or until the buns have doubled in size.
• Preheat oven to 400°F.
• Mix a bit of flour, water and sugar together to form a paste (proportions are not really important here). Use this paste to pipe crosses on the tops of the risen buns.
• Bake the buns for about 25 minutes. To check whether they are cooked, take one out and tap it on the bottom with a knuckle. It should sound hollow. If it doesn't, it needs to go back into the oven for a couple more minutes.

Steps:

• If you have a stand mixer, combine the flours, water, milk, yeast, salt, and sugar in the bowl and fit the dough hook. Add the egg and butter and mix to a sticky dough.
• Add the dried fruit, orange zest, and spices and knead on low speed until silky and smooth. (You can do this by hand, but it will be sticky to handle.) Cover the dough and let rise in a warm place for about 1 hour, until doubled in size.
• Deflate the risen dough and divide into 8 equal pieces. Shape into rounds and dust with flour. Place on a floured board, cover with plastic wrap or linen, and let proof for about 30 minutes, until roughly doubled in size.
• Preheat the oven to 400°F. To make the crosses, whisk together the flour and water until smooth, then transfer to a pastry bag and snip off the end to make a fine hole (or use a plastic food bag with a corner snipped off, as I do). Transfer the risen buns to a baking sheet and pipe a cross on top of each one, then bake for 15 to 20 minutes.
• Meanwhile, melt the jam with the water in a pan. Brush over the buns to glaze as you take them from the oven. Transfer to a wire rack to cool. Serve warm, cold, or toasted.