Easter is just around the corner, and what better way to spend your bank holiday weekend than serving up a tray of delicious homemade hot cross buns?
According to the official website for the Royal Family, hot cross buns are traditionally eaten in the royal household on Good Friday. Better yet, King Charles and Queen Consort Camilla's personal pastry chefs have shared their recipe to create the perfect fruit-laden Easter treat - and it's surprisingly simple.
Last year, the late Queen Elizabeth II's chefs from the Buckingham Palace kitchens shared an inside look at how they make their royal-approved hot cross buns. Take a look at the clip below...
Think you've got the skills to whip up a perfect dozen? Follow the royal recipe from the Royal Family's official website below.
MORE: I tried Princess Anne's stomach-churning diet of tinned pies and smoked fish - watch what happened
Royal Hot Cross Buns Recipe
INGREDIENTS
- 1.5 free-range eggs
- 25g (1/8 cup) fresh yeast
- 375g (3 cups) strong flour
- 2 tablespoons unrefined caster sugar
- 60g (¼ cup) unsalted butter, chilled and diced a generous pinch of salt
- 130ml (½ cup) tepid water
- 2 tablespoons candied mixed peel
- 2 tablespoons golden sultanas
- 2 tablespoons raisins
- 2 teaspoons ground mixed spice
For the piping paste:
- 4 tablespoons plain white flour
- 1 tablespoon unrefined caster sugar
- 1 tablespoon cold water
For the sugar syrup:
- 100ml (½ cup) water
- 200g (1 cup) unrefined caster sugar
INSTRUCTIONS
Step 1
Preheat the oven to 220ºC (425ºF, gas mark 7). Disperse the yeast in the tepid water. Sieve the flour, salt, sugar and mixed spice into a large mixing bowl.
Step 2
Make a well in the centre of the mixture. Place the eggs and dispersed yeast into a small bowl and mix together before pouring into the well in the centre of the dry ingredients. Mix together to form a soft pliable dough and work in the butter.
Step 3
Turn the dough onto a lightly floured work surface and carefully incorporate the dried fruit into the dough. Knead the dough for a further 5 minutes, or until it feels smooth and elastic. Step 4 Divide the dough into evenly sized buns - this recipe will make about 15.
Step 5
Roll each piece of dough into a ball and place onto a lined baking tray and cover with cling film and leave to prove for 30-45 minutes - they should double in size.
Step 6
While you are waiting, mix together the ingredients for the piping paste to form a paste with a consistency that will allow you to pipe a cross onto each bun.
Step 7
Once the buns have finished their prove, pipe the crosses, then place the buns on the middle shelf of the preheated oven and bake for 8–12 minutes, or until they turn a pale golden brown.
Step 8
Whilst they bake, boil together the sugar and water to make the sugar syrup. As soon as you remove the buns from the oven, brush them with the warm sugar syrup and set aside to cool on a wire rack.
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