These Gluten Free Hot Cross Buns are soft and fluffy, so close to the real thing you could fool your gluten eating friends!
If you’re new to gluten free baking, don’t be alarmed that your mixture looks nothing like bread dough, it should be like a very thick batter that won’t require kneading. It will bake up to be soft and fluffy and your house will smell divine!
Gluten free Hot Cross Buns Recipe
Equipment
12 cup muffin tin
Stand or handheld electric mixer
Wet Ingredients
1.5 cups warm water
1 Tbsp sugar
2 Tbsp active dry yeast (I used Edmonds Yeast Surebake)
3 Eggs
2 tsp Apple Cider Vinegar
2 Tbsp butter (sub for coconut oil or other vegetable oil for dairy-free)
3 Tbsp Golden Syrup
Dry Ingredients
1 Cup Tapioca Flour
1 Cup White Rice Flour
1 Cup Sorghum Flour
4 tsp Xanthan Gum
4 tsp GF Baking Powder
2 tsp Salt
6 tsp Mixed Spice
1.5 Cups of dried fruit
Grease a 12 cup muffin tray.
Mix sugar and yeast into the warm water and set aside for about 5 minutes. It will begin to look foamy as the yeast starts working.
In a large bowl add eggs, melted (not too hot, you don’t want to cook the eggs) butter, vinegar & golden syrup. Use a hand or stand mixer to combine.
Add yeast mixture and mix.
Put all dry ingredients except the dried fruit into a large bowl or container and mix well. Add the dry ingredients to the wet and mix well with the electric mixer or stand mixer. The mixture should be a thick batter. Add the dried fruit and mix again.
Divide the batter into the muffin tray and using a wet spatula, smooth the tops of the hot cross buns so they are flat and smooth.
Leave to rise in a warm place for 30 minutes. Preheat the oven to 190 degrees Celsius while buns are rising.
To make the crosses.
Mix equal amounts of sorghum and tapioca flours (a few tablespoons of each) with water to make a paste. Pipe crosses onto the risen buns just before putting into the oven.
Bake for 20 minutes. Brush the top of your gluten free hot cross buns with honey and serve warm.
Tip: to make a fruit loaf instead of buns bake in a large loaf tin for 47 minutes. Put foil over the top of the loaf after 20 mins of cooking time to stop the top getting too brown.
Once cooked, let cool in dish for 5 minutes, then turn out to cool completely.