This Tear-n-Share Sticky Hot Cross Buns recipe, requires a 30cm diameter ovenproof dish.

Ingredients:

Serves 12
BUNS
– 390ml unsweetened soya milk
– 60g dairy-free spread
– 1 tsp apple cider vinegar
– 14g fast action yeast
– 400g strong white bread flour
– 200g wholemeal spelt flour
– 75g xylitol sugar alternative (available as Total Sweet in health stores and supermarkets)
– 1 tsp fine sea salt
– 1.5 tbsp gram flour*
– 1 eating apple peeled and grated
– 1 orange – zest only
– 50g mixed peel
– 1 tsp ground mixed spice
– 1 tsp ground cinnamon
– 1/4 tsp nutmeg
– 50g raisins and sultanas
– 50g 100% dark choc chips sugar-free**
– oil for greasing the bowl
– flour for dusting
CROSS
– 3 tbsp white flour
– drops of water to form a paste
GLAZE
– 2 tbsp powdered xylitol ground in a coffee grinder
– drops of water to form a paste

Method:

1. Place the unsweetened soya milk and dairy-free spread in a small pan and heat gently over a low heat until the spread melts. (Make sure the milk doesn’t boil.) Then, set the pan to one side, off the heat, and stir in the apple cider vinegar.
2. In a large bowl, add the white and wholemeal flour, yeast, xylitol sugar alternative, salt, and gram flour. Mix together with a wooden spoon.
3. Make a well in the centre of the flour mixture. Once the soya milk is luke-warm, begin slowly pouring the soya milk into the flour, while stirring with the wooden spoon. Continue until all of the soya milk has been incorporated into the flour.
4. Dust a clean work surface with flour and turn the mixture on to the surface. Knead with clean hands by folding the dough into itself until you form a smooth ball shape. This should take about 5 minutes. The dough will be quite sticky to begin with.
5. Oil the bowl. Return the dough to the bowl, cover with a clean tea towel and leave to rise for 1 hour in a warm dry place.
6. After 1 hour, add the grated apple, orange zest, mixed peel, ground spices, raisins, sultanas and choc chips to the dough. Knead again with clean hands, folding the dough into itself until the added ingredients are evenly incorporated.
7. Place the dough onto scales, it should weigh exactly 1200g. Now make 12 equal sized balls of dough (each weighing 100g) by forming a small round bun shape with your clean hands. Place the buns into an ovenproof dish, with 9 buns around the perimeter and 3 buns in the middle, equally spaced. They will expand in the oven so don’t worry if there’s significant space between the buns.
8. Place a clean tea towel over the buns and leave to rise for 1 hour.
9. Just before the end of the rising time, create a paste for the crosses by mixing the extra flour with a few drops of water until you reach a thick paste consistency. Add the paste to a pipping bag with a thin nozzle and draw crosses on each bun.
10. Place the dish in a pre-heated fan oven at 220 degrees for 30 minutes.
11. Remove the hot cross buns from the oven. Mix the powdered xylitol sugar alternative with some drops of water to form a glaze. Brush this over the buns while they’re still warm.
12. Leave the hot cross buns to cool before serving. Best eaten on the day of making or stored in an airtight container for 2-3 days.

After a life-changing medical experience, Joanne Wood decided to have a complete overhaul of her diet. She now shares her experiences and vegan recipes through The Balanced Kitchen – her popular blog and Instagram.