For this Tear-n-Share Sticky Hot Cross Buns recipe, you will need a 30cm diameter oven proof dish

Ingredients:
Serves 12
BUNS
– 390 mls unsweetened soya milk
– 60g dairy-free spread
– 1 tsp apple cider vinegar
– 14 g fast action yeast
– 400g strong white bread flour
– 200g wholemeal spelt flour
– 75 g 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
– 3tbsp white flour
– Drops of water to form a paste
GLAZE
– 2tbsp powdered xylitol ground in a coffee grinder
– Drops of water to form and paste

Method:

1. Place the milk and dairy-free spread into a small pan and heat gently over low heat until the spread melts. Do not allow the milk to boil or get too hot. Set the pan to one side, off the heat, once complete and stir in the apple cider vinegar.
2. In a large bowl, add the white and wholemeal flour, yeast, xylitol, salt, and gram flour and mix together with a wooden spoon.
3. Once the milk mixture is luke-warm, make a well in the centre of the flour mixture and begin to pour the milk slowly into the flour whilst stirring with the wooden spoon. Continue until all of the 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 to the centre, turning and continuing to fold into the centre 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 and then return the dough to the bowl, cover with a clean tea towel and leave to rise for 1 hour in a warm place.
6. After 1 hour, add the grated apple, orange zest, mixed peel, ground spices, raisins, sultanas and choc chips to the dough. Knead with clean hands, folding the dough into the centre until the added ingredients are evenly incorporated.
7. Place the dough on to some scales, it should weigh exactly 1200g. You will now make 12 equal sized balls of dough by taking 100g of the dough each time and forming a small round bun shape with your clean hands. Place each bun into an ovenproof dish, 9 around the perimeter and 3 in the middle, equally spaced. They will expand in the oven so do not worry if there is 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 2nd 1 hour 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 C for 30 minutes.
11. Remove the hot cross buns from the oven and whilst still warm, brush with the glaze of powdered xylitol which has been mixed with a little water to form a paste.
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 as The Balanced Kitchen – through her popular blog and Instagram.