Hot Cross(less) Buns Part 3

AKA: In pursuit of a decent gluten & yeast free hot cross bun (one that can be eaten hot and cold!).

The first attempt produced far too dense but tasty scone like buns that very quickly became solid.

The second attempt produced scone like buns which could be enjoyed while warm but went solid when cooled and probably needed more spice.

Finally the third attempt (and funnily enough the recipe I originally intended to do, before I thought it best to experiment) worked the best in terms of taste and texture! So here it goes...

The Ingredients

450g pack of Orgran GF Bread Mix

425ml water

3 tablespoons vegetable oil

4 tablespoons xylitol

1.5 teaspoons cinnamon

1.5 teaspoons nutmeg

Bread mix can be bought online & at many health food shops

The method

Preheat the oven to 180C.

Place all ingredients in a bowl and mix continually for 3-4 minutes until the batter is smooth (if buy hand use a fork, if with a food mix, use a low-medium speed).

Depending how you want your buns to look either:

1) Immediately spoon the mixture into well oiled muffin trays (makes 12).

    OR

2) Break the dough into 12 even sized piece, shape into buns by hand and place on a baking tray with baking parchment.

Allow to stand in a warm place for about 15 minutes until the dough has clearly risen.

Bake for 30-35 minutes.

Remove from tray as soon as possible, placing the buns on a cool rack. It’s best to wait about 20 minutes before eating. 

Not pretty but very tasty! These were baked in a muffin tray.

Finally a Hot Cross(less) Bun recipe that can be enjoyed hot and cold and has the right bun texture!  

Hot Cross(less) Buns

These buns are gluten free, yeast free, lactose free and sugar free - although they taste similar (but hopefully) better than shop bought hot cross buns the texture is more scone like. They are quick and easy to make, and most importantly taste good!

Ingredients
3 cups gluten free self-raising flour (I used Doves Farm)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon nutmeg
60g soya spread or olive spread
4 tablespoons xylitol
1/2 cup sultanas
1 egg beaten
1 very full cup lactose free milk (e.g. lactofree or unsweetened soya milk)

Method
Preheat Oven to 220C

Sift dry ingredients into a large bowl

Rub in butter until mixture resembles fine bread crumbs. To get more air into the mixture lift and rub letting it fall back into the bowl.

Mix in the sultanas and the xylitol.

Stir in the beaten egg and milk  to form a soft dough.

Turn onto a floured board, knead lightly.

Pat out to 1-1.5cm thickness (approximately). Using a 5cm cookie cutter, cut out the buns.

Place on baking tray with baking parchment and bake for 12 minutes.

Remove from oven, place on wire rack and allow to cool slightly.

Best served warm with butter (or spread) and maybe some jam too :) These buns are best eaten recently out of the oven. Once they have completely cooled they loose their lightness and become more solid in texture. 

This was adapted from a yeast free hot cross bun recipe on www.bestrecipes.com.au

Carob Hazelnut Muffins

I used enjoy stuff like Nutella and chocolate spreads, but when following a sugar & dairy free diet - such spreads are out of bounds. So I was extremely happy when I discovered the Biona carob hazelnut spread, which is a great sugar and dairy free alternative to Nutella. Its great on toast, but I often just eat it straight from the jar.

So when I saw Jo Wheatley's Nutella muffin recipe, it sounded great and I knew I would be able to adapt it to be Gluten, Dairy & Refined Sugar free. They are at the best almost straight out of the oven, just cooled enough to enjoy. The original recipe can be found on Jo's Blue Aga Blog.

Muffins
300g self raising gluten free flour
100g Xylitol
1 tsp gluten free baking powder
2 eggs
250ml unsweetened soya milk
85g soya spread
200g Biona carob hazelnut spread (I got mine from Wholefood Market)
60g chopped hazelnuts (you can buy them pre-chopped from Tesco's)
12 squares xylitol dark chocolate

Toppings
45g xylitol
30g chopped hazelnuts

Method
Heat oven to 170c, put the muffin cases in the muffin tray

Combine all the dry ingredients in a large bowl and mix together.

Put all the wet ingredients into a blender / mixer and blitz for 30 seconds.

Then add the dry ingredients to the blender/mixer and mix until everything is evenly incorporated.

Pour evenly between the 12 muffin cases (I use a ice cream scoop to help divide the mixture evenly). Put a square of chocolate into each one.

Mix the topping together and sprinkle over the top of each muffin.

Bake for 25 minutes.