Thermomix Hot Cross Bun Loaf

Try this Thermomix recipe for a wonderfully fragrant and fresh hot bread with the flavour of hot cross buns! Baking this as a loaf is easier than shaping each bun individually and makes for the softest, lightest bread with an incredible lasting power. This spiced bread will stay fresh for days!

Thermomix Hot Cross Bun Loaf

An Original Recipe by Lorraine Elliott

Preparation time: 15 minutes plus 40 minutes rising time

Cooking time: 40 minutes

• 1 cup/150g sultanas
• 1/2 cup/125ml rum or whisky
• 20g/0.7ozs flour (plain all purpose or bread)
• 125ml/4flozs. water
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2/3 cup/160ml cup milk
• 1/4 cup/85g honey
• 400g/14oz flour (plain all purpose or bread)
• 3 teaspoons instant dried yeast
• 1.5 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/2 teaspoon mixed spice
• 2 eggs
• 50g/1.7ozs butter, cubed

For the Cross

• 20g/0.7ozs. flour
• 1.5 tablespoons water

For the Glaze

• 1/8 cup sugar
• 1/8 cup boiling water
• 1/2 teaspoon gelatine powder

Step 1 - Make the tangzhong or water roux. Take the 20g flour and add to the Thermomix with 125ml of water and salt. Heat to 65ºC/149ºF on speed 2 for 4 minutes. Add the milk and the honey and mix on speed three until it reaches 45ºC/113ºF.

Step 2 - Place the rest of the flour, yeast, cinnamon, nutmeg and mixed spice in the Thermomix bowl. Use the "dough" setting for 3 minutes and knead until elastic. Add the eggs and butter cubes and knead for another 2 minutes. It needs to be elastic and stretchy but not break. You should be able to pull it apart between your fingers and see through it without it breaking.

Step 3 - Grease a large bowl and remove the dough and roll it into a ball making sure that there are no cracks on top of the ball and allow it to rise in a warm place until triple in size.

Step 4 - Preheat the oven to 180C/350F. Mix the cross ingredients together to make a pipeable paste and place in a small piping bag cutting a small hole at the end. Punch down the dough and knead in the drained sultanas (reserve the rum to mix with the butter to create rum butter).

Step 5 - Grease a large loaf tin (mine is 19.5cm x 10cm x 11cm or 7.6 x 3.9 x 4.3 inches) and line the base and sides with parchment. Scoop the dough into the prepared tin making sure that the dough reaches about 1.5cm below the edge giving it space to rise. Pipe crosses on top.

Step 6 - Once it has risen for a total of 10 minutes, bake it for 40 minutes turning it around halfway through.

Step 7 - Five minutes before it comes out of the oven, mix the sugar, gelatine powder and boiling water together. Brush over surface of the hot bread when it comes out of the oven. Allow to cool in tin for 15 minutes and then gently lift it out of tin to cool completely.