Hot Cross Buns with White Chocolate, Dates and Pistachios

Hot Cross Buns with White Chocolate,
Dates and Pistachios






Hot Cross Buns with White Chocolate, Dates and Pistachios

- 120 grams (4 1/4 ounces) ripe 100% starter* [optional,
see alternatives below]
- 340 grams (12 ounces) all-purpose flour (I used an organic
French T55 flour) [if you don't use a starter, use 400 grams (14
ounces)]
- 1/2 teaspoon dry yeast [if you don't use a starter, use 2
teaspoons]
- 175 ml (3/4 cup) milk, at room temperature [if you don't use
a starter, use 225 ml (1 cup minus 1 tablespoon)], plus a little
for brushing
- 125 grams (1/2 cup) crème fraîche (or equal parts sour cream
and heavy cream)
- 50 grams (6 tablespoons) raw pistachios (untoasted and
unsalted), roughly chopped
- 100 grams (3 1/2 ounces) good-quality white chocolate, chopped
to chocolate chip size
- 100 grams (3 1/2 ounces) date paste (or pitted dates), diced or
chopped to chocolate chip size
- 1 tablespoon agave syrup (substitute honey, golden syrup, or
maple syrup)
- 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
- zest of 1/2 organic lemon or orange, finely grated
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

For the crosses:
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 2 tablespoons water

For the glaze:
- 50 grams (1/4 cup) sugar (I use a raw cane sugar in which I
leave a vanilla bean to infuse)
- 50 ml (3 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon) water

Makes 12 hot cross buns, about 85 grams (3 ounces) each.

1. [Day one] Prepare the dough for overnight fermentation.

In a large mixing bowl, or in the bowl of a stand mixer, combine the
flour, starter if using, yeast, milk, and crème fraîche to form a shaggy
mass, making sure all of the flour is incorporated. Let rest at room
temperature for 30 minutes.

In the meantime, place the pistachios, white chocolate, date paste,
syrup, salt, zest, and cinnamon in a medium bowl, and stir until
thoroughly combined.

Add the pistachio mixture to the shaggy dough and fold it in with a
sturdy spatula or the dough hook of the stand mixer until incorporated.
Continue to fold the dough (as demonstrated
here) for 4 minutes -- or set the stand mixer on low speed -- until
the dough starts to get a little smoother.

Place a piece of plastic wrap directly on the surface of the dough,
cover the bowl with a plate, and place in the fridge for 12 to 18 hours.

2. [Day two] Divide and shape the buns for the second resting
period.

The next day, remove the dough from the fridge, remove the plate, and
let rest for 30 minutes; it should have risen moderately, not quite
doubled. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking
mat.

Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured working surface -- the
dough will be fairly sticky, but if you work quickly while it is still
cold from the fridge, you will be fine. Divide into 12 equal pieces
(about 90 grams or 3 1/6 ounces each), trying to make sure the fillings
(pistachios, dates, white chocolate) are more or less evenly
distributed.

Shape each piece into a squarish bun (the dough is a bit sticky, just
do your best) and place them on the prepared baking sheet, leaving
about 2.5 cm (1 inch) of space between them: you do want them to touch
as they rise and bake.

Cover with a clean towel (to prevent the towel from resting upon and
therefore sticking to the buns, I improvized a "tent" over the baking
sheet by balancing the towel on a few objects) and let rest for 2 1/2
hours, until they've risen to about 1.5 times their original size.

3. [Day two] Add the crosses, bake, and glaze.

Preheat the oven to 180°C (360°F).

Brush the buns lightly with milk (this will foster browning).

Prepare the flour paste for the crosses: in a small bowl, place the
flour and water and whisk with a spoon until smooth; it should have a
consistency a bit like face cream, spreadable but not too thick. Spoon
this mixture into a small paper cone (a cornet) assembled from
parchment paper as demonstrated
here. Snip the tip of the cone to form a 3-mm (1/10-inch) opening
and pipe the flour paste over the buns to form a cross.

Insert the baking sheet in the middle of the oven and bake for 35 to
40 minutes, until browned. Transfer to a cooling rack.

While the buns are baking, prepare the glaze: combine the sugar and
water in a small saucepan. Bring to the boil, stirring from time to time
to ensure the sugar dissolves, and let the syrup boil for 2 minutes,
until slightly thickened. Brush the buns with the glaze while they're
still warm; the glaze will remain quite sticky on the day of baking, but
will be less so on subsequent days.

Once cooled, hot cross buns should be split in two horizontally and
toasted. They'll keep for a few days at room temperature, tightly
wrapped. You can also freeze them.

* A "100%" starter is fed an equal weight of flour and water at every
feeding. To learn more about sourdough starters, please refer to my
post on natural starter bread.