Hot Cross Buns – Rohi Rīpeka (Overnight Version)
This another recipe from my cookbook and I thought it would be good to split the recipe in to two so you can make it the way you want to. Why make an overnight version of hot cross buns? Well, making this dough overnight deepens the flavour in a way you can never achieve when making it the same day. It also means much easier handling when you are manipulating the dough in to buns. Make the dough, let it rise for an hour on the bench and then do the remainder of the bulk rise in the fridge overnight. The next day roll it in to buns, pipe the crosses on and bake them fresh for those you love, or those who are need of some care. Smear them with Whipped Vanilla Butter for that extra touch.
If you are more of a same day person head over to this recipe: Hot Cross Buns (Same Day Version).
The dough is quite sticky, can I add extra flour?
With the overnight version of this recipe, I like to refrain from adding extra flour to the dough as it is cooled down in the fridge overnight. If you do not add extra flour then the buns will be super fluffy the next day. However, if you are hand kneading and the stickiness is wearing you down then you can use up to 1/4 cup of extra flour in this recipe. If you need some extra guidance with kneading then head to this post for a few extra tips on kneading dough.
Can I use a different yeast than Surebake or Breadmaker’s?
Yes, you can use instant yeast but please remember that if you are swapping instant yeast for sure bake then you need to half it, I have added the new measurement in the recipe. Due to instant yeast being a more powerful yeast it will also slightly cut down rising times and baking times too.
My yeast is not activating, what do I do?
As this dough has egg and butter the yeast must be activated well before adding the remaining ingredients. In the cooler months I find that the yeast takes a bit longer to activate, especially for Surebake or bread makers yeast. If you have added the milk, water, sugar and yeast and it has been sitting for 10 minutes and still doesn’t looked activated, here is a tip. I quarter fill my sink with hot water (from the tap), place the bowl with the yeast mixture in to the water and cover it with a tea towel. This creates a little bit of humidity and always gets the yeast going. So, give it a whirl and see if that helps.
Can I swap out the chocolate and cranberries?
Karawhuia – go for it! We all know that hot cross buns come down to preference. So if tiakarete parauri (dark chocolate) is not your thing or karanipere (cranberries), swap them out for your favourite flavours.
Hot Cross Buns – Rohi Rīpeka (Overnight Version)
Ingredients
The Spiced Dough – Te Pokenga Raukikini
- ¾ C miraka aromahana (lukewarm milk)
- ⅔ C wai wera (hot water, from the tap)
- ⅔ C huka (sugar, any kind will work)
- 2 ½ rounded tbsp Surebake īhi (yeast) (or 1 ¼ levelled tbsp instant yeast)
- 4 C (600 g) puehu parāoa kounga (high grade flour)
- 2 hēki iti (small eggs, 90g total)
- 1 tbsp iho hūperei (vanilla essence)
- 1 heaped tsp raukikini katoa (allspice)
- 3 heaped tsp raukikini whakauruuru (mixed spice)
- 3 heaped tsp hinamona (cinnamon)
- 2 tsp tote (salt, fine)
- 2 tbsp kiri ārani pīrahirahi (finely grated orange zest or mandarin zest)
- ¼ C wai ārani (orange juice) or wai manarini (mandarin juice)
- 80 g pata kūteretere (softened butter)
- 130 g tiakarete parauri kua tapahia (chopped dark chocolate, 50%) You can add extra if you like a stronger chocolate bun.
- ⅔ C karanipere kua tapahia (chopped cranberries)
The Crosses – Ngā Rīpeka
- ⅓ C (50 g) puehu parāoa kounga (high grade flour)
- 1 tbsp huka (sugar)
- 1 tsp pēkana paura (baking powder)
- ¼ C wai (water)
The Glaze – Te Mōhinuhinu
- 30 g pata (butter)
- ¼ C marahihi māpere (maple syrup)
Instructions
The Spiced Dough – Te Pokenga Raukikini
- Add the lukewarm miraka (milk aromahana), wai wera (hot water) and huka (sugar) in to a large bowl. Stir it well until the sugar has dissolved.
- Add the īhi (yeast) and mix it in well. If you are using surebake it will 10-15 mins to activate and become foamy. If you are using īhi tere (instant yeast), it will take 5-10 minutes to activate.
- Add the puehu parāoa (flour), hēki (eggs), iho hūperei (vanilla), raukikini katoa (allspice), raukikini whakauruuru (mixed spice), hinamona (cinnamon), tote (salt), kiri ārani (orange zest), wai ārani (orange juice) and pata (butter). Stir it with a knife until a rough dough comes together. Now it is time to knead.
Kneading The Dough – Te Pokepoke Parāoa
- If you are using a mixer, place the dough in the mixing bowl. Using a dough hook, knead for 10 minutes on low-medium speed. The dough is much looser than some recipes but you can 1-2 tablespoons of extra flour if you want to.
- If you are kneading by hand, knead the dough with the palms of your hands (not fingers) for 12-14 minutes. Again, the dough will be sticky but you can slowly add up 1/4 C more flour as you knead if you want.
- After the dough has been kneaded well, stretch it out to a rough square. Sprinkle over the tiakarete (chocolate) and karanipere (cranberries), fold it in from the edges and knead it by hand until it is distributed well.
- Add it a bowl, cover it with a tea towel or a bowl cover and rise it on the bench for one hour. Then place it in the fridge for 8-16 hours to continue rising.
Making the Buns – Te Mahi Rohi Parāoa (The Next Day)
- Line a 25cm x 35cm tray with baking paper. Note: Try not to use a tray any bigger than this as this this size tray helps the buns rise close together, creating softer buns. Trust me, it makes a difference.
- The next day, tip the dough on to the bench and cut in to 12 equal pieces. The easiest way is to weigh the dough on a scale but you can also eye ball it.
- Roll each of the pieces of dough in to balls, tucking the tiakarete (chocolate) inside the dough so it melts inside the buns. Don't use extra flour when you roll the buns as it prevents the ease of rolling. Refer to the video on how to roll the buns.
- Place the rolled buns in to the tray making sure there is even space between each one. Once all the buns are in the tray, cover them with a tea towel.Rise for 2 hours. The reason this rise is so long is because we have put the yeast to sleep in the fridge. Try to stick to this time.
- 15 minutes before the rising time is up, make the rīpeka (crosses).
The Crosses – Ngā Rīpeka
- Pre-heat the oven to 170 °C, bake setting.
- Add puehu parāoa (flour), huka (sugar), pēkana paura (baking powder) and wai (water) in to a small bowl. Whakaranuhia – mix to combine.
- Add the mixture to a piping bag and pipe the crosses on to the risen buns. Once the rising time is up, slide them in to the oven.
- Bake for 35-40 minutes and then check if they are cooked. If the buns spring back when pressed on the underside of the buns, they are ready. If the dough stay pressed in, bake for five more minutes. As they bake prepare the simple glaze.
The Glaze – Te Mōhinuhinu
- Gently melt the pata (butter) and stir through the marahihi māpere (maple syrup). Remove the baked buns from the oven and brush the mōhinuhinu (glaze) all over.
- Enjoy warm as they are with a good smear of Whipped Vanilla Butter.These are always going to be best eaten fresh from the oven. However, they can be stored in a plastic bag or container on the bench overnight. Slice them and toast them the next day.
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