These delicious spiced buns are a real treat for Easter and are traditional across Britain for this time of year. Usually they are made with yeast, which isn't great to consume on a daily basis according to Ayurveda.
This recipe is yeast free. The buns turned out absolutely scrumptious. Perfect cut in half and spread with ghee, along side a small cut of herbal tea.
Yeast Free Hot Cross Buns
Traditional Spiced and Fruity Easter Bread
Ingredients
Buns
- 240 g wholewheat or spelt flour - I milled fresh wheat berries for maximum flavour
- 1/4 tsp clove powder - I milled one clove
- 1 tsp cinnamon powder
- 1/4 tsp freshly ground nutmeg
- zest of 1 orange
- 1/2 tsp baking soda (or use 2 tsp baking powder and omit the lime juice) - see notes
- 1 tsp lime juice
- 1/2 tsp pink salt
- 1/4 cup maple syrup
- 1/2 cup raisins or dates (if your digestion is weak) - soaked overnight in 1/2 cup water
- 4 tbsp ghee
- 1 egg yolk, whisked with a fork
- 1 egg white, whisked
- 1 egg, whisked - for glazing
White Cross
- 1/4 cup white rice flour
- 1/2 tsp arrowroot powder
- 1/2 tsp ghee or sunflower oil - optional
- enough water to form the paste, about 1/4 cup
Instructions
Buns
- Mix all dry buns ingredients together.
- Mix all wet buns ingredients together, apart from the egg whites and the whisked egg for glazing.
- Add the wet ingredients into the dry and mix with as few sweeping motions, as possible, making sure not to overmix.
- Fold in the whipped egg white.
- Form 8 buns from the dough on a greased baking tray. I used glass Pyrex.
- Brush each bun with the whisked egg.
- Preheat the oven to 180C (355F) Fan Oven / 200 C Conventional (400 F).
Cross
- Combine the White Cross ingredients and form a paste.
- Pipe the cross over each bun using a piping bag.
- Bake for 18 mins, until the buns are golden.
- Enjoy warm or at room temperature cut in half with some ghee and half a cup of herbal tea.
Notes
On the topic of baking soda and baking powder:
Most Ayurvedic cookbooks I own use these ingredients freely, however, Myra Lewin from Hale Pule recommends to avoid them for daily consumption, because they create more air in your digestive tract, so can contribute to bloating.
I have spoken to Divya Alter, who uses these ingredients, and she stated that occasional use is permitted, as long as baking soda is neutralised by lime, lemon juice or apple cider vinegar. In this case, there will be no further reaction and no more bubbles created in your colon.
So, use your judgement on this matter, especially if bloating is an issue for you.
From my research, 1/2 tsp baking powder is fully neutralised by 1 tsp of lime/lemon juice or 1 cup buttermilk or yogurt.