{"id":28896,"date":"2023-03-17T08:00:09","date_gmt":"2023-03-17T08:00:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.janespatisserie.com\/?p=28896"},"modified":"2023-04-12T16:00:19","modified_gmt":"2023-04-12T15:00:19","slug":"hot-cross-loaf","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.janespatisserie.com\/2023\/03\/17\/hot-cross-loaf\/","title":{"rendered":"Hot Cross Loaf!"},"content":{"rendered":"

A delicious and fun twist on the classic hot cross bun… a hot cross loaf! Easy, fun, and scrumptious! <\/h2>\n

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We all know how much I adore making anything Easter themed, and how much I love Hot Cross Buns right?! Well why not create yet another delicious themed bake? Last time was the hot cross scones, and now it’s the hot cross loaf… and I LOVE it! <\/p>\n

Easter baking<\/h3>\n

It’s well and truly easter baking time at the moment, with Easter only being three weeks away… but is there still time for a delicious new bake?! Of course there is. I will always post as much themed baking content as I can, especially around Easter and Christmas time. <\/p>\n

Recently I posted my hot cross scones<\/a>, my mini egg brownies<\/a> and even my individual mini egg cheesecakes<\/a>, and they have all been SO popular. I know a lot of my easter recipes are chocolate themed but it’s just because there are so many different easter chocolates that you can buy now, that I can’t help myself. However, this beauty is a little different, and so delicious. <\/p>\n

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Hot Cross buns<\/h3>\n

Hot cross buns are one of those bakes that are just so warming and heavenly, and I adore them. Whether they are shop bought or even homemade like my hot cross buns<\/a> or chocolate hot cross buns<\/a>, I am always in love with a warmly toasted hot cross bun, covered in butter. This hot cross loaf has the same desired effect, but it’s just even better! <\/p>\n

This hot cross loaf is based on a more classic flavouring as the original is the most iconic, but hot cross buns these days come in all sorts of flavours, so feel free to adapt it if you prefer. For example, as a lot of people don’t like dried fruit, you can use chocolate chips instead if you preferred. <\/p>\n

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Proving bread <\/h3>\n

For some people, making and baking bread is a little peculiar and I can completely see why. You have to rely on the bread coming alive and rising suitably to create a lovely texture, and without this it could be a dull bland rock of flour. <\/p>\n

It’s definitely harder to bake bread in winter, but that’s purely because of the time in which it can take for the yeast to become active, and for the bread to prove correctly. For example, baking this in winter vs summer could have 2+ hours time difference. <\/p>\n

I tend to place my breads to prove in the warmest place of the kitchen in the colder months – whether that’s near a radiator, in the oven but with just the light turned on, or the airing cupboard is a good place – in the summer, keep an eye on your bread, it may only like 20 minutes. <\/p>\n

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Baking bread <\/h3>\n

I tend to use my stand mixer when making breads these days, but that is also partly because I am being quite lazy. I will knead the bread for 5-10 minutes depending on speed, but this could be the same by hand. If making by hand, I find it best to start kneading in a bowl so the dough comes together enough, and then you can either knead on a lightly floured surface if your dough is ridiculously sticky, or a lightly oiled surface if it’s perfect. <\/p>\n

Stick to the idea that the bread is a little sticky when it comes to hot cross buns and that is totally normal – luckily for this bread, you only have one main prove, and thats directly in the tin you are baking it in. <\/p>\n

I try to shape my bread into an oblong shape so that it fits the tin best, and I use a 2lb loaf tin when baking this bread. I will spray a piece of clingfilm with a little oil and place it over the top of the tin so that if the bread rises enough to touch the cling film, it doesn’t get stuck. <\/p>\n

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Flavours<\/h3>\n

When it comes to the flavours of this hot cross loaf I went a little safe and used some delicious dried spices. I went for cinnamon, ginger and nutmeg as I think they make a delicious marriage of flavours, that wonderfully suits this bread recipe. The recipe is extremely similar to my hot cross buns which used the same spices, so I thought they would suit this recipe as well. <\/p>\n

I also decided to add in the classic flavouring of using an orange zest in the dough. I adore the flavour it brings, but you can definitely leave it out, or you can swap it to lemon which is also delicious! <\/p>\n

My hot cross scones used mixed spice instead, which you can do here of you can use all of the spices combined – it depends what your preference is in the flavour world. If you want to make this hot cross a chocolate base like in my chocolate hot cross buns then you can replace 75g flour with 50g of cocoa powder. <\/p>\n

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Tips & Tricks <\/h3>\n