Bake hot cross buns with Dan Lepard, Mon 29 March, 10.30am to 12.30pm

[GeraldineMumsnet]

We're very glad that baker and food writer Dan Lepard is back for another Mumsnet webchat and bakealong on Monday 29 March from 10.30am to 12.30pm.

This time, as it's nearly Easter, Dan will be making hot cross buns. You can see his recipe for easy hot cross buns, plus lovely picture of a batch he made earlier here.

While Dan's (and your) buns are in the oven , he will answer questions and swap tips about baking, 1001 ways with yeast, and the like.

Please share a picture of the finished result on your profile, so we can all gawp in admiration.

If you don't have time to bake but still want to quiz Dan, please join us anyway.

And, of course, if you can't make it on Monday but have a question you'd like to ask Dan, please post it here.

Yes, MmeLindt, will you post a link though?

20mins to go until I pipe my crosses, bit nervous bout that one, think they might be more 'Hot Splodge Buns'! My piping skills are not the best!

Oh isn't this fun.

I missed the last one.

It is drizzly here in Cheshire
is this what we do? While we wait for the buns to rest?

Grey & Drizzly in Gloucestershire too!

hmmm.
That's a good sign, 1296g, divided by 12. That's easy enough.

Good luck with the piping bebejones.

"I'm not putting my white washing out" in Cheltenham.

Grey here in Switzerland, but the sun is struggling to break through the clouds.

Piping? Do we have to pipe? I am hopeless at that.

Should have read the recipe more carefully, also forgot the mixed peel.

Blog. Will finish it off later with pics of the finished product.

Gosh, the pressure, they have to look good. I cannot go to Tesco and get some to pass of as mine if they are a disaster.

I'll have a bash at the gf loaf later - builders are busy making lots of dust atm, so am working rather than baking.

Easier to buy tapioca flour from larger health food stores I find - although a trip to Wing Yip is always fun, but rather a long way to go to buy 500g of flour. Or buy online, and freeze it if you have to buy more than you want

MmeLindt where are you in Switzerland, I am in sunny Basel, I seem to be behind everyone else :-)

MayO
We are near Geneva. Send some of that sun over will you

Singingbear, sorry it took so long to get to you. Yes, fresh yeast and dry yeast are interchangable in that you will get a very similar result with both. I use volume:volume to traslate the recipes, and find that 1/2 tsp of fresh yeast weighs 3 1/2 grams. So for 1 tsp (7g) fresh yeast = 1 tsp dry instant yeast.
Dan

Have found gillthepainter's pics - v impressive (particularly posting them up with hands covered in dough etc). Am waiting for my 10 mins to be up and swotting up on new oven. Will post my pics later.

bebejones, piping the crosses doesn't have to be scary. As I said earlier, best if you can mix the paste an hour before you need it, and let it stand. And put a damp paper towel or j-cloth under the bun tray, to prevent it slipping.

Then fill the piping bag, have your buns ready on the baking tray, and hold the piping bag an inch or two above the buns, starting at the end away from you.

Move straight down the row, squeezing out the paste as you go in one continuous movement (not one bun at a time). Then give the tray a quarter-turn, and ice each row towards you again in the same continuous method. You should now have good 'crosses' on each bun; a little paste will be wasted between them, but it's only flour and water.

Hi everyone, sorry for the delay but I had to get cracking in the kitchen. I've mixed the dough and I left it rising. We've taken some pics this morning and have uploaded them to twitter, twitpic.com/photos/mumsnettowers , so have a look and let me know whether your dough looks about the same. If you haven't made you cross mixture do that now as it pipes much better when left.
It's still raining here in London, the sun makes vain attempts to break through but hey, it's good for the garden?
Dan

MmeLindt will do, I am still only on my first rise, as I have only just got back from the Hairdressers, so will have some time to send our Basel sun your way :-)! Depending on how fast my yeast wakes up that is :-) Are you using Zopfmehl for your Hot Cross Buns, I find it makes amazing bread here.

Buns in the oven!

Philosophymum, what you need to do is leave the dough longer before you put it in the tin, and make sure the dough has risen by 1/4 - 1/2 (half is better, not double). Then it should rise better in the tin. Also, when you bake the bread put a smallish tray of boiling water (I use a swiss roll tin) on the lowest shelf before you bake and this will help stop it cracking around the upper crust. What's happening with your loaf is that steam is created where the dough touches the tin and this makes the dough at that point very fragile. Since your oven atmosphere is dry this causes the top to break away from the loaf as it bakes. Let me know how you get on, you can email me at [email protected]

Dan

Thanks for the piping instructions Dan.
I'd have done them individually.

Divided:
picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/VVp2970SsSWseAul-Rh62A?feat=directlink

And shaped:
picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/8Jj6t_B_quKRtvlYnsNgbg?feat=directlink

I've used loads of sultanas, they're all over the place.

Off to check your twitpic fotos ..........

Thanks for the pics Dan; I have forgotten the orange Zest! Dough sitting for 45 mins before shaping - am I too late?

Never too late, HCBunBaker, lots of people at different stages I think!

Oh hello

Gosh it smells LOVELY in here!

Erm, I'm a bit late coming to this I have had a bit of a morning of it but I will be making mine a bit later - (which I guess will make it a bake-a-thon not a bake-along) as hot x buns one of DH's Fave things ever

Dan on the rising thing, I was going to leave in my rather hot kitchen, will that do the trick do you think?

Thanks for the piping instructions, worked brilliantly (prob not perfect but better than my usual efforts!)

Ohoh, just had a look at the pics. Mine was not as sticky as that.

Maybe because I used half wholemeal flour?

Not rising that well either.

hohum

MayO
No, not tried that kind of flour, will give it a go. Incredible the range of flour available here and in neighbouring France.

If anyone is ready to bake their buns, use the tip I suggested to Philosophymum and place a tray of boiling water on the lowest shelf of the oven before baking (make sure there's a good space between the tray of water and the tray of buns). Off to shape my dough!
Dan

I've always wanted one of those baking bowls, Dan.
Better mix my piping paste, & I'll need a steady hand.