Recipe

Makes 4 burgers

Time:1 hour, plus rising and baking time

Ingredients

For the dough

• 1 medium cooked beetroot
• 50ml milk
• 350g strong white bread flour
• 1 tsp fine salt
• 15g caster sugar
• 4g fast action dried yeast
• 2 eggs
• 75g butter

For the topping

• 1 small egg
• ½ tbsp black sesame seeds

Method

1. Put the beetroot into a bowl and blitz until smooth with a hand blender.
2. Place the milk into a saucepan and warm through.
3. Put the flour, sugar, salt and yeast into a bowl. (Make sure to not put the salt and yeast directly on top of each other as the salt can deactivate the yeast).
4. Pour in the warm milk and then add the beetroot purree and the eggs. Stir until a smooth dough forms.
5. Turn the dough out onto a worktop and knead for about 5 minutes until smooth and stretchy. Add the butter and knead for another 5 minutes to incorporate.
6. Lightly grease a bowl and tip the dough into it. Cover with cling film and leave to rise at room temperature for about an hour, until doubled in size.
7. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured worktop and knead for 5 seconds to knock the excess air out.
8. Divide the dough into 4 equal portions and shape each one into a ball.
9. Place each ball onto a lined baking tray, making sure they’re spaced well apart to allow for rising. Cover the buns loosely in clingfilm and leave to rise for another 30 minutes until puffed up.
10. Beat the egg for the topping and brush it over the buns. Sprinkle the sesame seeds over the top and then bake the buns for about 25 minutes, until a crust has formed and they have risen.
11. Leave to cool on a wire rack and then stuff with whatever you want! (For suggestions see my Veggie Burger Recipe…)

Happy Easter! Enjoy these delicious brioche hot cross buns fresh out of the oven, or toasted with a little butter for a tasty tea-time treat!

Recipe

Makes 12

Time: 1 hour, plus rising and baking time

Ingredients

• 550g strong white bread flour, plus extra for dusting
• 50g caster sugar
• 2 tbsp ground mixed spice
• 10g fast-acting dried yeast
• 7g salt
• 140ml milk
• 5 medium eggs
• 200g raisins
• 150g butter

For the decoration

• 50g plain flour
• 1 egg, beaten
• 1 tbsp milk

Method

1. Put the flour, sugar, mixed spice, yeast, salt, milk and eggs into a big bowl and mix together to get a soft dough.
2. Turn the dough out onto a work top and knead for 5-10 minutes until the dough is smooth and stretchy.
3. Add the raisins and butter to the dough and knead for another 5-10 minutes to combine.
4. Put the dough into a slightly oiled bowl. Cover with cling film and leave in the fridge overnight to rise.
5. Turn the risen dough out onto a work top and split into 12 evenly sized blobs. Shape each dough blob into a smooth ball by pulling the dough tightly underneath itself and then rolling it in the palm of your hand against a work surface.
6. Place each ball of dough into a deep roasting tin to get 3 rows of 4 buns. Cover with cling film and leave to rise at room temperature for another hour (or until doubled in size).
7. Pre-heat the oven to 200C. Put the flour for the decoration into a bowl and add around 6 tbsp of water, one tbsp at a time, until you get a thick but pipable paste. Spoon this into a disposable piping bag and snip a small, round hole in the end to pipe out of.
8. Pipe a cross on the top of each bun with the flour mixture (doing a whole row at a time can make this easier).
9. Put the beaten egg and the milk into a bowl and beat with a fork until runny and smooth. Brush this over the top of the risen buns to glaze and then bake the brioche in the oven for about 20 minutes, or until golden brown.
10. Leave to cool and then enjoy!

Thanks for reading!

Emma x

Recipe

Makes 1 loaf

Time: 2 hours

Ingredients

• 500g strong white bread flour
• 8g salt
• 7g fast action dried yeast
• 350ml water
• 4 tbsp butter
• 2 garlic cloves, peeled and crushed
• A large pinch of paprika
• 3 handfuls of fresh basil, finely chopped
• 100g parmesan, grated
• 1 tbsp fresh rosemary, finely chopped
• 1 tbsp fresh sage, finely chopped
• 50g feta cheese
• 25g pine nuts

Method

1. Put the flour, salt, and yeast into a bowl and mix to combine. (Make sure not to put the salt on top of the yeast as it may deactivate it).
2. Add the water and mix to make a smooth dough. Turn the dough out onto a work top and knead for 5-10 minutes until smooth and stretchy.
3. Lightly grease a bowl with a little oil. Put the dough in the greased bowl, cover with cling film and leave to rise for about an hour, until doubled in size.
4. Meanwhile make the filling. Put the butter, crushed garlic, parika, basil, parmesan, rosemary, and sage into a bowl and beat with a spoon until smooth.
5. Punch the risen dough down in the bowl to knock out the extra air. Then turn the dough out onto a lightly floured worktop and roll it out to a rectangle about 12×18”.
6. Spread the herb butter in an even layer over the dough, using a spatula or palette knife. Then crumble over the feta and sprinkle over the pine nuts in an even layer.
7. Roll the dough up, long-edge to long-edge to make a tight roll. Pinch along the joining edge to seal.
8. Take a sharp knife and cut down the middle of the roll to make two strands, leaving a little at the top of one end still joined. Then twist the strands over eachother to get a long twist, trying to keep the filling facing upwards as much as possible.
9. Coil the dough into a circle (like a snake) up to half way down the chain. Then coil the other half the other way to make a sort of ‘S’ shape.
10. Transfer the loaf to a lined baking tray. Cover and leave to rise for another 45 minutes – 1 hour, until doubled in size.
11. Pre-heat the oven to 180C. Bake the loaf in the oven for around 40 minutes until golden brown and risen (it should also sound hollow when tapped on the base). Leave to cool and then enjoy!

Thanks for reading!

Emma x