Pretzel, Cheddar & Za’atar Hot Cross Buns

Made some stunning jambon beurre sandwiches using the HXB

Easter has arrived and so have the hot cross buns. As nice as the sweet ones are, savoury will always beat them. I’ve created a fun savoury version using a pretzel wash and through the dough extra mature Cheddar and za’atar for lots of flavour.

I really love the M&S Cornish Cruncher Extra Mature Cheddar- it has those crystalised bits, nicely tangy and full of flavour. Absolutely worth every penny.

Also, the best Za’atar you can buy in the UK- Zaytoun Za’atar.

Ingredients 

For the Dough:

300g Milk

6g Honey

7g Instant Yeast 

1 Large Egg

65g Butter 

500g Bread Flour 

7g Salt

10g Za’atar

90g Extra Mature Cheddar 

For the Wash:

100g Boiling Water

15g Baking Soda

For the Cross: 

75g Plain Flour 

75g Cold Water

Method:

1. Pour the milk and honey into a bowl and microwave until lukewarm, around 37°C. Add the yeast and whisk together, set aside to bloom for 5 minutes. - it should go a little foamy.

2. Crack the egg into the milk mixture and whisk together. Add the butter, flour, salt and za’atar. Mix together until a dough forms, then tip onto a clean work surface and knead until smooth. The dough will be wet and sticky at first, don’t add any flour, it’ll come together after 10-20 minutes of kneading, trust the process. 

3. Form the dough into a ball, lightly grease the bowl and place back into it. Cover and let proof for 1-1.5hrs until double in size.

4. Meanwhile, coarsely grate 70g of Cheddar. Finely grate the rest.

5. Once proofed, transfer the dough onto a clean surface, pile the cheese on top and push into the dough. Gently knead the cheese in, until evenly scattered. Then, portion the dough out into 12 equal pieces. Cover and let rest for 10 minutes.

6. After 10 minutes, roll the pieces of dough into taught balls. Generously grease a tin or ovenproof pan with butter, then sprinkle the finely grated cheddar all over the base and sides. Place the buns in, evenly spacing them out. Cover and let proof until fluffy, 30-45 minutes - you know they’re ready when you poke the buns and the dough slowly bounces back, leaving a slightly indentation. 

7. Half way through proofing, preheat the oven to fan 180°C. 

8. Once proofed, add the ingredients for the wash into a large heatproof bowl and stir together (be careful the mixture will bubble). In another bowl, gently stir the ingredients for the cross until just combined. Transfer into a piping bag or sandwich bag and cut a tiny hole from the corner off. 

9. Brush the buns with the baking soda mixture, making sure to get all the corners covered (you’ll have excess wash left, it’s alright). Then, pipe the crosses onto the buns. Bake until golden brown, 20-25 minutes, then let cool down for at least 10 minutes before eating.