Orange Currant Hot Cross Buns
 
Makes 1 (15-inch) round
Ingredients
  • 2¼ cups (288 grams) dried currants
  • 1¼ cups (300 grams) warm no-pulp orange juice (180°F/82°C to 185°F/85°C)
  • 1½ cups (360 grams) warm whole milk (105°F/40°C to 110°F/43°C)
  • 6¾ teaspoons (21 grams) active dry yeast
  • ¾ cup (150 grams) granulated sugar, divided
  • 10 cups (1,250 grams) all-purpose flour, divided
  • 1½ teaspoons (4.5 grams) kosher salt
  • 1½ teaspoons (3 grams) ground cinnamon
  • ½ teaspoon (1 gram) ground nutmeg
  • ½ teaspoon (1 gram) ground allspice
  • ½ cup (113 grams) unsalted butter, melted
  • 6 tablespoons (90 grams) freshly squeezed orange juice, strained
  • 4 large eggs (200 grams), divided
  • 1¾ teaspoons (3.5 grams) orange zest
  • 1 tablespoon (15 grams) whole milk
  • ½ cup (120 grams) plus 3 tablespoons (45 grams) water
  • Honey-Orange Glaze (recipe below)
Instructions
  1. In a large bowl, combine currants and warm orange juice. Cover with plastic wrap, and let stand for 20 minutes. Strain, discarding excess liquid.
  2. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine warm milk, yeast, and ¼ cup (50 grams) sugar. Let stand until mixture is foamy, about 10 minutes.
  3. In a large bowl, whisk together 8 cups (1,000 grams) flour, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, and remaining ½ cup (100 grams) sugar.
  4. With mixer on low speed, add half of flour mixture to yeast mixture, beating just until combined. Beat in melted butter, freshly squeezed orange juice, and 3 eggs (150 grams). Transfer dough to a large bowl, and gradually add remaining flour mixture, stirring with a spatula or a wooden spoon until a soft dough forms. (Because this is such a large amount of dough, you will need to incorporate ingredients in a larger bowl.) Stir in drained currants and zest.
  5. Knead until smooth, about 8 minutes, adding up to ½ cup (63 grams) more flour as needed.(Dough should not be sticky.)
  6. Spray a large bowl with cooking spray. Place dough in bowl, turning to grease top. Loosely cover and let rise in a warm, draft-free place (75°F/24°C) until doubled in size, about 1½ hours.
  7. Preheat oven to 375°F (190°C). Line a 15-inch round pizza pan or stone with parchment paper, and spray with cooking spray.
  8. Lightly punch down dough, and let rest for 5 minutes. On a lightly floured surface, turn out dough. Divide dough into 18 pieces, and roll each piece into a ball. Arrange balls on prepared pan in a circular pattern, leaving little space between pieces. Cover and let stand in a warm, draft-free place (75°F/24°C) until puffed and rolls are touching, about 25 minutes. (Rolls will rise to edge of pizza stone, but will not spill over during baking.)
  9. In a small bowl, whisk together milk and remaining 1 egg (50 grams). Brush tops of rolls with egg mixture.
  10. In a medium bowl, add 1½ cups (188 grams) flour. Add ½ cup (120 grams) water, 2 tablespoons (30 grams) at a time, stirring gently until a thick paste forms. Using a pastry bag fitted with a Wilton #10 tip, pipe paste over top of buns to form a cross pattern.
  11. Bake until golden brown, about 25 minutes. Brush warm rolls with Honey-Orange Glaze.
Recipe by Bake from Scratch at https://staging.bakefromscratch.com/orange-currant-hot-cross-buns/