Hot Cross Bun Pull Apart Recipe

Easter is almost here and what better way to celebrate than with a delicious and unique take on the classic hot cross bun? This Hot Cross Bun Pull Apart recipe is perfect to share with your family and friends with its sweet, spiced flavor. The recipe features a soft and fluffy dough filled with juicy sultanas or decadent chocolate chips, as well as a homemade syrup made with butter, brown sugar, vanilla, and cinnamon for an extra touch of sweetness. The pull apart is baked in a Bundt pan, resulting in a beautiful ring of hot cross bun goodness that’s perfect for sharing. So, roll up your sleeves, grab your mixer, and let’s get baking!

Ingredients

4 ¼ cups (640g) plain flour (or bread flour if available)

3 tsp McKenzie’s Bakers Yeast

½ cup (110g) caster sugar

2 tsp McKenzie’s Mixed Spice

2 tsp McKenzie’s Ground Cinnamon

½ tsp salt

50g unsalted butter, melted and cooled

1 ½ cups full cream milk (warmed in microwave for 45 seconds)

1 egg, room temperature

1 ½ cups (210g) sultanas or chocolate chips

Zest of 2 oranges

Extra ¼ cup plain flour (if needed for sticky dough)

 Syrup

¾ cup butter

¾ cup brown sugar

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 tsp cinnamon

Method

1. Combine flour, yeast, sugar, mixed spice, cinnamon and salt in the bowl of a stand mixer. 
2. Attach a dough hook in the mixer and add butter, milk, egg, sultanas and orange zest to the flour. Mix until a smooth elastic dough forms about 5 minutes. If dough is sticky and doesn’t come away from the side of the bowl, add another ¼ cup flour.
3. First rise: Leave dough in the bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Place in a warm spot to rise until doubled in size. Note: this can take anywhere between 1 hour to 1 ½ hours depending on how warm it is.
4. Grease a large Bundt pan with melted butter.
5. Remove plastic wrap from the bowl and punch down the dough to deflate.
6. Dust work surface with flour and knead for one minute, then cut dough into pieces and roll into golf size balls.  
7. Make the syrup by melting the butter and whisking in the sugar, vanilla and cinnamon.
8. Roll each ball of dough into the syrup and line them up randomly in the bundt tin.
9. Second rise: let dough in bundt tin sit for another 30 minutes to allow the dough to rise again.
10. In the meantime, pre-heat oven to 180°C (350F). Place the bundt pan in the oven and bake for 30 minutes or until top is a golden brown. 
11. Remove from oven and allow to cool for just a few minutes before turning the ring onto a plate to serve.
12. Note you can drizzle a simple icing sugar mix on top or serve plain.

Serving Tip: Best eaten warm and on the day. Simply pull off bits of hot cross bun from the ring and enjoy. 

The pull apart can also be enjoyed the next day by warming in microwave for 20 seconds at a time.

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