The Easter weekend is officially upon us and what better way to celebrate than by whipping up some classic Easter treats with an egg-citing twist? Whether you are getting together for some seasonal feasting with loved ones or simply seeking out the perfect treat to indulge in over the bank holiday, these bun-believable recipes promise to make this Easter a truly scrumptious one…

Easter Hot Cross Buns 

Recipe by: Clarence Court

Serves: 12

Prep time: 40 minutes + 1 hour 45 minutes proving

Cook time: 15-20 minutes

Ingredients:

• 500g strong white bread flour
• 10g fine salt
• 2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 2 tsp ground mixed spice
• 1 orange zest, finely grated
• 1 lemon zest, finely grated
• 300ml semi skimmed milk
• 60g unsalted butter
• 10g fast action yeast
• 1 large Clarence Court Hens egg, beaten
• 150g sultanas
• 50g dried cranberries
• 50g chopped mixed candied peel
• Vegetable or flavourless oil
• 75g plain flour
• 100g Bonne Maman Apricot Conserve

Method:

1. Place the strong white bread flour in a large mixing bowl. Stir in the salt, mixed spice, ground cinnamon, orange and lemon zest. Make a well in the centre.
2. Gently heat the milk until lightly steaming and stir in the butter until melted. Pour the milk and melted butter into a jug, check that it’s lukewarm and then stir in the yeast. Mix until frothy then pour into the well and add the beaten egg. Mix with a dinner knife at first, bringing the flour slowly into the milk mixture and forming a rough dough. Transfer to a freestanding mixer with a dough hook, spoon in the mixed fruit and knead to a smooth dough for about 5-10 minutes. Tip into a lightly oiled large bowl and cover with clingfilm. Place in a warm cupboard or by a radiator for 1 hour or until it has doubled in size.
3. Meanwhile, line two baking trays with greaseproof paper. When the dough is ready, turn out onto a clean lightly floured work surface and ‘knock back’, then divide the dough into 12 equal sized balls, using a weighing scale helps make sure they are all even. Place 6 balls fairly close to each other on each tray. Place each tray in a large food safe bag (large roasting bags work well) and secure with an elastic band making sure the bag doesn’t touch the buns. Place the trays back in the warm place and allow the buns to double in size (around 45 minutes).
4. Pre-heat the oven to 200ºC/ Gas Mark 7. Mix the flour with 75ml of water and spoon the paste into a small icing or piping bag.
5. When the buns are ready, remove them from the bags and pipe a cross over each bun. Place the trays in the oven and bake for 15-20 minutes or until golden brown. Turn the trays halfway.
6. Meanwhile, melt the jam in a pan and pass through a sieve. Once the buns are cooked remove from the oven, brush over the glaze and allow to cool a little. Serve fresh or toasted with butter. 

TOP TIP: You can freeze these buns! Just cool completely and glaze after defrosting and reheating.

Mini Easter Egg Choux Buns

Recipe by: Tesco

We’ve given classic choux buns a vibrant Easter makeover! Topped with pretty, pastel-coloured Easter egg decorations and filled with a fruity raspberry cream, these gorgeous sweet treats are sure to stand out at your Easter celebration.

Serves: 16

Prep time: 60 minutes

Cook time: 30 minutes

Ingredients:

• 60g plain flour
• 1 tsp caster sugar
• 50g unsalted butter, diced, plus extra for greasing
• 2 free-range eggs, beaten

For the filling and decoration

• 200ml whipping cream
• 2 tbsp icing sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 100g raspberries, crushed
• 250g royal icing sugar
• food colour gels, in various colours

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to gas 6, 200 ̊C, fan 180 ̊C. In a bowl, mix together the flour and sugar. Melt the butter with 150ml water in a medium saucepan over a low heat. Bring to the boil, then add the flour and sugar in one go. Remove from the heat and beat with a wooden spoon for 2 mins until the mixture forms a smooth ball that leaves the sides of the saucepan clean.
2. Tip into a bowl and leave to cool for 5 mins. Gradually add the egg, 1 tsp at a time, beating until you have a smooth, shiny paste. Lightly grease 2 sheets of baking paper and place on 2 baking trays, greased-side up. Spoon the paste into a piping bag with a 1cm round nozzle and pipe 16 egg shapes (6cm tall x 5cm wide), leaving a 5cm gap between each one (see tip below).
3. Bake for 10 mins, then increase the oven temperature to gas 7, 220 ̊C, fan 200 ̊C and bake for another 15 mins until the choux buns are light golden brown and firm to the touch. Remove from the oven and pierce the underside of each bun with a skewer to allow the steam to escape; cool on a wire rack.
4. Meanwhile, make the filling. Whip the cream with the icing sugar, then gently fold in the vanilla extract and crushed raspberries. Pipe the cream into the cooled buns through the steam hole.
5. Sift the royal icing sugar into a bowl and add 3 tbsp cold water. Beat together with an electric whisk on the lowest speed for 2–3 mins until you have a smooth, stiff consistency. Depending on the number of food colours you’re using, divide the icing into separate bowls and add a different food colour to each one to create pastel colours.
6. Next, spoon a third of each of the coloured icings into separate disposable piping bags. Cut off the ends to create a 1-2mm hole, then pipe an egg outline onto each choAdd a few drops of water to the remaining icings to create a thick but slightly runny icing that spreads out on its own within 15 secs but doesn’t run off the edge of the choux. Spoon into the piping bags of the same colour and use to carefully fill the outlines. Decorate with other colours to look like bright Easter eggs. The icing will be touch-dry in 30 mins but will take 4 hrs to completely set. The buns will keep for 2-3 days in the fridge.

TOP TIP: Not confident about piping the choux? Draw egg shapes on the underside of the baking paper before greasing, to use as a guide.

Hot Cross Bun Rosette with Ginger Glaze

Recipe by: Opies

Serves: 8

Prep time: 15 minutes

Cook time: 45 minutes

Ingredients:

• 6 hot cross buns
• 120g butter, softened
• 1 large pear, cored, peeled and thinly sliced lengthways
• 1 jar Opies Black Cherries with Kirsch
• 1 jar Opies Stem Ginger in Syrup
• 6 eggs
• 200ml milk
• 300ml double cream
• 75g caster sugar
• 110g brown sugar

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 180°C / 160°C fan / Gas Mark 4, and grease a round 25cm ovenproof baking dish.
2. Stand each hot cross bun on its side and using a sharp knife slice into 1cm thick slices before spreading one side of each slice with 50g of the butter. Arrange some of the slices around the edge of the baking dish so that they overlap slightly.
3. Next add a layer of pear slices around the buns, overlapping slightly. Continue layering the bun slices and pear around the dish until you finish in the centre. Drain the cherries and scatter half the jar evenly over the buns, using your fingers to push them in between the layers.
4. Beat the eggs, milk, cream and caster sugar in a large bowl then pour evenly over the bun slices and leave to absorb for 15 minutes.
5. Place the dish in a large roasting pan. Pour enough boiling water into the pan to come halfway up the side of the dish. Bake in the oven for 40-45 minutes or until egg mixture is just set. Set aside for 5 minutes to cool.
6. Meanwhile, empty half a jar of stem ginger and its syrup into a blender and blitz until smooth. Pour into a pan over a high heat and bring to the boil until thickened before adding the remaining butter and stirring until melted. Pour syrup over the bun slices then leave for a further 5-10 minutes before serving.

TOP TIP: Use a mandolin to achieve enviably thin slices of pear for your rosette layering.

Peanut Butter & Marmalade Chelsea Buns

Recipe by: ManiLife

Serves: 10

Ingredients:

• 250ml whole milk
• 2 tbsp smooth Manilife peanut butter
• 7g sachet fast-action dried yeast
• 500g strong white bread flour, plus
• extra for dusting
• 2 tbsp caster sugar
• 1⁄2 tsp salt
• 2 large eggs
• 50g salted butter, softened
• 2 tbsp marmalade

For the filling

• 50g salted butter, softened
• 2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 50g caster sugar
• 3 tbsp smooth Manilife peanut butter
• 200g dried fruit (we like raisins or
• currants, or a mix of both)

For the glaze

• 100g icing sugar
• You will need a stand mixer

Method:

1. Pour the milk into a saucepan with 2 tablespoons of the ManiLife and whisk to combine. Heat until just warm to the touch – you want it just a little hotter than body temperature. Whisk in the dried yeast.
2. Put the flour into the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook. Add the caster sugar and salt, then crack in the eggs. Mix briefly, then pour in the yeasted milk mixture. Mix on medium speed for 5 minutes until smooth and elastic.
3. Add the butter, a little at a time, only adding more once the last addition is fully incorporated. You should have a smooth, shiny dough. Scrape into a large bowl, then cover and leave in a warm place to prove for 2 hours.
4. To prepare the filling, put the butter into a bowl with the cinnamon, caster sugar and ManiLife, and beat together until really soft and combined.
5. Tip the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface and roll out to a rectangle measuring 30 x 50cm. Spread an even layer of the butter mixture all over the dough, then sprinkle the dried fruit evenly over the top. With the longest edge facing you, roll the dough into a tight sausage shape, then slice into 10 pieces.
6. Line a large, deep baking tray measuring about 20 x 30cm with baking paper, then arrange the dough swirls in the tin, leaving a little room around each – they will expand as they prove. Cover with a clean tea towel and leave in a warm place to prove for an hour.
7. When you’re ready to bake, preheat the oven to 190°C/170°C fan/gas 5. Bake the buns for 30 minutes until risen, golden and cooked through. Brush the surface of the buns with 2 tablespoons of the marmalade as soon as they’re out of the oven, then leave to cool in the tin.
8. Put the icing sugar into a bowl. Add 3 teaspoons of cold water and whisk together to a thick drizzleable consistency. Drizzle all over the buns, tear apart and devour. 

Hot Cross Bun Loaf 

Recipe by: Clarence Court

A warm, subtly spiced, comforting hot cross bun is one of our favourite things about Easter. So, we set out to elevate this seasonal favourite by making it into a supersized, and super delicious, hot cross bun loaf – perfect for sharing, and a fun centrepiece for your Easter gatherings. Bursting with bright, zesty, and fruity flavours, we’ve given the traditional recipe a little twist too!

Serves: 8

Prep time: 4 hours

Cook time: 30-40 minutes

Ingredients:

• 500g strong bread flour, plus extra for dusting
• 2 large Clarence Court Burford Brown eggs, beaten
• ½ tsp ground cinnamon
• ¼ tsp mixed spice
• A few gratings of whole nutmeg
• ¼ tsp fine salt
• 75g caster sugar
• 7g sachet dry yeast
• 170ml whole milk, gently warmed to hand temp
• 80g unsalted butter, softened well, plus extra for greasing
• 80g sultanas
• 60g mixed peel
• 80g dried cranberries
• Finely grated zest of 2 oranges
• 25g plain flour
• 1 tsp sunflower oil
• 2-3 tbsp cold water
• Juice of 2 oranges
• 2 tbsp marmalade

Method:

1. Grease a 2lb (900g) loaf tin with softened butter.
2. Sieve the flour, cinnamon, mixed spice, nutmeg, and fine salt into a large mixing bowl. Stir in the sugar and make a well in the centre. Place the yeast in a jug and stir with the warm milk, until dissolved and bubbling. Add the milk, eggs, and butter to the well and mix into a soft dough.
3. Lightly dust a clean work surface with a little flour or tip into the bowl of a free standing mixer with a dough hook and knead for 7 minutes until smooth and elastic.
4. Place into a lightly oiled mixing bowl and cover with cling film, set aside in a warm place to rise for 1-2 hours until it’s doubled in size.
5. When time is up, lightly flour a clean work surface. Tip the dough onto the surface and gently knead. A few spoonfuls at a time, sprinkle over the fruit and zest, then knead and fold into the dough. When it’s all incorporated, place back in the oiled bowl and cover with cling film. Allow to rise for a further hour.
6. Divide the dough into 8 equal size balls (use a weighing scale to make sure they’re all the same size). Shape the balls into fat sausages and sit them side by side in the tin. Place the tin in a large sandwich bag and seal it. Allow to rise in a warm place for a further hour. Pre-heat the oven to 180ºC/160ºC (fan). 
7. Meanwhile mix the plain flour, oil, and cold water in a bowl to make a smooth paste. Spoon into a small piping bag and snip off a small hole. Pipe a little cross on top of each of the hot cross buns. Place the tin in the oven and bake for 30-40 minutes until golden and risen. 
8. Place the juice and marmalade in a small pan and allow to bubble and thicken on a low heat. When the loaf is ready, carefully, and quickly, turn it out of the tin and onto a cooling rack. Brush over the glaze and leave to cool. 
9. Simply serve warm with salted butter.

TOP TIP: This loaf is best eaten on the day it’s made but will come back to a lovely soft loaf if warmed through in the oven the next day. It makes great toast or as the base for a bread and butter pudding too!

Matcha Chelsea Bun Swirls

Recipe by: Lakeland

Rather like Chelsea buns, this recipe uses an enriched yeast dough, topped with a matcha, butter, sugar, chopped almond and grated orange zest mixture. Verdict? Yum! Made using OMGTea Japanese Matcha Tea in Lakeland’s 18cm (7″) Loose-Based Square Deep Cake Tin.

Ingredients:

For the dough

• 250g strong plain white flour plus extra for dusting
• 1/4 tsp salt 
• 20g butter 
• 1 sachet (7g) fast-action yeast 
• 1 tbsp caster sugar 
• 1 large egg beaten
• 80ml warm milk 

For the filling

• 40g butter melted
• 1 tbsp matcha powder 
• 40g caster sugar 
• zest of 1 orange 
• 40g flaked almonds finely chopped
• a few drops of vegetable oil 
• To glaze and decorate
• 3 tbsp caster sugar 
• 50g icing sugar 
• 2-3 tsp orange juice 
• A small amount fine shreds of orange zest, flaked almonds and a little matcha powder 

Method:

1. Put the flour and salt into a large mixing bowl and rub in the butter with your fingertips. Stir in the yeast and sugar. Beat the egg and milk together, then stir into the flour mixture. Mix with your hands to form a soft dough.
2. Dust a work surface with a little flour and knead the dough for 10 minutes until smooth and elastic. Cover and leave to rest for 15 minutes while you make the filling, by mixing together the melted butter, matcha powder, caster sugar and orange zest.
3. Roll out the dough into a rectangle measuring approximately 25 x 30cm. Spread the filling on top and sprinkle with the almonds. Roll up from one long end and cut into 9 slices with a sharp knife.
4. Grease an 18cm square baking tin with a few drops of vegetable oil, then arrange the buns in it (cut sides up), spacing them apart. Cover with cling film and set aside in a warm place for 1 hour, or until roughly doubled in size.
5. Preheat the oven to 210°C/Gas 7.
6. Bake the buns for 17-18 minutes until risen and golden brown. Cool in the tin for 20 minutes before glazing. For the glaze, put the caster sugar and 3 tbsp water into a small saucepan. Heat to dissolve, then boil for 40-60 seconds. Brush over the warm buns. Cool completely.
7. To decorate, mix the icing sugar with the orange juice to make a thin icing. Drizzle over the buns, then sprinkle them with fine shreds of orange zest and flaked almonds. Leave to set, then serve, sprinkled with a little matcha powder.

TOP TIP: Why not double the quantity and freeze half the buns? Same effort – twice the results!

Hot Cross Chocolate Muffins

Recipe by: Bonne Maman

Ingredients:

• 145g mixed dried fruit or sultanas and raisins
• 1 large orange (grated zest and juice)
• 1 tbsp ground cinnamon
• 1 tsp mixed spice
• 190g self-raising flour
• ¼ tsp bicarbonate of soda
• 100g butter, melted
• 125ml buttermilk
• 1 egg
• 100g golden caster sugar
• Bonne Maman Hazelnut Chocolate Spread

To decorate

• Vanilla frosting or icing sugar

Method:

1. Heat the oven to 180°C, 160°C fan, Gas Mark 4, and line a muffin tin with 6 deep ‘tulip’ cases.
2. Put the dried fruit in a small bowl with the orange rind and zest, spices and a good pinch of salt. Leave to soak for 20 minutes.
3. Meanwhile, put the flour, bicarbonate, butter, buttermilk, egg and caster sugar in a bowl and stir well until evenly mixed then fold in the soaked fruit.
4. Put two generous tablespoons of muffin mixture in the base of each muffin case. Drop two teaspoons of Hazelnut Chocolate Spread on top then cover the spread with the remaining muffin mixture.
5. Bake for about 20-25 minutes or until well-risen and firm to the touch.
6. To make a cross on top, pipe or drizzle with frosting or a thick paste of icing sugar and water. Or drizzle with extra hazelnut chocolate spread.

Tear & Share Easter Buns

Recipe by: Dairy Dairy

Ingredients:

• 500g pack white bread mix 
• 2 unwaxed lemons, finely grated zest and juice
• 50g (2oz) caster sugar
• 1½ tsp ground cinnamon
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 medium egg, beaten
• 225g (8oz) ready-rolled white icing, chopped
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• Sugar flowers to decorate

Method:

1. Line a large baking tray with baking paper and draw an 18cm (7in) circle in the centre. Put bread mix in a bowl and mix in lemon zest, sugar and cinnamon. Make a well in centre.
2. Put oil and lemon juice in a jug and make up to the recommended liquid level with water as directed. Mix, rest and knead according to the packet instructions.
3. Divide dough into 16 equal portions and shape each into a neat ball. Arrange 8 evenly spaced on the outside edge of the drawn circle to create a ring. Arrange remaining 8 buns inside the circle to make a second ring. Cover with a piece of oiled clingfilm or a reusable alternative and leave to rise as directed.
4. Preheat oven to 220°C/200°fan/Gas 7. Brush tops of buns with egg and bake for 20 minutes or until deeply golden. Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
5. Put icing in a small pan with vanilla and 4 teaspoons water. Heat gently until very soft and melted. Mix well, spoon thickly over each bun and decorate with flowers. Leave to set briefly before serving.

TOP TIP: The uniced buns are suitable for freezing.

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