Fruity Spiced Buns

Although not quite the right texture, this tastes like a hot-cross bun and is a lot quicker to make than a yeast-based dough. Omit the spices, fruit and orange and you have a gluten-free alternative to the classic iced bun (if you ice it, of course). These ones were made Christmasy by concealing a spoon of mincemeat in the middle. I was able to achieve this by doubling up the size and using a silicone mould, although it was a little fiddly.

In: Sweet Snacks


Cooking temperature: 160°C

Makes/Serves: mini buns

Ingredients

  • 175 g Gluten Free Self Raising Flour
  • 55 g Tapioca Flour
  • 0.25 teaspoon Xanthan Gum
  • 60 g Caster Sugar
  • 1 teaspoon Baking Powder
  • 0.5 teaspoon Cinnamon
  • 0.5 teaspoon Mixed Spice
  • 100 g Dried Fruit
  • 150 ml Milk
  • 35 g Melted Butter
  • 1 Egg
  • 0.25 teaspoon Orange Extract

Method

  1. Mix the dry ingredients together in a large bowl.
  2. In another bowl, mix the wet ingredients. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and mix together thoroughly.
  3. Scoop the mixture into a piping bag with the nozzle cut off about about an inch wide.
  4. Leave it to rest for 5-10 mins, it will thicken a little.
  5. Pipe the mixture into balls onto a piece of baking paper. You can also use a bun tin or silicone mould to shape them. The mixture is quite loose and sticky, so you may find you get in a bit of a mess with shaping them. If you went your fingers, you can pat the dough into shape.
  6. Bake them at 160°C for about 20 mins. Or, if you want to double up the size, 150°C for 35 mins.