Finally the long weekend has arrived! I’ve been so caught up with placements and uni work that I haven’t had the time to bake or post. I’ve never really enjoyed hot cross buns till I lived in Australia. It was definitely not a tradition to have it back in Singapore. But after living in Australia for four years, it is becoming one of my favourites.

Initially, I wanted to make banana bread but then I thought, why not make a banana hot cross buns with all my favourite ingredients in it. So I added walnuts, chia seeds and chocolate chips into my banana hot cross buns. It was easy making these buns, the only thing you need is time for the dough to rise. The banana hot cross buns turned out to be delicious and now my easter is complete!

Nutrition per serve (makes 9)

Ingredients for the loaf

1. 55g caster sugar
2. 7g dried yeast
3. 60ml warm water
4. 4 large overripe bananas (mashed)
5. 1 large egg (lightly whisked)
6. 100g wholemeal plain flour
7. 425g plain flour
8. 1.5 tsp mixed spice
9. 1 tsp ground cinnamon
10. 50g butter chopped
11. 50g walnuts
12. 50g chocolate chips
13. 1 tbsp chia seeds (optional)

Ingredients for the crosses

1. 50g plain flour
2. 1 tbsp caster sugar
3. 60ml cold water

Ingredients for the glaze

1. 1 tsp gelatine powder
2. 2 tsp caster sugar
3. 1 tbsp boiling water

Directions

1. Combine the sugar (55g) and yeast (7g) in a bowl and stir in 60ml of warm water until combined
2. Add in the mashed banana and whisked egg into the mixture
3. Place all the flour (525g), mixed spice, ground cinnamon into the bowl and using your finger tips to rub the butter (50g) into the flour mixture until it resembles fine bread crumbs
4. Add in the walnuts, chia seeds and chocolate chips into the mixture
5. Make a well in the centre and pour in the banana mixture and stir it until a dough forms
6. Turn onto a floured surface and knead the dough for 10-15min or until smooth and elastic (the dough should be sticky so avoid using too much flour)
7. Place the kneaded dough in a lightly greased bowl. Cover and set aside in a warm area for an hour or until the dough doubles in size
8. Grease a 20x20cm cake pan
9. Preheat the oven to 200 degrees
10. Knead the dough on a lightly floured surface until it returns to its original size
11. Divide into 9 portions and roll it into balls and place it side by side in the prepared pan
12. Cover it and set aside for 30min or until it doubles in size
13. Combine the flour (50g), sugar and 60ml cold water in a bowl to form a smooth paste
14. Using a piping bag and round tip, pipe the crosses onto the bun
15. Bake for 10min at 200 degrees then reduce the heat to 180 degrees and continue to bake for 15-20min or until golden brown
16. To make the glaze, stir gelatine, sugar and boiling water into a bowl until dissolved
17. Leave the loaf to cool on a wire rack and brush the top with glaze

There you have it – nutritious banana hot cross buns! Happy easter folks!