IT'S HARD to believe it's almost Easter again.
It's been a long, tough year for everyone- in and out of lockdown, unable to celebrate special moments with friends and family, a seemingly constant barrage of bad news coming from all directions.
But spring has sprung and the sun is shining, and Easter is quickly approaching again.
For Catholics, this means an end to Lent, when thousands of people across Ireland have given up sweets, chocolate and other indulgences, and the religious celebration of Easter also comes with feasts of chocolate.
And these hot cross buns from the Cooking TV Channel are the ultimate Easter indulgence-- not least because they're made with mouthwatering chocolate Baileys.
(Image: Cooking TV Channel)What you'll need:
- 100 ml milk
- 100 ml Baileys Chcolat Lux
- 6g dried yeast
- 1 tsp sugar
- 30g hot chocolate/ cocoa powder
- 100g cold butter cut into cubes
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 45g sugar
- 2 eggs
- 150mg milk chocolate chips
- 4tbsp plain flour
- 420g bread flour
How to make it:
- First, preheat the oven to 200C (400F)
- Add the milk and the Baileys Chocolat Luxe to a jug and heat it in the microwave for 1 minute. Leave it to cool before adding the yeast and 1tsp of sugar and stir until combined. Allow the yeast to bloom for 5 minutes
- Add the flour, cocoa powder, salt and butter to a mixing bowl and rub in the butter until the mixture has the texture of breadcrumbs before adding the remaining sugar
- Make a 'well' in the middle of the mixture, adding both eggs and the yeast, milk and Baileys, and combine into a soft dough
- Turn out the combined mixture onto a floured work surface and knead for 10 minutes or until the dough is smooth and stretchy,then place in lightly greased bowl, cover in cling film and leave somewhere warm for several hours
- Once the dough has doubled in size, again turn it out onto a floured surface and use a rolling pin to spread it into a rectangle. Then top with the chocolate chips and knead again until the chips are evenly scattered in the mixture
- Cut the dough into 8 equal pieces and shape into buns before placing them on a lined tray,covering in clingfilm and leaving them until they have doubled in size again (this should take about an hour)
- Finally, mix some flour with some Baileys Original to make a stiff paste and use this to mark the top of each bun with a cross
- Bake for 20 - 25 minutes until risen and the kitchen smells beautifully like chocolate, then remove from the oven, place on a wire rack,brush with sugar and leave to cool
- Then for the best part-serve toasted with lots of butter and indulge
You can find more delectable recipes such as this on the Cooking Tv Channel website here.
