Usually this is ok, but at Easter I LOVE hot cross buns.
In previous years I have made The Healthy Chef's Hot Cross Buns but I thought I'd give a few other recipes a try and see if there were any better. (I didn't make the recipe I've made in the past as it is no longer on her website, but you will see that I did try one of her newer recipes below).
So here is my comparison of four hot cross bun recipes. The criteria for marking are the same for each and have been judged by myself and my husband.
1. The Merrymaker Sisters Paleo Hot Cross Buns.
Closeness to a regular Hot Cross Bun:
- Flavour 4/5 3/5
- Texture 0/5 0/5
- Appearance 2/5 2/5
Overall:
- Flavour 5/5 3/5
- Texture 4/5 3/5
- Appearance 4/5 3/5
19/30 14/30
Ease to Make: easy to follow recipe, no food processor/one bowl, had all ingredients in the cupboard, annoying to grate apple
Notes: used coconut oil instead of butter and it was super oily in the pan post cooking!!! the crosses didn't work – all of the water pushed out of them as I tried to pipe them but I made 3 by rolling the mixture instead. I used homemade almond meal which affected the texture and make it much more bitsy.
Summary: delicious. Scored super well in the overall ranking but not so well in the closeness to HCB. Would definitely make again. Excellent as long as you're not expecting a traditional HCB.
Closeness to a regular Hot Cross Bun:
- Flavour 1/5 3/5
- Texture 0/5 0/5
- Appearance 1/5 2/5
Overall:
- Flavour 3/5 3/5
- Texture 1/5 1/5
- Appearance 3/5 2/5
9/30 11/30
Ease to Make: the mixture was very dry and couldn't be mixed. I needed to add extra water and rolled them into balls instead of pouring the mixture into the tray.
Notes: I used half walnut flour instead of all almond meal as I had run out but have used this substitute in the past with success. The mixture was very dry, I had to add water. I omitted the chocolate (but should have replaced with sultanas!). I didn't attempt the crosses. Did the dairy-free option of coconut oil instead of butter.
Summary: these are descried as "nutrient dense" and a "crowd pleaser." They definitely are dense but I think they'd only please a crowd of starving people. I will not be making this one again!
Closeness to a regular Hot Cross Bun:
- Flavour 4/5 3/5
- Texture 2/5 3/5
- Appearance 1/5 2/5
Overall:
- Flavour 4/5 4/5
- Texture 3/5 3/5
- Appearance 2/5 2/5
16/30 17/30
Ease to Make: this was a bit more labour intensive than the other recipes. It needs to be made over two days and needs a mixmaster with a dough hook to make it. Unfortunately my bowl didn't spin itself (not sure if that's because of the dough or my machine) which meant I had to manually spin it. The recipe was easy to follow and I had the ingredients on hand.
Notes: I used buckwheat and rice flours to make this gluten-free and substituted the dried apricots for dried figs (as it's too difficult to find preservative-free dried apricots). I think these substitutions worked well. I used dried yeast which I have kept in the freezer to held maintain it's shelf-life (and it is past its best before) but mine didn't rise as I would have expected them to. I would be keen to try again with fresh yeast.
Summary: Teresa has a number of different HCB recipes on her website and because of my success with other THC recipes in the past I would like to attempt others. I chose this recipe even though it wasn't gluten-free but used different flours to almond meal. I would definitely make this again. It was the most similar to a traditional HCB.
Closeness to a regular Hot Cross Bun:
- Flavour 1/5 1/5
- Texture 2/5 1/5
- Appearance 2/5 1/5
Overall:
- Flavour 3/5 3/5
- Texture 3/5 3/5
- Appearance 3/5 2/5
14/30 11/30
Ease to Make: mug cakes are known for being quick and easy to make: mix and microwave, and this held up their reputation.
Notes: I doubled the recipe and divided it between two mugs. My mugs were obviously much larger than Bianca's and they came away from the sides but still worked.
Summary: These were yummy but not really like a hot cross bun at all! I might make these again, but don't need to be set aside for Easter! I'm keen to try her 'slap dash hot cross buns' and 'hot cross bun bliss balls' but ran out of time to get this out before Easter.
S U M M A R Y
Overall Winner: The Healthy Chef.
But I will definitely also be making The Merrymaker Sisters recipe again. It was yummy!!!
Have you tried any other gluten free, dairy free, refined sugar free hot cross bun recipes? Please comment and let me know how they are! There's still time for me to make more!
