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    Entries in “beetroot hot cross buns” (1)

    Thursday
    Mar152018

    Beetroot Orange Chocolate Chip Hot Cross Buns

                           beetroot orange chocolate chip hot cross buns

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    Make me smile they do (say I sounding a bit too much like Yoda), I love a chenille chick almost as much as I love a warm hot cross bun on Good Friday. 

    This years hot cross bun flavour is beetroot (beet) with a touch of orange and lots of chocolate chips!! Served warm with a scoop of chocolate ice-cream and you have a delicious fun Easter dessert. 

    I've been trying to preserve the colour in beetroot baking for years, here is a failed example from 2010 where brightly coloured cookie dough is piped, ending up with non descript brown. 

    Beetroot fresh or dried in baking is highly susceptible to rising ph levels caused by baking powder or heat, ph level over 7 and you will get a beige to brown result. I had previously got a slight colour with yeast baking but not pink/beet reddish shade I was after. 

    I remembered that the Vitamin C used in high school as a bread improver also preserved colour so I gave it a whirl and "success" I got pink buns!

    I used *dried beetroot powder for the flavour and colour and *ascorbic acid powder for the vitamin C element. 

    The resulting beet flavour isn't "beetroot-y", but rather it tastes more like berry and pairs beautifully with chocolate. 

    Beetroot Orange Chocolate Chip Hot Cross Buns (makes 14 buns)

    Ingredients 

    for the bun dough

    350ml full fat milk

    50g  butter 

    1 lightly beaten room temperature egg

    470g white bread flour

    30g  dried beetroot powder

    75g caster sugar (superfine)

    7g sachet of instant yeast

    1/2 tsp Ascorbic Acid

    1tsp salt

    zest of one orange

    150g choc chips

    for the cross

    75g plain flour (all purpose)

    for the sugar glaze 

    1/3 cup water

    2 tablespoons of sugar

    Method

    In a small saucepan bring the milk to the boil, remove from heat and add the butter. Leave until just warm.

    Put the bread flour, beetroot powder, caster sugar, yeast, ascorbic acid and orange zest in a bowl. Whisk to combine, add salt and whisk again. 

    Transfer bowl to you mixer with dough hook attached. 

    Pour in you warm milk mixture, then add beaten egg. Mix on on low (setting 2 on KitchenAid) for 5 minutes or until dough is smooth and elastic.

    Transfer dough to an oiled bowl and cover. Pop the dough in a warm place for an hour to rise until it's doubled in size.

    Take your dough out of bowl and lay in on a non stick mat, roll or pat out to form a rectangle.

    Sprinkle half the choc chips over one half of the dough, fold the other half of dough over to cover choc chips and roll again. 

    Repeat with remaining choc chips. 

    Form the dough into a ball or roll and put it back in your oiled bowl to rise another hour in a warm place. 

    Have a baking tray ready lined with non stick paper. 

    Working with a few pieces at a time break pieces of dough the off, keeping the rest covered. I weighed my pieces to be 75 grams each. 

    Squash each piece into a round with the palm of your hand, fold the edges to the centre, flip over and smooth into a ball. 

    Repeat until you have buns evenly spaced on your tray, cover tray loosely with oiled plastic wrap. Allow to rise for the final time for one hour. 

    Preheat oven to 220C (210 fan).

    Make your cross mixture by placing flour in small bowl and adding enough water to form a pipeable paste. Transfer mixture to a piping bag fitted with a round writing tip or fill ziplock bag and snip one of the bottom corners.

    Once the final rise is done, pipe a cross on each bun. 

    Bake in preheated oven for 20 mins on the middle shelf. As you won't be able to see if they are golden due to pink colouring, I have allowed for tester buns and you will still end up with a complete dozen...a bakers "snack" we could say. 

    For the glaze, stir the sugar and water together heat stirring until it starts to simmer, simmer a couple of minutes and then remove from heat. 

    Brush the hot glaze over the buns. 

    Buns are best served warm on the day. 

    I served mine filled with scoops of chocolate ice-cream but do try toasted with a smear of chocolate hazelnut spread too. 

    *Ascorbic Acid (Vitamin C) from chef supply stores, health food stores and pharmacies. 

    *Beetroot powder is available from chef supply stores and selected supermarkets. In Australia I use Melbourne Food Depot or Herbie's brands. 

    Other uses for beetroot powder: apart from changing up a plain hummus or tzatziki you can...

    add it straight to white chocolate... I love this for the berry/tingly flavour it brings, balancing the sweetness of the white. Stir in 1 teaspoon of sifted beetroot powder for every 100g (3.5oz) of tempered white chocolate, mould, make bark/shards as per usual. 

    Use as a natural colourant for you icing and frosting. 

    Or love a bit of drama? Try adding beetroot powder to your mayo. 

    Happy Baking :) 

    You might also be interested in Candied Beetroot Slices 

    Or prefer and bunny shaped egg