Buns! Buns! Buns!
Today is day two of the A-Z Challenge so we have the letter ‘B’… hence the buns!
You can’t imagine how many times I have changed this post! ‘B’ could be so many things but as it is nearly Easter I wanted to post a seasonal recipe! 🙂 These took me a whole day to perfect! Seriously I was so fed up of them by the end of the day that I didn’t want to ever see a bun again! Then came the next morning and I sliced one in half for breakfast and it was good! 🙂 Real good! 🙂 So I forgave them all my distress, waiting, tasting, refining, adding, changing, tasting, waiting, removing, scribbling, sleeping! Not your average bun, but delicious nonetheless! 🙂
Tomorrow is Good Friday which is the traditional day for eating hot cross buns! … are you working or not working? Staying home? Last minute shopping? Baking? 🙂 or visiting family? 🙂 Whatever you’re up to, why not make these free from buns!? hot cross buns! These are DEGF (Dairy. Egg. Gluten. Free) as well as being yeast free and refined sugar free! Okay so before you get very excited, these are not your fluffy bread like buns, they are of course due to the free from nature of them denser and more doughy BUT the taste… oh yes! 🙂 The spicy fruity bun taste is there in all its deliciousness! These are easy to throw together despite the long list of ingredients and you can halve them and pop them in the toaster and spread with butter (I must post my vegan butter recipe)! Oh and of course being on Life Diet Health, these are little buns full of healthy goodness so you can eat them without pondering over the effects! 🙂
Gather
- 20g chia seeds
- 90ml cold water
- 1/2 teaspoon vinegar (GF if needed)
- 200ml unsweetened carton coconut milk
- 150g porridge oats blitzed into flour
- 50g coconut sugar blitzed into powder
- 70g coconut flour
- 10g arrowroot
- 50g polenta
- 1 teaspoon (6g) baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt (I used pink Himalayan)
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon mixed spice
- 1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
- 1/8 teaspoon ginger
- 40g coconut oil
- 30g raisins
- 30g dried dates chopped
- Agave or jam for glazing
- For the crosses see note under store & serve
Prepare
- Mix the chia with the water, stir and leave to thicken.
- Add the vinegar to the milk, stir and leave.
- Put the oats, sugar, flour, arrowroot, polenta, baking powder and salt in a large bowl, then mix.
© Life Diet Health 2015 - Stir the spices in – cinnamon, mixed spice, nutmeg and ginger.
© Life Diet Health 2015 - Rub the coconut oil in until there are no lumps left.
© Life Diet Health 2015 - Add the raisins and dates and mix.
© Life Diet Health 2015 - Make a hole in the centre and pour in the milk and chia mixes.
© Life Diet Health 2015 - Stir until combined
© Life Diet Health 2015and the mixture starts to form into a natural ball.
- Divide into ten pieces and roll each into a ball, then flatten slightly to make a bun shape.
- Place on a baking tray
© Life Diet Health 2015and bake at Gas Mark 5 (375 f / 160c) for 35-40 minutes. Brush with your choice of glaze while still warm. Leave to cool on the tray for ten minutes before moving to a cooling rack.
- Decorate with the traditional ‘cross’ for your hot cross bun (see below for ideas).
- Enjoy!
Serve & Store
- These can be eaten just like your usual hot cross buns… but you won’t need to eat two or three (is that just me) as these are much more nourishing and filling.
- Make the crosses out of anything you can find! It is traditional to use pastry so this would work (it needs cooking ten minutes before the buns are done), or if you eat icing you could try that. I first tried coconut flour with water
© Life Diet Health 2015but this was very crumbly (but tasty) so instead I used cashew nuts blitzed up with water and a dash of agave.
© Life Diet Health 2015 - Warm in the microwave and serve with jam.
- Split in half, toast and serve with (vegan) butter or your favourite spread.
- Cut in half and spread with chocolate! 😛 It is Easter!
- Put them in your lunchbox/picnic bag and eat them as they are.
