Written by sportsmed Dietitian, Amanda Maiorano.

The Easter long weekend is a great time to relax and enjoy time with friends and family. As always, we’re spoilt with endless amounts of delicious Easter treats! For some people this may bring up feelings of anxiety about having to ‘control’ what they eat. So instead of feeling guilty about possibly eating more chocolate than usual, let’s give ourselves permission to embrace the celebrations and remember that it’s completely normal to enjoy different types and amounts of food at different stages of the year!

Wholemeal Hot Cross Buns Recipe

Makes 16 | Time: 1.5 hours

Ingredients
Buns
1/4 cup warm water
1/3 cup caster sugar, divided
1 packet of yeast (7g)
2 cups wholemeal flour
1 3/4 cups plain flour, divided
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon mixed spice
3/4 cup warm milk
1/3 cup butter, melted
1 egg
1 egg yolk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon lemon zest
1 cup mixed dried fruit (sultanas, cranberries, currants, etc )

Glaze
1/4 cup sugar
2 tablespoon water

Icing
1 cup icing sugar, sifted
2 teaspoon plain yoghurt

Method

1. Place warm water, 1 teaspoon sugar and yeast in a bowl and whisk to combine. Let sit for 5-7 minutes or until foamy.
2. Whisk wholemeal flour with 1 ½ cups of plain flour, salt, cinnamon and mixed spice; set aside.
3. Whisk warm milk, butter, remaining sugar, egg, egg yolk, vanilla and lemon zest in a large bowl, then in the yeast mixture.
4. Stir in the flour mixture with a wooden spoon mix well until no dry parts remain. If the dough is too sticky, add remaining plain flour. Stir in mixed dried fruit. Transfer to a lightly-floured surface and knead until smooth and elastic, about 10 minutes. (Note: feel free to use a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook and allow the hook to knead the dough for ~4-5 minutes o medium speed).
5. Transfer mixture to a greased bowl. Cover and let rise until doubled in size, about 45 to 60 minutes.
6. Punch down dough and turn out onto a lightly-floured surface. Divide into 16 portions.
7. Roll each portion, shaping into a ball and place buns 4 cm apart on a lined baking tray. Cover buns and let rise again until doubled in size, about 30 to 35 minutes.
8. Preheat oven to 190°C and bake for 16-18 minutes, or until golden brown.
9. For the glaze, mix sugar with water in a small saucepan set over medium-high heat. Cook until sugar dissolves, then brush over buns and let cool completely.
10. Mix icing sugar with yoghurt, then add to re-sealable bag; snip the corner. Pipe cross on top of each cooled bun.

Enjoy!

Amanda Maiorano is available for dietitian consultations at our Stepney Healthcare Hub. For all appointments and enquiries with Amanda, contact 08 8362 8111.