Hot Cross Bun Monkey Bread... T2 hot cross bun tea

I don't care that Easter is over, my household are refusing to accept that the hot cross bun eating days are over. So I decided to create a hot cross bun monkey bread. In theory monkey bread [amazing name] is a sweetened bread that is served to share. With the addition of sultanas and mixed spice, a hot cross bun sharing bread was born!

The Australian tea company T2, were kind enough to send me boxes of their hot cross bun tea... the tea tastes just as good as it sounds and the packaging is so beautiful. It even matches my welsh dresser in my kitchen, nothing better than a pink and copper design!

On to the Monkey Bread Recipe: 

• 450 ml whole milk
• 1.5 sachets dried yeast
• 750 g Strong white bread flour
• 120 g caster sugar
• 100g sultanas
• 3 tbsp mixed spice
• Construction- 
• 150 g salted butter, melted
• 150 g demerara sugar
• 3 tbsp mixed spice

1. Warm the milk up slightly to about 35°C and dissolve in the yeast. 

2. Weigh the flour, mixed spice, sultanas and sugar into a mixing bowl . 

3. Pour the milk into the flour and stir until you have a dough, then knead for 5-10 minutes until elastic. 

4. Leave the dough to prove in the bowl with a clean tea towel draped over it, in a warm room, for an hour or until it doubles in size.

5. Mix the Demerara sugar with the mixed spice and lay on a plate. 

6. Melt the 150g of butter and place in a small bowl. Rub the inside of a 24cm Bundt Pan generously with the other knob of butter.

7. Get the proven dough and break off small pieces, rolling them into balls about the size of a golf-ball. 

8. Roll the dough balls in the butter, then cinnamon sugar before dropping casually into the greased Bundt tin. [My bunt tin was rose shaped]

9. Keep rolling until you have filled the tin up about ½ of the way, approximately 2-3 layers.

10. Leave the bread to prove again for 45 minutes as you preheat the oven to 180°C. Bake for 40-45 minutes, then allow to cool in the tin for 15 minutes before turning out onto a serving platter.

I hope you all had a lovely Easter xxx