ALL RISE

FRUIT, NO FRUIT, CHOCOLATE, NO CHOCOLATE – the hot cross bun debate is often peppered with controversy. So where does Matt Moran stand? “I love fruit hot cross buns – they’re here to stay!” he says. “But because it’s Easter, I like to throw a bit of chocolate in there, too, it makes things a bit more festive.”

Moran’s takes on hot cross buns cover every flavour territory, and they’re anything but ordinary. “We’ve taken different dietary needs into consideration: I’ve made a gluten-free option and experimented with flours, too,” says Moran. Choc-raisin is elevated with spelt flour and Pedro Ximénez, a “beautiful sweet, sherry that has a bit of bite to it.

To me, it’s top shelf”, and the nuttiness of wholemeal flour helps to make the ultimate savoury bun with prosciutto. But on a sleepy Easter morning, the classic holds true for Moran. “A traditional bun, toasted, with honey and butter. That’s my favourite.”

@chefmattmoran

CHOC-RAISIN HOT CROSS BUNS WITH PEDRO XIMÉNEZ GLAZE

MAKES 20 BUNS

125g seedless raisins
3/4 cup (180ml) Pedro Ximénez or muscat
100g unsalted butter, chopped
350ml milk
1 egg
350g white bread flour
2 cups (300g) wholemeal plain spelt flour
80g rapadura sugar or firmly packed brown sugar
2 tbs cacao nibs
1¹/2 tbs Dutch cocoa powder
14g (about 2 sachets) dried yeast
1 tsp ground cinnamon
200g milk and dark chocolate, chopped

PIPING

1/2 cup (75g) wholemeal plain spelt flour
1/4 cup (60ml) milk
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon

PEDRO XIMÉNEZ GLAZE

1/4 cup (60ml) Pedro Ximénez (reserved from soaking the raisins)
55g rapadura sugar or firmly packed brown sugar

Place raisins and Pedro