As the weather cools and I start reaching for those extra layers, I find myself turning on my oven more frequently. I don’t enjoy the temperature drop (I’m definitely a summer girl!), but I do love the excuse to bake more often, using the essence of autumn and Easter as inspiration – think warming spices of cinnamon, mixed spiced and cardamom, dried fruits and preserves, and those comforting flavours of caramel and chocolate.
This collection of yeast-based recipes sits contentedly into this time of year when we’re looking for those bakes that are not only therapeutic to make (nothing can beat the kneading of bread dough when it comes to therapy), but also provide a little comfort and indulgence. Here, you’ll find a fun rethinking of classic from-scratch recipes, along with a couple that revive pre-made bakes that have found themselves a day or so past their prime.
So, let’s turn on the oven and relish the essence of autumn!
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GIANT HOT CROSS SCROLL WITH MAPLE GLAZE
SERVES 10-12
¼ cup (60ml) maple syrup
3 tsp pure icing sugar, sifted Salted butter, to serve
DOUGH
1 cup (190g) dried fruit (we used Sunbeam Australian sultanas, raisins and currants)
4 cups (600g) strong (baker’s) flour, plus extra for dusting
¼ cup (55g) caster sugar
3½ tsp instant dried yeast
2½ tsp mixed spice
1½ tsp ground cinnamon
120g unsalted butter, chopped, at room temperature, plus extra to grease
2 eggs, plus 1 extra, whisked for eggwash
1½ tsp vanilla extract
1½ cups (375ml) lukewarm milk
FILLING
60g unsalted butter, softened
⅓ cup (75g) brown sugar
3 tsp ground cinnamon
For the dough, place the dried fruit in a heatproof bowl. Cover with boiling water and stand for 20 minutes or until the fruit is plump. Drain well.
Place flour, sugar, yeast, mixed spice, cinnamon and ¾ tsp fine salt in the bowl of a stand mixer
