Coconut Flour Hot Crossed Buns
One of me memories from growing up was that every Sunday morning we would have scrambled eggs and some sort of sweet pastry before church. On Easter this was usually hot crossed buns. These pasties were usually purchased and made by Entenmann’s. Not exactly real food or GAPS friendly but still a memory that comes back to me at times. Easter is one of those times.
In reading about Hot Crossed Buns I have learned that they are traditionally eaten on Good Friday not Easter Sunday as we did growing up. I have also learned that they are yet another tradition that has been borrowed by Christians from earlier pagan practices. Spiced buns with a cross marked on them were eaten to celebrate spring by the Saxons and possibly earlier than that in other cultures.
For me I like these food rituals for the different holidays no matter what the origin and enjoy figuring out how to make them within our dietary constraints. This year I really wanted to make Hot Crossed Buns for my family. It was the very last minute however before I located a recipe that was close enough to easily convert to our needs. I was very pleased with the result and we happily finished them all off today. I can’t decide if I liked it better warm or cold. Warm is the classic presentation but the bun was a bit firmer when cold and so both were very good if somewhat crumbly. You will have to try it both ways and let me know what you think.
LOD:For oxalate content if you make this into 9 buns it has under 8mg of oxalate per bun. I made it into 6 buns so that is more like 12mg or less oxalate per bun. Not low but medium so take that into account (and don’t eat the whole pan or cut back on the cinnamon if you think that you will). We generally eat very low oxalate so occasional medium foods seem to be tolerated ok.
Coconut Flour Hot Crossed Buns
- 1/2 cup Coconut Flour
- 1/4 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 cup grassfed butter or palm shortening
if dairy free
- 1/4 cup local honey
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1/2 cup Currants
or rasins
- 1/2 cup Unsweetend Coconut Flakes
- 2 large pastured eggs
- 1 tsp Vanilla Extract
Crosses
- 1/2 cup palm Shortening
- 2 TBSP local raw honey
- 1 tsp Orange Extract
Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
Mix flour, cinnamon and baking soda in a bowl. Using a butter knife or pastry blender cut in butter till it is the size of small peas. Add coconut and raisins and mix well. Blend 2 eggs with honey and vanilla extract. Make a well in the center of the flour mixture and pour in the egg mixture. Mix slowly to form a ball of dough. Let it sit for a few minutes to allow the coconut flour to absorb the liquid. It will get much stiffer. Separate into 6 even pieces and drop onto a greased pan. The dough is a bit soft to make into a ball but stiff enough to make into a blob.
Bake for 20-25 mins. Remove from oven and cool.
Mix up honey, shortening and orange extract till smooth. I used this tool that I just got to attach to my hand blender to mix it up. So quick and easy and just the right size for this little job. KitchenAid Immersion Blender Chopper Attachment
Use a spoon or a pastry bag to make cross shapes on each bun. I’m sure mine would have looked better with a pastry bag but I didn’t have one handy. This doesn’t drizzle like icing, it is more like soft frosting.
If you plan to serve them warm add the crosses after warming them in the oven or they will melt into the buns and disappear (ask me how I know although that was quite tasty).
8 Comments
Leave a Comment
Follow Me
Advertisements
E-Mail updates of New Blog Posts
Archives
Books I Recommend
Oh Patty, these look wonderful! I don’t have Coconut Secret Raw Coconut Flour on hand though. Do you know how the texture compares to Bob’s Red Mill? I also have Wilderness Family Naturals brand, and Digestive Wellness brand (which is not a powdery texture at all but more like tiny coconut pellets). Maybe I’ll just try with Bob’s Red Mill. OH! And I just saw the orange extract. I don’t think I have that on hand.
Starlene,
I am not partial to the Bob’s Red Mill coconut flour myself. It has a strong flavor to me. I use the Coconut Secret and Tropical Traditions most of the time and find them to act the same in recipes. Actually I have used BRM when I run out since it is the only one I can get nearby. I haven’t ever tried the Digestive Wellness Brand Coconut flour. Any citrus extract would probably work in this but the orange was really good. You could probably use a bit of orange juice or lemon juice if you have that on hand although the smell of the orange extract that came from the warmed buns was quite amazing. I almost gave up trying to find it in my cupboard while making these (and discovered multiple bottles of other flavors hidden back there. Oops!) and I am so glad I didn’t give up. I’m sure I will be using it more often now that I know where it is. I love that extracts can add so much flavor but usually are low oxalate and GAPS friendly.
Thanks, Patty! I just bought four pounds of Bob’s Red Mill coconut flour through our coop so I guess I had better make due.
I think I might try using lemon zest or orange zest. These just sound so delicious I want to try them!
They are really good. You might add the zest to the buns instead of the crosses.
The ingredients list says baking soda, and the directions say baking powder?? I assume its baking powder??? THanks for the awesome recipe either way. I am testing these out this morning with baking powder.. WIll report back 😉
Sorry! It is baking soda. Baking powder is not allowed on GAPS.
Please could you review the ingredients list I have just made them & mine are too running to put into a ball I have had to add more flour. I am not sure 1/2 a cup was enough thanks
Hi Belinda,
Did you let it sit for a few minutes to absorb all the moisture? That said coconut flour can be tricky and how fresh it is can make a big difference in how much moisture it will absorb. If necessary add a bit more just 1 tsp at a time and then wait after each addition until it is the right texture. It has been a while since I made these but I believe they were still soft and delicate when they had the right amount of coconut flour. Too much will give you a dry bread.