Brown Butter Sourdough Hot Cross Buns

Build the Levain:
In a clean jar, mix the sourdough starter, bread flour, and water.
Cover and set in a warm location (between 75-80ºF) for about five hours until it is at least doubled and bubbly.
Alternatively, skip this step and mix 150g of active sourdough starter into your dough.
50 grams Sourdough Starter, 50 grams Bread Flour, 50 grams Water
Scald the Milk and Soak the Currants:
Heat the milk in a small saucepan just until it's about to boil and remove from the heat to cool. This denatures the whey proteins, leading to a softer bread.
In a small bowl, soak the currants in warm water and let sit until plump and you mix into your dough.
160 grams Whole Milk, 100 grams Dried Currants
Make the Brown Butter:
Heat butter in a small light-bottomed skillet or saucepan over medium heat, constantly stirring with a spatula to prevent burning. The butter will begin to foam and the milk solids will brown with a toasty, caramel aroma.
Remove from the heat and pour into a bowl to cool to room temperature.
Make ahead: Can store up to two weeks in the refrigerator.
113 grams Unsalted Butter
Mix the Dough:
Once the levain is ripe and milk/brown butter are cooled to room temperature, pour the flour, salt, brown sugar, and orange zest into the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook attachment. Rub the zest into the dry ingredients to fragrance the ingredients (reserve the orange for juicing later).
Add the eggs, milk, and all of the levain. Mix on medium-low speed for a few minutes until the flour is incorporated and the dough is rough and shaggy.
Continue mixing and add one tablespoon of cooled brown butter to the mixer at a time until fully incorporated. Mix for 7-10 more minutes until the dough is smoother and tacky (not sticky).
Finally, strain the currants and add to the mixing bowl and mix until they're incorporated into the dough.
500 grams Bread Flour, 9 grams Kosher Salt, 50 grams Light brown sugar, Orange Zest, 3 Eggs, Levain
Bulk Fermentation:
Transfer the dough to a medium bowl, cover, and place it in a warm location for bulk fermentation. At 78ºF, bulk fermentation takes about 6 hours (longer if cooler).
Bulk fermentation is complete when the dough is doubled, domed in the bowl, and smooth.
Overnight Proof:
Cover the bowl and place it into a refrigerator to proof overnight and up to 48 hours.
Divide and Shape the Hot Cross Buns:
The next day, butter or grease your 9-inch baking pan.
Punch down the cold dough and weigh it. Then, divide the total weight by 16 so you'll have equal-sized buns. Divide the dough into 16 equal-sized pieces (usually about 75 grams each).
Roll the dough on the surface to create tension and create balls.
Repeat with the remaining rolls and space them in 4x4 rows in your baking pan.
Final Proof:
Cover and place in a warm location for the final proof.
At 78ºF, the final proof takes about 4-5 hours. The buns are finished proofing when they've doubled in size and poofy. If you poke them with a floured finger, they should leave a slight indentation and feel full of air.
Bake:
Preheat the oven to 375ºF (191ºC).
Make the egg wash by whisking one egg and a tsp of water in a small bowl. Brush the rolls with the egg wash.
Bake the rolls for 25-28 minutes or until the tops are golden brown and the internal temperature reads at least 190ºF (88ºC).
Cool on a wire rack.
Make and Pipe Orange Icing Crosses:
It's very important that the buns are completely cooled before icing or it will melt off.
Add powdered sugar and fresh orange juice from the zested orange in a small bowl and stir with a spoon until it's thick, but pourable, a medium consistency.
Then, transfer to a piping bag with a small round tip and pipe four thin, straight lines down the centers of the buns and another four lines, perpendicular to make the crosses.
Pull apart and enjoy!
100 grams Powdered Sugar, 1 TBS Orange Juice

Brown Butter Sourdough Hot Cross Buns

Equipment

Ingredients

Levain

Sourdough Hot Cross Buns

Orange Icing

Instructions

Notes