Love Your Leftovers - Using Up Hot Cross Buns

Because we’ve visited this topic before, we already have a couple of recipes up our sleeve. Our Hot Cross French Toast is a super-easy riff on French toast, and only needs egg, milk, butter and a pinch of cinnamon to make, in addition to the buns. Ideal for a leisurely weekend breakfast or brunch, it’s a lovely (and slightly indulgent!) way to start the day. For proper comfort food, we can also recommend our Hot Cross Bread and Butter Pudding baked in a rich, vanilla-scented custard and lightly glazed with marmalade, it’s the perfect end to a meal, especially with a scoop or two of vanilla ice cream.

On the subject of puddings, you could also try using any leftover buns to make an impressive trifle; lightly toast the buns, then tear them into bitesize pieces and use them to line a trifle dish. Pour over enough sherry or brandy to soak the buns thoroughly, then add a layer of your favourite fresh or tinned fruit, a layer of caramel sauce, fruit compote or jam and a layer of custard. Repeat the layers as many (or as few) times as you like, and finish with a final topping of whipped cream, garnishing with a scattering of toasted nuts and glacé cherry halves.

For a simpler pudding, you could borrow an idea from the US and have a go at making a Hot Cross Brown Betty; traditionally made with spiced sweet apples or other fruit, with a buttery breadcrumb topping, Brown Betty is a recipe that lends itself pretty well to hot cross bun-ification! To make, lightly toast hot cross buns, then blitz into fairly chunky breadcrumbs in a blender. Fry the crumbs lightly in butter until just starting to colour. Peel and thinly slice some apples or pears, then place them in an oven dish with sugar to taste, a pinch of cinnamon and some lemon zest and juice. Toss the fruit until well coated in the lemon, sugar and spice, then scatter over the bun crumbs and bake in a medium oven until the fruit has softened and the crumbs are crisp and golden.

Finally, why not use your spare hot cross buns to try a breakfast bap with a difference? Toast and butter your buns, then fry up a few rashers of your favourite bacon (as far as we’re concerned, it has to be Greendale streaky!) and a couple of Greendale free-range eggs. Pile cooked bacon into each bun, then top with a couple of tomato slices and a fried egg. Add plenty of salt and pepper, put the lid on the bun and dig in – it’s messy, but oh so good (and yes, you can have ketchup, though it’s even better with brown sauce!).