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    Yeast-Free Hot Cross Buns That Rise Perfectly Every Time

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    Making your own hot cross buns from scratch this weekend will not only impress your loved ones, but it means that you know exactly what goes into them as opposed to the shop-bought variety.Let’s Bake!To make the hot cross buns dairy-free, substitute the butter for coconut oil and the milk for soy milk or rice milk. For a sugar-free version, try substituting the icing sugar for xylitol.

    Yeast-Free Hot Cross Buns

    This delicious treat is the perfect way to spend your long weekend with loved ones.

    The Buns850g cake flour½ cup  icing sugar (or xylitol)1½ tsp ground cinnamon2 tbsp baking powder500ml milk (or soy milk or rice milk)1 extra-large free-range egg¼ cup seedless raisins2 tsp bicarb of soda150g softened butter (or coconut oil/butter)The Cross1 cup cake flour1 tbsp butter (or coconut oil/butter)180ml warm waterThe Glaze3 tbsp apricot jam100ml water
    The BunsPreheat the oven to 180°C.In a bowl, sift together flour, icing sugar, ground cinnamon and baking powder.In a separate bowl, beat milk and egg together, then add the raisins and bicarbonate of soda.Add butter to the dry ingredients and mix together with your fingers until you have fine crumbs.Slowly, add some of the liquid to the dry ingredients and mix the dough. Be cautious not to overmix though, the dough must have a soft, but firm texture.With a rolling pin, gently roll the dough until it’s approximately 4cm thick. Press the buns out with a round cookie cutter and place them close together on a well-greased baking sheet.The CrossSift flour and add the butter. Rub the mixture together with your fingers until the texture resembles fine crumbs.Add warm water in small amounts until the dough has a mushy consistency.Mix well to create smooth dough.Place the mixture into a piping bag and pipe thin crosses onto the buns.Pop them into your preheated oven for approximately 30 minutes until golden brown.The GlazeHeat water and the apricot jam until well mixed. Once the Hot Cross Buns have finished baking, remove from oven.Brush syrup over the buns and serve warm.

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      in diet and nutrition

      A Healthy Apple Crumble Recipe That’s Perfect For The Weekend

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      Say what? The theory goes: apples are high in pectin, which binds with water and limits the amount of fat your cells can absorb and store. Now that’s a good reason to whip up an apple crumble, right?Another reason it can add to weight loss? Apples are packed with fibre, which slows down the digestive process and keeps us fuller for longer. In a study published in the journal Nutrition, scientists found that instructing participants to eat an apple before meals resulted in significant weight loss. Plus, they’re packed with antioxidants, so go ahead and chomp one to boost your overall health.RELATED: Seriously Though, How Many Kilojoules Are In An Apple?Try This Healthy Apple Crumble RecipeStruggling to get your apples in? Make this pudding and feed it to the whole family – it’s so healthy, you could eat it for breakfast! Plus, it’s gluten-free, and if you swap out the honey for agave, it’s vegan too. We made this recipe using Fresh Earth’s granola, but you can always make your own delicious DIY granola at home.

      Healthy Apple Crumble

      Amy Hopkins

      Gluten-free, breakfast-friendly and almost too good to share. This apple crumble is best served warm with coconut cream – and can easily go vegan if you use agave instead of honey.

      Prep Time 5 minutes minsCook Time 40 minutes mins

      Course Breakfast

      Servings 4 servings

      5-7 Golden Delicious apples peeled, cored and sliced into moons½ tsp ground cinnamon½ tsp ground nutmeg½ tsp ground clovesHandful of pitted dates chopped350g gluten-free granola (honey flavour)½ cup  coconut oil melted2-3 tbsp honey or agave syrup (for vegan)
      Preheat oven to 160 degrees Celsius.In a baking tray or tart tin, lay out apple slices in concentric circles, overlapping in layers.Sprinkle over spices and scatter chopped dates over.Mix granola with coconut oil and spoon over apples until completely covered. Cover the tart tin with foil and bake for 30 minutes or so, until apples are soft. Remove foil, drizzle honey or agave syrup over the granola and bake for a further 10 minutes until golden. Serve warm with a drizzle of coconut cream (optional).

      Keyword Apple Crumble, breakfast

      Shop Gluten-Free Granola & Muesli: Health Connection Gluten-Free Muesli

      Gluten-Free Granola Honey

      Simple Truth Gluten-Free Muesli

      Looking for more recipes? Check out this easy air fryer milk tart worth sharing. Plus: Fudgy brownies that’ll make your diet seem decadent. Women’s Health participates in various affiliate marketing programmes, which means we may get paid commissions on editorially chosen products purchased through our links to retailer sites. More

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      You Need To Make Our Gingerbread Christmas Pudding Recipe This Festive Season

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      It’s time to put a new spin on an old classic. And we’d like to introduce you to this Gingerbread Christmas pudding recipe to help you do just that. You’ll warm up your pud by adding gingerbread spices and then drizzle over a luscious ginger caramel sauce for added wow factor.READ MORE: Try This Tasty Snowy Angel Cake Recipe For ChristmasPhotography: Myles New

      READ MORE: These 6 Healthy Festive Recipes Will Complete Your Christmas Menu

      3 Pre-Made Festive Desserts If You’re Running Low On Time

      While this dessert only requires 25 minutes of hands-on time, we understand you might not have more than 30 mins to spend on making a dessert. Bulk up your dessert station by stocking up on some of these delicious pre-made options from Woolworths.

      Christmas Fruit Pudding

      Looking for a Christmas pudding option sans the booze? We have just the thing for you! This fruit pudding contains no alcohol and is expertly crafted with juicy vine fruit, glacé cherries, roasted almonds and pecan nuts.

      Malva Christmas Pudding

      This locally-made, all-butter pudding with vine fruits combines two SA faves, malva pudding and Christmas pudding. It’s soaked in a creamy malva liqueur with apricots and made with free range eggs. Yum, yum yum!

      Fruit Trifle

      What’s a South African summer celebration without a trusty trifle? This trifle doesn’t skimp on any of your favourite ingredients with layers of fruit compote, jelly, vanilla sponge, custard and fresh whipped cream.

      READ MORE: How To Manage The Festive Sugar Spike This Christmas – For Adults And Kids

      Gingerbread Christmas Pudding

      This decadently spiced pud is topped with a ginger caramel sauce for extra indulgence. Yes please!

      Prep Time 25 minutes minsCook Time 4 hours hrs 30 minutes minsTotal Time 4 hours hrs 55 minutes mins

      Course DessertCuisine British

      Servings 8 peopleCalories 482 kcal

      For The Christmas Pudding175 g Raisins175 g Sultanas100 g Medjool dates, stoned and finely chopped25 g Chopped mixed peel100 ml Apple juice50 ml BrandyButter, to grease150 g Grated apple2 tsp Ground cinnamon 2 tsp Mixed spice2 tsp Ground ginger3 balls Stem ginger/Ginger Preserves, drained and finely chopped 100 g Dark brown soft sugar75 g Treacle75 g Golden syrup100 g Plain flour75 g Fresh white breadcrumbs1 large Egg, beaten25 g Vegetarian suetFor The Ginger Caramel Sauce50 g Caster sugar50 ml Water150 ml Double cream15 g Unsalted butter3 Tbsp Ginger syrup
      For The Christmas PuddingPut the dried fruit, mixed peel, apple juice and brandy into a large non-metallic bowl. Mix, cover and leave to soak overnight at room temperature.Grease a 900ml pudding basin and line the base with a disc of baking parchment. Put a 30.5cm square of foil on top of a square of baking parchment of the same size. Fold a 4cm pleat in the centre and set aside.Add remaining ingredients to the soaked fruit, mixing well. Transfer to the basin and press down. Put the foil and parchment (foil side up) on top and smooth down to cover. Tie a long piece of string securely under the lip of the basin and loop over the top to create a handle.To cook, put a heatproof saucer into a large pan that has a tight-fitting lid. Lower in the pudding and pour in water to halfway up the sides of the basin. Cover with the lid, bring to a boil and simmer for 4½hr, topping up the water as necessary.Remove the pudding from the pan and leave to cool completely. Wrap the entire basin in a layer of clingfilm followed by a layer of foil. Store in a cool, dark place and leave to mature for up to 2 months.For The Ginger Caramel SauceHeat the caster sugar and water in a heavy-bottomed pan, stirring, until sugar dissolves. Turn up the heat and bubble until a deep caramel colour – do not stir, rather swirl the pan. Remove from heat and slowly stir in the double cream, followed by the unsalted butter and ginger syrup (from a stem ginger jar). Return to the heat to dissolve any hardened sugar, stirring. Bubble for a couple of min. Take off heat. Cool slightly and serve warm or at room temperature over, or alongside, the pudding.To Reheat Christmas PuddingRemove clingfilm and foil and re-cover with a new lid as per instructions in steps 2 and 3. Following method in step 4, steam for 1½hr until piping hot in the centre when pierced with a skewer. Remove from the pan and leave to sit for 5min. Remove lid and invert on to a serving plate. Peel off baking parchment and serve with Ginger Caramel Sauce, if you like.

      Tip: Get ahead by making the Ginger Caramel Sauce up to a day ahead. Cool, cover and chill. To serve, reheat gently in a pan.
      One serving of Ginger Caramel Sauce is 1 Tbsp. Per 1 Tbsp: 74cals, 0g protein, 6g fat (4g saturates), 5g carbs (5g total sugars), 0g fibre
      Per Serving of Gingerbread Christmas Pudding: 408cals, 5g protein, 4g fat (2g saturates), 83g carbs (68g total sugars), 3g fibre
       

      Keyword Christmas, Classic Dish, dessert, sauce

      Recipes: Meike Beck and Gabriella English | Food Styling: Meike Beck | Prop Styling: Jenny Igglenden | Photography: Kris Kirkham & Myles NewThis recipe was originally published in the November 2018 issue of Good Housekeeping UK More

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      Super-Healthy Hot Cross Buns Recipe!

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      We’ve found the recipe ingredient that’s not only packed with nutrients, vitamins and minerals – it’s also easy for gluten-intolerants to digest. And did we mention these buns are dairy- and sugar-free too? Thank us later…

      And the ingredient is (drumroll)… Spelt. Here’s how to use it to elevate your hot cross buns:

      Spelt Hot Cross Buns Recipe

      Spelt Hot Cross Buns

      This hot cross buns recipe is not only packed with nutrients – it’s also easy for gluten-intolerants to digest and are dairy- and sugar-free.

      Course Dessert, Snack

      300g spelt flour2½ tbsp coconut-blossom nectar or agave syrup1 tsp quick yeast2 tsp mixed spice1½ tsp Himalayan salt
5 cardamom pods, crushed1 large free-range egg25g coconut oil150ml almond milk70g dried apricots, chopped50g dried currantsFor The Crosses50g spelt flour25g almond milk
      Mix the flour, nectar (or syrup), yeast, spice, salt and cardamom in
 a bowl. Separately, whisk the egg, coconut oil and almond milk together and slowly mix it into the flour. Fold in the apricots and currants until it becomes a dough.Allow the dough 
to rest for one hour in a warm spot until it has risen. Knead dough for five minutes. Cut into eight balls. Place on 
a lined tray and rest for 30 minutes.Preheat the oven to 180°C and start making the crosses. Mix together the flour and milk and roll the dough into sausages.Once the buns have risen, mix a little nectar or syrup with water and brush over the top of the buns and stick on the crosses. Bake the buns in the oven for about 15 minutes, until golden. Brush again with the sweetened water and serve warm or toasted.

      Keyword Easter

      The Perfect Pairing For A Long Weekend: More

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      Try This Tasty Snowy Angel Cake Recipe For Christmas

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      Angel cake is made with egg whites alone – no yolk or butter – and is magically light so it’s perfect for summer and its pure, white snowiness is an ingenious nod to Christmas. Cook’s Tips: To cool, place the neck of a wine bottle through the ring of the cake tin, with the cake facing down – this helps the cake shrink away from the sides of the tin. Omit the filling and icing and simply serve slices as a base for strawberries and cream. More

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      The Ultimate Raspberry Yoghurt ‘Cheese’ Cake Recipe You Need to Try

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      Did someone just say ‘healthy cheesecake’?!

      If you’re looking for a fun and festive dessert to serve this Easter, then this recipe is a must-try. This Middle-Eastern-inspired yoghurt cake popularised by Claudia Roden is reminiscent of a cheesecake but much lighter, fluffier and more flan-like. It is a perfect blend of tangy yoghurt, zesty lemon, and sweet raspberries.

      Pair This Cheesecake Recipe Along With…

      Let’s Bake Something Healthy

      This recipe is super easy to follow and doesn’t require any fancy equipment or ingredients. All you need is a few basic kitchen essentials, a bit of time, and a whole lot of love for cheesecake (but the healthy kind).

      Nutritional Information Per serving:

      460kJ | 3g fat (1g sat) | 65mg sodium | 19g carbs | 2g fibre | 16g sugars | 5g protein

      Ed’s Tips For This Raspberry ‘Cheese’ Cake:

      Try it with Greek-style yoghurt.

      Full cream yoghurt ups the calories per serving from 109kcal to 140kcal.

      Add extra lemon zest along with the raspberries for an extra sweet sour taste.

      Raspberry Yoghurt ‘Cheese’ Cake

      This is a Middle-Eastern yoghurt cake popularised by Claudia Roden that is reminiscent of a cheesecake, but much lighter, fluffier and more flan-like.

      Prep Time 15 minsCook Time 50 mins

      Course Dessert

      Servings 8Calories 109 kcal

      4 eggs, separated100g castor sugar 1/2 cup400g low-fat plain yoghurt3 tbsp flourGrated zest of 1 lemon125g raspberries 1 small punnet
      Preheat the oven to 180°C. Butter and flour a 18cm-diameter, loose-bottomed cake tin and line the bottom with baking paper.Beat the egg whites until stiff peaks form. Beat the egg yolks with the sugar until thick, pale and creamy.Mix yoghurt, flour and lemon zest into the yolks.Mix a spoonful of the egg whites into the yoghurt mixture to loosen. Fold the egg whites into the yoghurt mixture, gently but thoroughly, until well combined. Spoon into the tin.Drop in the raspberries and bake in the lower third of the oven for 50 minutes or until a skewer inserted comes out clean.Cool on a wire rack – the cake will soufflé up and then sink again. Serve warm or cold.

      Keyword dessert More

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      This Beetroot Chocolate Cake Is So Moist It Doesn’t Even Need Icing

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      Looking for a healthy food take on chocolate cake? This light chocolate cake is gorgeous and moist as is, with no need for sugary ganache or icing.
      Chocolate cake can be deadly for your kilojoule count, since it’s packed with sugar, refined flour and oil. But you can easily substitute for a higher fibre flour, like oat or chickpea flour, that doesn’t compromise on texture and flavour. Also, try substituting sugar for honey or another sugar-free alternative for a sweet, decadent treat that won’t break the kilojoule bank.
      READ MORE: Are Air Fryers Actually Healthy Or Am I Kidding Myself?
      What You Need

      250g cooked beetroot
      200g butter
      200g 70% dark chocolate
      4 tbsp hot espresso
      135g wholewheat flour
      1 tsp baking powder
      3 tbsp cocoa
      5 free-range eggs, separated
      150g castor sugar or sugar replacement

      READ MORE: 5 Mistakes Almost Everyone Makes When They Start New Year’s Resolution Diets
      Method

      Preheat the oven to 180°C.
      Grease a 20cm nonstick cake tin with a little Spray and Cook and line the bottom of the tin with baking paper.
      Purée the beetroot in a food processor.
      Heat the butter and chocolate in a microwave for 10 seconds at a time, or until just melted, then pour in the hot coffee and leave to cool slightly.
      Sift the flour, baking powder and cocoa in a bowl and set aside.
      Separate the eggs, then whisk the yolks in a bowl until frothy.
      Stir the eggs into the chocolate and butter mixture and fold in the beetroot.
      Whisk the egg whites until stiff peaks form, then fold in the sugar.
      Fold the sugar and egg whites into the chocolate mixture, then fold in the flour and cocoa mixture.
      Pour the batter into the tin and bake for 40 to 45 minutes, or until a skewer inserted into the cake comes out clean.

      SERVES 8. Per 158g serving: 2 215kJ, 34g fat (20g sat), 48g carbs, 140mg sodium, 4g fibre, 9g protein
      READ MORE: Exactly How To Make The Perfect Pizza On The Braai More

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      These Banana Muffins Actually Alleviate PMS And Cramping

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      Banana muffins: not totally at the top of the list of items you’re grasping for when you’re in the throes of PMS. But, while chocolate is your bestie, try pairing it with this recipe.
      Here’s why: Bananas provide cramp-busting potassium and vitamin B6, a hormone regulator that may help reduce water retention, depression, and other PMS symptoms. And buy yoghurt that delivers calcium and vitamin D: the dynamic duo has been shown to slash PMS symptoms by up to 40 percent. Add magnesium-rich walnuts to the mix – the mineral, which may reduce irritability and stabilise blood sugar, can help you control PMS-fueled “I want to devour everything” urges.
      READ MORE: 4 Delicious Desk Lunches That Don’t Involve Bread
      Banana, Yoghurt And Walnut Muffins
      Prep: 10 min Cook: 22 min
      Ingredients1 1/4 cups oatmeal1/2 cup rice flour1/4 cup ground flaxseed1 tsp baking powder1 tsp bicarbonate of soda2 eggs, beaten1/4 cup plain yogurt3 medium ripe bananas, mashed1/2 cup honey1/3 cup grapeseed oil1/4 cup walnut pieces
      READ MORE: 6 Milk Alternatives You Should Consider If Dairy Is No Longer Your Friend
      Method1. Preheat oven to 190°C.2. In a large bowl, whisk together oatmeal, flour, flaxseed, baking powder and bicarbonate of soda.3. In a separate bowl, combine the eggs, yoghurt, bananas, honey and oil. Add flour mixture and fold in the walnuts.4. Spoon the batter into paper-lined muffin trays. Bake for 20 to 22 minutes or until the tops spring back when lightly touched. Cool on a wire rack.
      Makes 12. Per 83g muffin: 921kJ, 10g fat (1g sat), 160mg sodium, 31g carbs, 3g fibre, 16g sugars, 4g protein
      Here are 5 easy detox dinners that taste exactly like comfort food. Plus: 6 wintry oat recipes that’ll kick-start your day. More