Easter is a great time to relax and enjoy the fresh flavours of the spring. It is also a fantastic time for entertaining family and friends. Not to forget the indulgent chocolates available in all sorts of shapes and sizes to be enjoyed as well, whatever your age. I love the Easter break as it brings the freshness in baking and cooking, and you can start thinking of outdoor picnics to parks and beaches, lots more outdoor entertaining and barbecues.
And one of my favourite things about Easter is without a doubt the hot cross buns. You can find so many flavours in these buns nowadays and I try to have as many as I can. My kids love these too and we eat them toasted with butter, with jam, with chocolate spread and sometimes just plain.
Not only do I love the hot cross buns for being the perfect fruity bread but I also love to use them as an ingredient for something even more flavourful and delicious. One of my childhood memories about school holidays is having the warm French toast made by my Mum, which I thoroughly enjoyed. I still remember the taste of the soft pillowy bread cooked in egg and milk. So I have decided to cook something similar for my kids this Easter and add a little sweetness and warmth of cardamom to it, which lifts it to another level. I am also adding some orange which adds the fresh fruity notes and helps lighten the eggy taste. To make it extra special for Easter I am using hot cross buns instead of normal white bread.
I am working with Sainsbury’s to bring you this exciting Easter recipe, which you can enjoy with your whole family, grandparents and kids alike. This recipe is exciting and delicious and even better if you are cooking with your kids as this is super simple and straight forward to make yet full of flavours.
I love the range of hot cross buns in Sainsbury’s but I especially like their baked in store buns and their Taste the Difference Fruity Hot Cross Buns are equally as delicious. You make this recipe your own by adding lemon instead of orange or cinnamon instead of cardamom but I would have to insist that you try my version first to enjoy the beauty of this combination. And even better serve it with a scoop of vanilla ice-cream!
Cardamom and Orange Hot Cross Bun French toast
4 Sainsbury’s Hot Cross Buns
2 large eggs
100 ml whole milk
1 tbsp melted unsalted butter
1 tsp cardamom powder
2 tbsp caster sugar
zest of 2 oranges
Unsalted butter for cooking
Vanilla ice cream to serve
Mix the egg, milk, butter, cardamom, sugar, zest all in a bowl. Whisk until combined well.
Slice the buns in half and flatten them slightly with a rolling pin.
Heat the frying pan and add 1 tsp of butter. While that is melting soak one slice of the bun into the egg mix and leave it for few seconds. Place the dipped bun into the pan and cook on low to medium heat for 1 minute on each side until nice and golden.
Serve them warm on a plate with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.
These look delicious & will be a definite Easter treat for my grandsons. Thanks Chetna for all your lovely recipes & ideas …… Happy Easter
I really do like these, first had them at Easter, found some lurking in my freezer, great with some smoked bacon for a Boxing Day breakfast treat 🙂 thanks for the idea.