Flor takes its baking seriously. Reaching notoriety for its sourdough, pastries and – notably – hot cross buns, firstly under Pam Yung and latterly by Helen Evans, the subsequent restaurant and pizzeria was recently closed to allow the team to fully focus on the baked goods.
"Here at Flor, everything starts with the flour," Evans tells us. It makes sense – this recipe is no beginners' shortcut. It calls for four different types of flour alongside the addition of sourdough starter. "We aim to use heritage flours as often as we can; varieties such as Red Lammas and Miller’s Choice work perfectly in our pizza dough, a little einkorn gives our croissants a much more interesting flavour and Hen Gymro (‘Old Welsh’ wheat) is a constant feature in our house sourdough loaf," she continues.
On sourcing the right flour, Evans says "Buy the tastiest and most sustainably produced flour you can find. Bakery Bits online occasionally stocks John Letts’s heritage ‘Lammas Fayre’ flours, and The Fresh Flour Company specialises in heritage varieties. Gilchesters Organics sells stoneground flour (including wholemeal spelt and rye) in domestic size bags too, available online, and you can also buy from Natoora. If you can’t get your hands on Red Lammas flour, spelt or rye, then simply substitute strong white flour, preferably stoneground." Other substitutions include dark brown soft sugar if you can't find barley malt syrup and dried yeast in lieu of fresh yeast – you'll need around half a 7g sachet.
Packed full of warming spices, little nuggets of dried fruit and topped with a glossy, lip-smacking spiced syrup, these hot cross buns are just about as good as it gets. Flex those baking muscles and dive on in.
