Troubleshoot Your Buns - Cracking

Sometimes, an otherwise perfect bun can crack during baking. It splits at the side or over the top, as though something were trying to hatch out of it.

It's not fatal. The bun will still taste nice. It'll still look passable too, with a nice shiny glaze. But if you're worried about your buns splitting and cracking, the secret is in the proving time.

I was saying the same thing about loaves doing the lid-lifting thing, last week.

You need to strike a balance between proving too much and proving too little.

Underproving results in uneven rising in the oven, which leads to cracking. If you overprove, you're in danger of bun-collapse.

The general rule is to let the dough double in size. It's not easy to judge when a bun has doubled in size but, if in doubt, leave it longer.

And remember, home made bread always tastes delicious, even if it doesn't look quite as beautiful as you'd hoped.

The recipe for these hot cross buns is here.