Not Easter without hot cross buns! Choose the spiced traditional or our triple chocolate, chilli cheese, or apple and cinnamon varieties.
INGREDIENTS
– 250ml whole milk– 50g unsalted butter, cut into cube– 500g strong white bread flour, plus 140g for the crosses and extra for dusting– ½ tsp ground cinnamon– 85g golden caster sugar– 7g sachet fast-action dried yeast– 2 eggs, beaten– vegetable or sunflower oil, for the bowl– 100g mixed dried fruit– 50g mixed citrus peel– 2 tbsp apricot jam
INSTRUCTIONS
Step 1
Heat milk in a small pot on low until steaming. Remove the pan from heat, add the butter, and stir until the butter melts and the milk cools.
Step 2
Mix 500g flour, cinnamon, sugar, yeast, and 1 tsp salt in a large bowl. Add the warm milk mixture and half the beaten egg and stir with a wooden spoon until it clumps.
Step 3
Turn out onto a floured board and knead for 10 minutes until smooth and elastic.
Step 4
The dough should spring back when touched. location in an oiled basin, cover with a tea towel, and proof in a warm location for 2 hours until doubled.
Step 5
Flour your largest baking tray. Return the dough to the work surface and equally distribute the dry fruit and mixed peel.
Step 6
Make a long sausage out of the dough and cut it into 12 85g pieces. Roll each piece into a compact, smooth ball and place on the floured tray with a slight space.
Step 7
Cover loosely with a clean tea towel and prove in a warm area for 1 hour, or until practically doubled in size—the buns should touch.
Step 8
Brush the buns with the remaining beaten egg and bake at 180C/160C fan/gas 4.
Step 9
Stir 140g flour and water into a smooth, thick paste, then spoon into a piping bag with a small round nozzle (or snip off one corner of a sandwich bag).
Step 10
Bake the buns for 25 minutes until deep golden brown and cooked through.
Step 11
Brush jam on buns after loosening it with 1-2 tsp hot water. After cooling on the tray for 10 minutes, serve warm or toasted with butter. Will last three days in an airtight container or two months frozen.