Hot Cross Buns

• Warm the milk to approx. 36c which is body temperature (dip your finger to see that its neither hot nor cold). Add in the yeast along with a teaspoon of sugar and give it a stir and allow to sit for 5 minutes to activate.
• Using a stand mixer, place all the dry ingredients in the bowl and give it a little mix using the dough hook.
• Add in the remainder of ingredients along with the milk, egg and melted butter.
• Mix for approx. 3 minutes on a medium speed.
• The dough should still be a little sticky but don’t worry or be attempted to add more flour. (the wetter the dough, the fluffier the buns!)
• Scrape out the dough and place it in a large lightly oiled bowl and cover it with cling film. The bowl needs to be large enough to allow the dough to double in size.
• Now I know this is a little unorthodox, but the best place to prove the dough is in your dryer, yes I said dryer!! Turn on your empty dryer for 3 minutes to heat it up, place your bowl of dough into the dryer and close the door. It the perfect condition to prove your dough (no draft and just the right temperature!).
• It should take approx. 30- 40 minutes to prove the dough. You’ll know when the dough has doubled in size.
• Place the dough out on a floured work surface and divide into 12 equal pieces (115geach)
• Roll each piece into a ball and place in a greased and floured baking tray until you have 3x4=12 across the baking tray (I find the grill tray of the oven perfect for this). Don’t worry if they are touching one another as its nicer when they are torn apart when cooked but it’s up to you.
• Reheat the dryer again for 3 minutes and place the covered tray of buns in the warm dryer to rise again until doubled in size (about 30-40 minutes.
• Meanwhile, turn on your oven to 180c and place a tray of boiling water on the base of the oven to allow it to steam the buns while cooking.
• When the buns have doubled in size, remove them from the dryer and brush with egg wash (egg & pinch of salt, then mix well)
• For the cross, make a thick paste out of a tablespoon of flour and a tablespoon of water, and mix really well until smooth and place it in a plastic or paper piping bag with no nozzle and cut a tiny hole at the point of the bag to allow you to pipe the paste.
• Pipe a cross across the top of the buns and place in the preheated oven for 25-30minutes until golden brown in colour. As soon as the come out of the oven, check that they are cooked underneath them glaze them with apricot glaze(apricot jam or marmalade mixed with a little water and heated in the microwave, then strain).
• Allow to cool for at least 20 minutes for the dough-iness to cook out.
• Perfect with a lump of butter and a cup of tea! Enjoy

• 650g plain flour
• 2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 2 tsp mixed spice
• ½ tsp salt
• 1-2 oranges (grated zest only)
• 110g caster sugar
• 10g instant yeast
• 360ml warm milk (around 36c)
• 50g melted and cooled butter
• 200g sultanas or mixed fruit
• 1 egg

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• 1 egg to glaze
• 1 tbsp apricot jam (or marmalade)to glaze