Hot Cross Buns recipe

Ingredients:

Bun dough

1 egg beaten with a little milk
75ml milk
25g butter
Zest of half an orange (optional)
1 egg beaten
200g plain flour, sifted
1 sachet dried yeast
75g sultanas (optional)
½ teaspoon cinnamon

Flour paste

3 tbsp plain flour
½ teaspoon castor sugar
2 tablespoons water

Glaze

1 tablespoon castor sugar
1 tablespoon boiling water

Method:

1. Heat the milk, butter and orange zest in a saucepan on a gentle heat. Once the butter has melted take off the heat and set aside to infuse.
2. Combine flour, yeast, sultanas and cinnamon in a large bowl.
3. When the milk mixture has become tepid (it should feel neither hot nor cold when you dip your finger into it) beat in the egg and add the wet mixture to the dry ingredients.
4. Mix gently with a wooden spoon and then turn onto a floured surface and knead by hand for ten minutes or until the dough has come together. It should be silky and elastic, but will not be perfectly silky due to the sultanas.
5. Place mix into a lightly buttered bowl, cover with clingwrap and leave to rise in a warm place for approximately 1 hour.
6. Preheat the oven to 220ºC.
7. Punch the air out of the dough and turn out onto a floured surface to knead once more until elastic.
8. Divide the mixture into halves until you have around 6 balls of dough.
9. Place the balls onto baking paper (keeping them close enough to be snug, but not touching each other).
10. Using a butter knife make a cross indentation in the top of the buns. Cover with a tea towel and leave to rise for a further 30 minutes.
11. Brush the buns with the egg wash. Combine the flour, sugar and water to form a thick paste. Dribble this paste onto the cross of the buns.
12. Bake for 15 – 20 minutes.
13. When the buns are cooked and golden, remove from the oven and brush with the sugar glaze.
14. ENJOY!!!!!!!

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