I have given this recipe to numerous people and they all come back to tell me how much they loved it. So easy, it's a perfect beginner's recipe.
As the outside temperature drops, there is nothing better than having freshly baked hot cross buns straight out of the oven. The oven warms the kitchen and the smell of sweet spice fills the air.
I always bake several batches leading up to Easter every year.
For 9 hot cross buns
Warm a cup of milk to about body temperature.
Stir in 50g of brown sugar as well as a table spoon of dry yeast.
Set aside while measuring other ingredients.
Plain flour (don't use strong flour) 450g
Salt 1 tsp
Mixed spice 1 heaped tsp
Melted butter 40g
Egg 1
Dried fruit (a mix containing some peels are ideal) 150g
For the cross
Plain flour 50ml
Sugar 1 tsp
Water 1.5 tbs
Vegetable oil 1/2 tsp
Sugar syrup or apple jelly for glaze
Combine all the ingredients in a large bowl.
You don't need to knead it for long. Leave covered for one hour in a warm place.
After it has doubled in size, punch it down, cut into 9 equal portions.
Put a thumb in the middle of the dough and with the other fingers to pull the dough and tuck into the dent created by the thumb. This will give your bun a nice smooth surface.
place them 3 by 3 with at least a centimetre in between the buns.
When they expand, they will stick to each other, but it will be easy to pull them apart.
Mix the ingredients for the cross. You can use a small piping bag, but if you don't have one, use a small zip lock bag for snacks and make a small cut in the corner to squeeze the dough out.
Let rise for 45 minutes. Don't forget to preheat the oven to 180~200 degrees Celsius and bake for 20 minutes or till golden brown.
While the buns are still hot, use a pastry brush to glaze the buns.
I use my mother in law's apple jelly for this.
I think you can use apricot jam or the jelly from marmalade.
However, if you have neither of these, I don't think you need to glaze the buns at all.
If you want to, you can make some sugar syrup.
