Hot Cross Buns

Ingredients

• 50g unsalted butter
• 150 ml milk
• Zest of 1/2 lemon
• 1 teaspoon All Spice
• 1 egg
• 400g plain flour
• 7g dried yeast
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon ground ginger
• 100g chopped dates
• 50g mixed peel
• Egg wash – 1 beaten egg

Flour cross 

• 4 tablespoons plain flour
• 1 tablespoon caster sugar
• 5 tablespoons hot water

Method

1. Pre-heat oven to 210 degrees Celsius.
2. Melt the butter in a pan over medium heat with the milk, zest and All Spice – set side to cool. Once cooled, whisk in the egg with a fork until all combined.
3. Assemble mixer using the dough hook. Sift the flour into the mixer bowl. Turn mixer to FOLDING / KNEADING setting. Add in the yeast, ginger, cinnamon, peel and dates. Mix briefly until combined.
4. Add the cooled milk/egg mix to the bowl of dry ingredients and knead until elastic. Turn out onto a floured bench and knead dough for a further few minutes by hand.
5. Place the ball of dough into a lightly greased bowl and cover with cling film. Leave in a warm spot for about an hour or so, until it has approx. doubled in size.
6. After it has rested, hand knead it again for another 5 or so minutes.
7. Cut the ball of dough in half and then cut each half into 5, leaving you a total of 10 pieces of dough, roll into balls.
8. Put the 10 balls onto a baking paper lined tray about 1cm apart and cover with a kitchen towel for 1/2 and hour.
9. After 1/2 an hour brush each bun with egg wash and then using a disposable piping bag (or a plastic sandwich bag with the tip chopped off) pipe on the flour cross (made from combining all flour cross ingredients in a bowl until you get a thick paste…. if too thin, add flour, if too thick, add water.)
10. Bake for 15 minutes (or until golden – I overcooked mine a tad in the pictures below!)