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Word and photos by Grace

Hot cross buns, the first thing I ever baked and the reason I carried on baking. Visits from my Irish family have always meant a big dinner and something sweet to follow, preferably with a cup of tea. So I decided instead of buying a pack of hot cross buns, that I would go to the big effort to bake them myself. Something my dad seemed to question, as buying them would be a heck of a lot quicker and maybe even cheaper to make, but by then the dough was proving and I was actually enjoying the process and firmly believed that home bakes are always better, whether their quicker or cheaper to make. Since making these sweet buns, I realised how much I love to make them but also eat, so I gave some others a go, such as chelsea buns & cinnamon swirls; my sisters favourite. Some people like to give this traditional Easter treat a bit of a twist, for example adding orange zest, cranberries and even making chocolate hot cross buns as an alternative for those who aren’t a fan of mixed dried fruit. However I’m quite the old school traditionalist, so I have always used this recipe..minus the mixed peel, not a big fan. These sweet buns are perfect with a cuppa and even better cut in half, warmed up and toasted with some butter…scrummy!

Ingredients:

For the buns:

• 300ml full-fat milk, plus 2 tbsp more
• 50g butter
• 500g strong bread flour
• 1 tsp salt
• 75g caster sugar
• 1 tbsp sunflower oil
• 7g sachet fast-action or easy-blend yeast
• 1 egg, beaten
• 75g sultana
• 100g of raisins
• zest 1 orange
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
  

For the cross:
75g plain flour, plus extra for dusting

For the glaze:
3 tbsp apricot jam

Method:

• Bring the milk to the boil, then remove from the heat and add the butter. Leave to cool until it reaches hand temperature. Put the flour, salt, sugar and yeast into a bowl. Make a well in the centre. Pour in the warm milk and butter mixture, then add the egg. Using a wooden spoon, mix well, then bring everything together with your hands until you have a sticky dough.
• Tip onto a lightly floured surface and knead by holding the dough with one hand and stretching it with the heel of the other hand, then folding it back on itself. Repeat for 5 mins until smooth and elastic. Put the dough in a lightly oiled bowl. Cover with oiled cling film and leave to rise in a warm place for 1 hr or until doubled in size and a finger pressed into it leaves a dent.
• With the dough still in the bowl, tip in the sultanas, raisins, orange zest and cinnamon. Knead into the dough, making sure everything is well distributed. Leave to rise for 1 hr more, or until doubled in size, again covered by some well-oiled cling film to stop the dough getting a crust.
• Divide the dough into 15 even pieces (about 75g per piece ). Roll each piece into a smooth ball on a lightly floured work surface. Arrange the buns on one or two baking trays lined with parchment, leaving enough space for the dough to expand. Cover (but don’t wrap) with more oiled cling film, or a clean tea towel, then set aside to prove for 1 hr more.
• Heat oven to 220C/200C fan/gas 7. Mix the flour with about 5 tbsp water to make the paste for the cross – add the water 1 tbsp at a time, so you add just enough for a thick paste. Spoon into a piping bag with a small nozzle. Pipe a line along each row of buns, then repeat in the other direction to create crosses.
  Bake for 20 mins on the middle shelf of the oven, until golden brown.
  Gently heat the apricot jam to melt, then sieve to get rid of any chunks. While the jam is still warm, brush over the top of the warm buns and leave to cool.