Hot Cross Buns

Ingredients:

Buns:

• 1 Tbsp Active dry yeast
• ½ cup (100g) Caster sugar
• 5 cups (350ml) Milk
• 5 cups (630g) High grade flour
• 2 tsp Mixed spice
• 2 tsp Ground cinnamon
• 50g Butter, soft
• 1 Egg
• ¾ cup (130g) Chocolate chips (or sultanas or mixed peel, optional)

Crosses:

• ¼ cup (50ml) Cold water
• 20g Butter
• Pinch Salt
• Pinch Sugar
• 4 Tbsp + 1 tsp (30g) Plain flour
• 1 egg

Glaze:

• 1 Tbsp Cold water
• 2 tsp Gelatin powder
• ¼ cup (60ml) Cold water
• ½ cup (100g) Caster sugar

Method:

Buns:

1. Line a baking dish with baking paper.
2. Weigh up the milk and heat until it is lukewarm. Place into a large bowl.
3. Measure the sugar and add 2 tsp out of the ½ cup of sugar to the milk. Measure the yeast and add to the milk, stir until dissolved.
4. Set aside for a few minutes until the mix is starting to become foamy indicating that the yeast is active.
5. Measure the flour, mixed spice and cinnamon and sieve over the milk.
6. Measure the butter, melt and add.
7. Add the remaining sugar and the egg and mix until a sticky dough forms. You can do this with a hand mixer using the dough hook.
8. Knead the dough until it is elastic. If you do it by hand, lightly flour the work bench.
9. Add the chocolate chips or sultanas or mixed peel and mix in.
10. Clean and lightly oil the mixing bowl, place the dough inside, cover with a clean tea towel and set aside in a warm place until the dough has doubled in size – which takes about 1 hour.
11. Divide the dough into 20 even pieces, roll each piece into a ball and place into the balls in rows into the baking dish.
12. Cover with a clean tea towel again and let rise for about 30 minutes in a warm place.

Crosses:

13. Preheat oven to 200C.
14. Weigh up the water, butter, salt, and sugar in a small saucepan. Bring to the boil.
15. Measure the flour and add at once immediately when the water starts to boil. Stir with a wooden spoon until the mix leaves the sides of the saucepan.
16. Take the saucepan off the heat and let the mix cool down.
17. Crack the egg into a small bowl and whisk with a fork.
18. Gradually add the egg to the mix, beating well after each addition until the mix reaches piping consistency.
19. Fill the mix into a piping bag and cut the tip off.
20. Pipe crosses onto the risen buns.
21. Bake for ca. 30 minutes or until golden and springy to the touch.

Glaze:

While the buns are in the oven

22. Measure 1 Tbsp of water into a small bowl and sprinkle over 2 tsp of gelatin powder. This will gel.
23. Measure ¼ cup of water and the sugar into a small saucepan and place over very low heat, stir until the sugar is dissolved.
24. Add the gelatin and stir until it is dissolved for 1-2 minutes.
25. Brush the warm glaze generously over the buns while they are still hot.
26. Enjoy the warm buns with butter!