Hot cross buns

Ingredients

• 500 grams standard flour
• half teaspoon salt
• 3 teaspoons mixed spice
• 50 grams white (caster) sugar, could use brown
• 50g butter
• 200 grams mixed fruit
• 10 grams yeast
• 200 mls warm milk
• 2 big eggs - beaten

Method

Put flour, salt, spice and sugar in bowl and mix.

Melt the butter then add the mixed fruit, yeast, milk and eggs along with the dry ingredients.

Work on the dough for 5 to 10 minutes until it makes a nice smooth constituency.

Leave for 15 mins in covered bowl to prove (this is the first prove).

Shape into buns and leave for an hour at room temperature covered with a moist hot  tea towel* to prove under (*run tea towel under hot water).

For the cross:

• 50 grams butter
• 100 mls of water
• 80 grams flour
• 80 mls milk

Heat butter and water in bowl in pot/microwave.

Mix through flour to thicken. Once this has formed into a dough add milk to make a smooth consisitency

Pipe the cross on, just before you put them in the oven, after they have proved.

Bake at 200°C for 20 mins until golden brown.

Glaze after the buns come out of oven. Brush it on, and once dry it will leave a dull shiny glaze
Use a sugar glaze (apricot jam with a little bit of water, or sugar and water even better).