Hot Cross Buns

Ingredients

• 4 teaspoons dried yeast
• 50 g caster sugar
• 325 ml milk
• 50 ml water
• 600 g 4 and 3/4 cups, plus 4 tablespoons plain flour
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon powder
• 1/2 teaspoon ginger
• 1/4 teaspoon grated nutmeg
• 1/4 teaspoon cloves powder
• 1/4 teaspoon cardamom powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 60 g soft butter
• 1 egg, lightly beaten
• 75 g currants
• 75 g raisins
• 3 teaspoons grated orange zest or candied peel
• 2 teaspoons vegetable oil

Glaze

• 1 and 1/2 tablespoons apricot jam

Flour paste

• 60 g plain flour
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 55 ml water

1. 1In a heat-resistant beaker or a saucepan, combine the water and the milk, add the sugar and heat it until it is warm.
2. 2Add the yeast, and whisk until the yeast dissolves. Cover, and let it stand for 10 minutes, until it is frothy.
3. 3Sift the flour, salt, and the spices into a large mixing bowl. To this add the raisins, currants and grated peel, and gently stir.
4. 4Then add the lightly beaten egg, the soft butter, and the frothy yeast mix and stir with a wooden spoon.
5. 5It’s time to knead the dough for 2 minutes — you can knead it in the bowl or on a lightly-floured surface. Add a few tablespoons of flour if the dough is too sticky. It should leave the sides of the bowl but remain sticky.
6. 6Brush the top with some vegetable oil and cover with a damp cotton tea towel. Let it stand in a warm place for 1 and 1/2 hours, or until the dough has doubled in size.
7. 7Knock the air out of the dough and knead it for a further two minutes on and lightly-floured surface.
8. 8Divide the dough into 16 equal (as best as you can) pieces and roll them into balls. Place them all, 4 in a row, into a greased 10- or 11-inch square shallow baking pan.
9. 9Cover, and let it stand for a further 30 minutes, or until the dough has doubled in volume.
10. 10To make the flour paste, stir the sugar and flour in a small mix bowl, and add the water a teaspoon at a time to make a smooth paste. Then, place it in a piping bag, cut off a small piece or insert a small plain tube and pipe crosses onto the buns. Go over them slowly as the buns have rounded surfaces.
11. 11Preheat your oven to 200ºC, and place the buns in, and bake for 10 minutes. Then, decrease the temperature to 180ºC and bake for a further 15-20 minutes.
12. 12You can check the doneness by knocking on them — you’ll have to hear a hollow sound. Turn them onto a rack to cool.
13. 13Brush with warm sieved apricot jam while they are still warm.