Hot Cross Buns

Ingredients

• 120 g water (warm, ~1/2 cup)
• 1 tsp active dry yeast
• 250 g bread flour (~1 3/4 cups)
• 30 g sugar (~2 tbsp)
• 5 g cinnamon (~2 tsp)
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/2 large egg (lightly beaten, see notes)
• 25 g butter (room temp, ~2tbsp)
• 1/2 cup dried cherries
• 1/2 cup white chocolate (chopped, plus extra for crosses)
• 1 tbsp apricot jam

Instructions

1. 1

   Sprinkle the yeast onto the warm water and let proof. Meanwhile, in the bowl of your mixer, stir together the flour, sugar, cinnamon, and salt.

2. 2

   Whisk the egg into the foamy yeast mixture, then add the mix to the dry ingredients. Use a wooden spoon to stir together until everything comes into a ball. Switch to a dough hook and knead on low until the dough pulls away cleanly from the sides.

3. 3

   Add the room temperature butter and continue to knead on medium-low, for about 10 minutes, until the dough reaches the windowpane stage – take a piece of dough about the size of a golf ball and stretch it out between your fingers and thumbs. If you can stretch it without the dough breaking and you can see through the stretched dough, you’re good to go. If the dough doesn’t windowpane, knead a bit longer. Knead in the cherries and white chocolate.

4. 4

   Transfer the dough to a clean bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Place in a warm spot and let rise until doubled, 1-2 hours; dough that has mix-ins takes longer to rise.

5. 5

   Take the dough and tip it out onto a lightly floured surface. Punch down lightly then divide into 9 equal portions. If you want to be precise, use your kitchen scale to see how much your dough weighs, then divide by 9. Shape the portions of dough by bring the edges towards the center and tucking into balls. Lightly grease a 8×8 baking pan and evenly space the buns. Cover and let rise in a warm spot for 1 hour.

6. 6

   Heat the oven to 350°F. Bake for 15 minutes, or until golden brown. Let cool slightly. Stir the apricot jam with 2 teaspoons of hot water and gently brush on top of the buns. Pipe on crosses with melted white chocolate and enjoy!