Hot Cross Buns

Ingredients

• 2&1/2 cups cake flour or all purpose flour (plus 1/4 cup extra See Note 1)
• 1&1/2 teaspoon instant dry yeast
• 1/4 cup castor sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup warm milk
• 1 large egg (room temperature)
• 50 grams butter (soft)
• 1/2 cup sultanas/raisins
• 1 teaspoon all spice
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 cup cake flour
• 3 tablespoon water
• 2 teaspoon apricot jam
• 1/2 teaspoon water

Instructions

1. 1

   Ad the sultanas/raisins to a bowl and pour in some boiling water. Allow to sit for 10 minutes, drain the water and set aside.

2. 2

   Place all the dry ingredients in a stand mixer of large bowl. Mix well

3. 3

   Mix the soft butter with the warm milk and add it to the dry ingredients together with the egg. Add the sultanas/raisins

4. 4

   Start mixing on a low speed, on my kitchen aid it is speed 2. Once the flour is combined with the wet ingredients increase to a medium speed and knead for 10 minutes. You can also knead the dough by hand, should take between 10 and 12 minutes. If the dough is too sticky you can add a tablespoon of flour and add more only if required. You still want a very soft dough but not sticky

5. 5

   When the dough is ready it will pull away from the sides of the bowl

6. 6

   Grease a large bowl and place the dough into the bowl, rubbing some oil on the dough as well. Cover with a clean Kitchen towel and allow to rest in a warm place until it has doubled in size. Should take about an hour to an hour and a half depending on the weather and environment

7. 7

   Once the dough has risen remove the kitchen towel and punch to deflate

8. 8

   Knead the dough lightly and divide the dough into 12 equal pieces

9. 9

   Pinch the ends of the dough to gather in the centre and roll in your palms to create a neat round ball

10. 10

    Preheat oven to 170 degrees celsius

11. 11

    Place the dough in a lined baking tray and cover again with a kitchen towel and allow to rise for another 20-30 minutes or until the dough has risen again

12. 12

    Pipe the crosses on top of the buns and bake in the oven for 20-25 minutes or until the tops are golden brown

13. 13

    Mix the water and apricot jam and microwave for 20 seconds. Brush this on top of the hot cross buns whilst they are still warm. Remove the hot cross buns from the pan and allow to cool on a cooling rack

14. 14

    --- Crosses ---

15. 15

    To make the crossed mix the flour with the water. Add the water a little at a time to form a runny paste, not too runny or too thick. Adjust the water as required