Hot Cross Buns

I've tested many recipes for hot cross buns; this one is my favourite. These buns are light and altogether delightful, not like the stodgy nonsense that sometimes passes for hot cross buns.

Makes 18 buns. Baking time is 15 to 18 minutes. Here's the full shopping list for this recipe.

1. Dry Ingredients and butter

450g/1 lb bread flour
pinch of salt
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1-2 teaspoons mixed spice
85g/3oz sugar
85g/3 oz butter

In a large bowl, sieve in the flour, then add the salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, mixed spice and the 3oz sugar.
Rub in the butter.

2. Yeast Mixture

4 tbsp yeast
1 tbsp sugar
8 to 10 oz warm milk
2 eggs

Warm up the milk.
Put 2/3 cup of the warm milk into a 2 cup measure. Add the yeast, and a tablespoon of sugar. Wait about ten minutes or so, until the yeast mixture is bubbling and has doubled in size.
In a bowl, whisk the eggs and the remaining warm milk. Pour this into the measuring jug with the yeast mixture. After a minute or two, this should fill the two-cup measure.

3. Dough

Make a well in the centre of the dry ingredients and add the egg, milk, and yeast mixture. Combine to a soft dough. Leave for about ten minutes.
Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface and knead until smooth.

4. Fruit

85g/3 oz currants
50g/2 oz sultanas
25g/1 oz chopped peel

(Feel free to substitute other dried fruits if these ones don't appeal.)

Add the dried fruit to the dough.
Continue to knead until the dough is smooth and shiny.

5. Rising

Lightly butter the inside of a large bowl. Place the dough in the bowl and turn once, so dough is lightly covered with butter. Now cover the bowl with plastic wrap or a tea towel. Leave the dough to rise in a warm place until it doubles in size.
(While dough is rising, grease a baking sheet. And make shortcrust pastry for crosses and glaze for buns, if desired.)

6. Buns

Turn dough out onto a lightly floured work surface, knock the dough back and leave to rest for a few minutes.
Divide into approximately 18 pieces. Shape into buns. Place them on a greased baking sheet.

7. Crosses and Glaze

egg wash, optional (e.g. 2 tbsp milk, 1 tsp sugar, 1 egg yolk)
shortcrust pastry

If you want to glaze the buns, do that by dipping fingers into the glaze mixture and gently painting the buns.
If you want crosses on the top of the buns, you'll want to make them out of shortcrust pastry and put them on top of the buns just before baking. (Or you could make crosses out of icing once the buns are out of the oven, I suppose.)

8. Final Rising

Allow to rise for about an hour.
After the buns are risen, apply another coat of egg wash.
Remember to turn the oven on to 425F ten minutes or so before you want to start baking the buns.

9. Baking

Bake in a preheated oven for five minutes, then reduce the heat to 400°F and bake for a further ten minutes or until golden. Cool on a wire rack.
Serve with soft butter. Mmmmmm, yum!

(I've re-worded and re-organized this recipe so that it will be easy to follow even when I'm terribly short of sleep :-) . The original recipe is from this wonderful book.)