RECIPE: Hot cross buns for Easter!

Easter weekend is filled with all sorts of tasty treats, and hot cross buns are a must for any Easter table. You could even give them as Easter gifts!

This year, make your own tasty buns with this easy-to-follow recipe.

Ingredients (makes 12)

For the buns:
450g strong bread flour
1 tsp salt
14g (3 tsp) dried active yeast
1 tsp mixed spice
1 tsp cinnamon
50g golden caster sugar
60g sultanas
50g mixed candied peel 
200ml full fat milk
1 large egg, beaten
55g unsalted butter, melted 

For the crosses:
40g plain flour
10g unsalted butter 

For the glaze:
Runny honey

Method

1.  First, take a large mixing bowl and sift in the flour. Add the salt, yeast, mixed spice and cinnamon, and mix. Then add the caster sugar, sultanas and candied peel and mix again. Make a well in the middle of the dry mixture.

2.  Heat the milk with 50ml of water in a pan, until warm. (You should be able to put your finger in it without scalding yourself.)

3.  Pour the milk, the beaten egg and the melted butter into the well in the centre of your dry ingredients.

4.  Mix everything together until all the ingredients have been combined into a soft dough.

5.  Tip the dough out onto a clean, floured work surface and knead for 10 minutes. Put the dough into a lightly oiled bowl, cover with a tea towel and leave to rise for 1½ hours, or until doubled in size.

6.  Once risen, briefly knead the dough again, then divide it up into 12 equal pieces and roll into balls.

7.  Line 2 baking sheets with greaseproof paper and place the dough balls on the sheets, spaced out evenly. Cover again with a tea towel and leave to rise for a further 30 minutes.

8.  Whilst the buns are rising, preheat the oven to 220°C/430°F/Gas Mark 7 and make the dough for the crosses. Put the flour into a bowl, rub in the butter and add enough water to make it into a dough. Roll it out and cut it into thin strips.

9.  Once the 30 minutes rising time is up, brush milk on the strips you have just made, and lay them in crosses on top of the buns.

10.  Bake the buns in the middle of the oven for 15 minutes. After they have baked, put them on a wire rack and brush on a little runny honey as a glaze. Leave to cool, then enjoy!

dotcomgiftshop has lots of lovely bakeware so you can really bake up a storm this Easter!