Hot cross buns
Ingredients
For the cross:
Preparation:
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Heat the milk to boiling point, remove from the heat and stir in pieces of butter and let them melt. Let the mixture cool to 35-40 degrees Celsius or lukewarm. Stir in the agave syrup. Put the flour in a bowl, mix in the salt and dried yeast, and make a well in the centre. Pour in the milk-butter-agave syrup mixture and the beaten egg, and start mixing from the edges towards the centre with a fork. When the dough starts to become firmer, continue kneading until the dough is smooth. Place the dough in a lightly oiled bowl and cover with a damp cloth or oiled cling film. Leave to rise in a warm place for 1 hour or until doubled in size.
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For the filling, mix together the raisins, chopped dried apricots, grated orange zest, cinnamon, and ground ginger in a bowl. Turn the risen dough out onto a floured surface and roll it out. Sprinkle the filling evenly over the dough and roll it up from the longer side. Divide the roll into twelve equal pieces. Now shape these pieces into uniform buns, tucking the filling inside and leaving the tops smooth. Place them on a baking paper-lined baking tray in 3 x 4 rows, leaving some space between the buns for rising. Cover with oiled cling film and leave to rise in a warm place for 1 hour.
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Preheat the oven to 220 degrees Celsius. To make the cross, mix the flour with water and put this slightly stretchy and sticky mass into a piping bag. Brush the risen buns with the beaten egg. Pipe crosses onto the brushed buns using the piping bag. Bake the buns in the oven for 15-17 minutes. Enjoy warm and serve with a delicious jam.
Note
- To bake lactose-free buns, simply use lactose-free butter and milk.
buns, raisins, apricots, Easter, baking
