Hot Cross Buns

Easter goodies - I'm a bit late I know.

Hot Cross Buns aren't sold in Austria, so if I want to eat them, I've got to make my own. No bother there. They are not too difficult, just a little time consuming with all the rising time. But you can do other things while you wait for the dough to rise.

And, I think there is nothing like the smell of freshly-baked anything in the house.

Most recipes for hot cross buns call for mixed spice to be used. Mixed spice is not sold here either. So I made my own, using cinnamon, chilli powder and black pepper. Sounds weird I know, but it tasted really great and smelled wonderful. There was just a tiny bit of spice and my children ate them without a problem.

If you've never baked hot cross buns, give it a go. But I'd say definitely eat them the day of baking, as they are fresh and soft. If you leave them for a few days, they do become a bit heavy. You can reheat them but there is nothing like fresh baked.

Slather on some butter and eat hot from the oven - bliss!

What you'll need

For the buns

375ml warm milk

1 sachet/7g dried yeast

60g caster sugar

60g butter, melted

1 egg, lightly whisked

600g plain flour

250g sultanas

50g dried cranberries

1 teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon mixed spice (or 1 teaspoon chilli powder, 2 teaspoons, cinnamon, and 1 teaspoon ground black pepper)

Extra plain flour for kneading

For the cross mixture

2 tbs water

40g plain flour, extra

For the glaze

100g apricot jam

What to do

In a jug, mix the milk, yeast and 1 tablespoon of the sugar. Set aside in a warm place for 5 minutes or until frothy. Add the butter and egg to the mixture and whisk to combine. 

In a large bowl, place the flour, sultanas, cranberries, salt, and spices and remaining sugar and stir to combine. Make a well in the centre. Pour the milk mixture into the well and use wooden spoon to stir until just combined, then use your hands to bring the dough together.

Turn onto a lightly floured surface and knead for 10-15 minutes or until smooth and elastic. You really need to work the dough, as it makes the buns lighter and fluffy. Consider it your gym workout for the day.

Place the dough in a bowl and cover with a damp tea towel and set in a warm place for one hour or until the dough doubles in size. I did not have a warm place in my house (it was snowing outside), so I heated the oven, turned it off, and put the dough in there for one hour.

Preheat your oven to 200 degrees Celsius. Grease and line a 20cm square baking tin.

Punch the dough down with your fist. Turn dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead for five minutes or until dough is lovely and smooth. Divide the dough and roll into 16 even-sized balls. Arrange the dough balls, side by side in the pan. It is Ok if they are touching. Set aside in a warm place for 30 minutes or until dough has risen a bit.

Combine the water and extra flour in a small bowl until a smooth paste forms. Place in a small plastic bag and snip off the end. Pipe a line down the centre of each row of buns, lengthways and crossways, to form crosses.

Bake in preheated oven for 10 minutes. Reduce heat to 180 degrees Celsius. Bake for a further 20 minutes or until golden and cooked through. The buns are usually cooked when you tap the top and they sound hollow. Turn out onto a wire rack to cool.

Place the jam in a small saucepan over high heat. Cook, stirring, for 2 minutes or until jam melts (or you can place it in the microwave). Brush the hot jam over the buns to glaze them.

Serve warm with butter and jam and a hot cup of tea if you like.