Freshly baked spiced hot cross buns with a candied peel

There’s nothing better than the smell of freshly baked Hot Cross Buns wafting through the house on Easter morning.
Your family will love these lightly spiced buns studded with sultanas, currants and candied peel and finished off with a sweet milk glaze.
 

Makes: 12 buns
Prep time: 25 minutes (plus 1 1/2 hours rising time)
Cooking time: 15 minutes
 

Ingredients:

• 4 cups strong white bread flour
• 1/3 cup caster sugar
• 1 tablespoon mixed spice
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 x 7g sachets dried yeast
• 1 cup sultanas
• 1/2 cup currants
• 1/3 cup mixed peel
• 1 1/2 cups lukewarm milk
• 50g butter, melted
• 1 egg, lightly beaten

For the crosses:
 

• 1/4 cup strong white bread flour
• 3 tablespoons water

For the glaze:

• 1/4 cup milk
• 2 tablespoons caster sugar

Method:

• Mix all dry ingredients and dried fruit together in a large bowl. Make a well in the centre and pour in milk, butter and egg. Stir until mixture comes together, then use hands to form into a dough
• Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead for 5 minutes or until dough is smooth and elastic (you may need to dust the surface with a little extra flour to stop the dough sticking, but try not to use too much as this can make the buns tough)

 

• Place dough back in bowl, cover with a damp tea towel and leave in a warm spot for 1 hour or until dough has doubled in size
• Punch down the dough, then divide into 12 equal-sized pieces and roll each piece into a ball. Place balls onto a greased oven tray, about 1cm apart. Cover with oiled cling film or a slightly inflated plastic bag and leave in a warm place for 30 minutes or until buns have doubled in size
• Preheat oven to 200°C
• To make the crosses, mix the flour and water in a small bowl until smooth. Spoon into a piping back or a ziplock bag with a small corner snipped off and pipe crosses onto each bun 

 

 

• Bake buns for 15 minutes or until golden brown
• Meanwhile, to make the glaze, heat the milk and sugar in a small saucepan, stirring so that the sugar dissolves. Boil for 1 minute, then brush over the hot buns using a pastry brush

• Transfer buns to a wire rack and serve warm with butter.

Nutrition Information
Average Quantity per Bun                      Average Quantity per 100g
ENERGY                      1418kJ (338kcal)                                   1110kJ (264kcal)
PROTEIN                     8.1g                                                      6.3g
FAT, TOTAL                 5.8g                                                      4.5g
- SATURATED              3.3g                                                      2.6g
CARBOHYDRATE        62.6g                                                    49.1g
- SUGARS                    29.7g                                                    23.3g
DIETARY FIBRE           3.3g                                                      2.6g
SODIUM                       167mg                                                  131mg