Hot Cross Buns

When mentioned Easter, two things always come to mind - Chocolates and Hot Cross Buns. Not sure why is that, but over here in Australia, we only get to see hot cross buns during the Easter period. So if you like hot cross buns so much, try make it yourself :p

Ingredients:

4 cups plain flour (you can opt for wholemeal flour, which I did)

2 x 7g sachets dried yeast

1/4 cup caster sugar

1 1/2 teaspoons mixed spice

Pinch of salt

1 1/2 cups currants

40g butter

2 eggs, lightly beaten

300ml milk (if you use wholemeal flour, you might need to add more milk)

* Add accordingly to get the right consistency of the dough, it should be quite sticky and gooey

Flour paste:

1/2 cup plain flour

4 to 5 tablespoons water

Glaze:

1/3 cup water

2 tablespoons caster sugar

Method:

Combine flour, yeast, sugar, mixed spice, salt and currants in a large bowl. Melt butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. Add milk. Heat for 1 minute, or until lukewarm. Add warm milk mixture and eggs to currant mixture. Use a flat-bladed knife to mix until dough almost comes together. Use clean hands to finish mixing to form a soft dough.

Turn dough out onto a floured surface. Knead for 10 minutes, or until dough is smooth. Place into a lightly oiled bowl. Cover with plastic wrap. Set aside in a warm, draught-free place for 1 to 1 1/2 hours, or until dough doubles in size.

Line a large baking tray with non-stick baking paper. Punch dough down to its original size. Knead on a lightly floured surface until smooth. Divide into 12 even portions. Shape each portion into a ball. Place balls onto lined tray, about 1cm apart. Cover with plastic wrap. Set aside in a warm, draught-free place for 30 minutes, or until buns double in size. Preheat oven to 190°C.

Make flour paste:

Mix flour and water together in a small bowl until smooth, adding a little more water if paste is too thick. Spoon into a small snap-lock bag. Snip off 1 corner of bag. Pipe flour paste over tops of buns to form crosses. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until buns are cooked through.

Make glaze:

Place water and sugar into a small saucepan over low heat. Stir until sugar dissolves. Bring to the boil. Boil for 5 minutes. Brush warm glaze over warm hot cross buns. Serve warm or at room temperature.