Home made Hot Cross Buns : Easter Egg Hunt

One thing I love to make is my own hot cross buns, fresh, spicy and warm from the oven.  They beat the stodgy store brought ones every time.  I made mine this morning while my baby bears waited to go for an Easter Egg hunt.  They were finished just in time to pop over to their cousins house for an Easter Egg hunt before the rain came.  Then we sat down with warm buns and a cup of tea while the kids bounced of the walls.

This years recipe was a winner - it may just make it's way into my treasured recipe box, only the best recipes make it there.

 Hot Cross Buns
12 large buns or 18 small

375ml Warm Milk (I used powdered milk)
45g Sugar
9g Instant Yeast
60g Butter, melted
1 Large Egg
20ml Oil
640g High Grade Bread Flour
1 1/2t Salt
1 1/2t Cinnamon
1 Large Apple, peeled, cored and finely diced
100g Sultanas
60g Glace Mixed Peel

Extra flour to crosses

Apricot Jam (optional)

Whisk milk, sugar and yeast together and leave to activate for 10 minutes.  Whisk in melted butter, egg and oil.  Tip in flour, salt and cinnamon and mix till it starts to come together.  Tip onto beach and start kneading.  The dough will be quite sticky and wet - don't chunk in more flour (dry dough makes dry rolls), just start kneading and stretching with mucky hands - it will form a smooth dough, trust me.  Keep kneading for 10 minutes till it smooth and both you and the dough have had a good workout.  Knead in the apple, sultanas and peel till evenly distributed.  Put dough into an oiled bowl covered with cling film.  Leave in warm place for 45 minutes, or until doubled in size (as the weather gets colder I heat oven to 50 Celsius, turn the oven off then put dough in there to rise).  Punch down and form into 12 rolls (about 75g each - but you can weigh your dough to be sure).  Space evenly apart on small tray (mine is 30 x 25cm), cover in oiled cling film and leave to rise for another 40 minutes till doubled in size.  Mix a quarter cup of flour with a few tablespoons of water to make a paste, pipe over risen rolls to make crosses (I mixed mine in a sandwhich bag and cut the corner off to pipe onto rolls).  Bake in preheated oven at 180C (fan bake) for 20-25 minuets.  As soon as they're cooked melt a quarter cup of apricot jam and brush over hot rolls.

My boys and their cousins finding eggs in the garden

Dividing the loot