Nothing says Easter like hot cross buns, and this recipe is guaranteed to please with a delectable combination of flavours including Pink Lady® apple, chocolate and orange zest. Best served with a generous spread of butter. Delicious!
Full preparation
-
Heat the 300ml milk in a pan and bring to the boil. When boiling, take off the heat and add the butter to melt. Leave to cool until warm but not hot.
-
In a large mixing bowl, mix the strong bread flour, sugar, salt and yeast. Make a well in the centre and slowly pour in the warm milk and butter, and the egg. Mix together until it all comes together to form a dough. You can use a fork or your hand for this.
-
Turn the formed dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead for 10 minutes to create a smooth elastic dough that springs back when pressed.
-
Put the kneaded dough into a clean, oiled bowl and cover with oiled cling film. Leave in a warm dry place for around 1 hour, until doubled in size.
-
Once the dough has risen, add the apple, chocolate and orange zest and knead through to fully combine.
-
Divide into 12 equal pieces (for even sized buns, weigh the dough, then divide the total weight by 12 to work out how much each piece should be).
-
Form each bun into a neat round shape and place onto a lined baking tray, leaving space for each bun to grow. Lightly score a cross into each bun with a sharp knife.
-
Cover with oiled cling film or a clean towel and leave to grow for another hour.
-
Preheat the oven to 220°C/fan 200°C/gas mark 7 about 15 minutes before the end of the proving time.
-
Once the buns have finished rising, brush them with milk.
-
To make the cross, slowly mix the plain flour with about 8 tbsp water until you have a paste you can pipe. Put the paste into a piping bag or a freezer bag and snip the corner. Pipe crosses onto the buns.
-
Put the buns into the oven and bake for 20 minutes. Once baked, place onto a cooling rack and leave to cool.
-
To finish, heat the honey and brush onto the buns.
