Traditional Fruity and Spiced Hot Cross Buns: Bread-Maker

Ingredients

Hot Cross Buns

• 210 ml milk
• 1 egg
• 450 g strong white bread flour
• 2 teaspoons ground mixed spice
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 50 g fine light brown sugar
• 50 g melted butter
• 7 g easy-blend dried yeast
• 125 g mixed dried fruit, such as currants, sultanas, raisins and peel

Crosses

• 75 g ready-made pastry dough

Glaze

• 30 ml milk
• 25 g caster sugar

Directions

1. 1

   Put all of the Hot Cross Bun ingredients into your break maker in the order listed, excepting the dried fruit.

2. 2

   Put the fruit into the "extras" tray on your bread maker, or leave to one side to add towards the end of the kneading cycle.

3. 3

   Set the bread maker to Dough setting - or Raisin Dough setting if you have it.

4. 4

   Press start and if you do not have an "extras" tray, add your dried fruit when your machine alerts you or 5 minutes before the end of the kneading time.

5. 5

   Lightly grease two baking trays/sheets.

6. 6

   When the dough cycle has finished, take the dough out and place it on a lightly floured board. Knock back and shape into 12 pieces, rolling them into balls.

7. 7

   Place them on the greased baking trays/sheets and cover with a clean tea towel or lightly oiled cling film.

8. 8

   Allow them to rise for about 30-45 minutes or until doubled in size.

9. 9

   Meanwhile pre-heat the oven the 200C/400F/Gas 6.

10. 10

    Make the pastry crosses by rolling out the ready-made pastry very thinly and cutting into strips.

11. 11

    Make the glaze by heating up the milk and adding the sugar - heat them until the sugar has dissolved. Set to one side.

12. 12

    When the Hot Cross Buns are ready to bake, place two strips of pastry on each top - pressing lightly and bake for 10 - 15 minutes or until well-risen and golden brown. The buns should sound hollow when tapped underneath.

13. 13

    Brush the glaze on each bun as soon as they have been taken out of the oven and then allow to cool slightly on a wire rack.

14. 14

    Eat whilst still warm, split & spread with butter!

15. 15

    These are GREAT toasted when they are a few days old as well!