One A Penny, Two A Penny, Hot Cross Buns!

Nothing says Easter like a hot cross bun ( oh and chocolate eggs of course!) We made our own Hot Cross Buns and they were amazing so much better than shop bought and pretty easy too. 

First of all Lottie and I sieved 500g of strong white bread flour, a tsp of salt, 50g caster sugar and 2 tsp of mixed spice into the bowl. 

Then we added a sachet of dried yeast 7g and 250g of sultanas ( you could use mixed fruit but no one here likes the peel so we didn't put it in.) 

Then we let the machine mix it all together (but you could easily do this by hand). 

Next we warmed up 250ml of milk ( just till warm not got) and mixed it with 50g of melted butter. This helps activate the yeast! We added this along with a beaten egg to the mix. 

The machine mixed it into a dough. Once mixed we tipped it out onto a floured surface and Lottie and I kneaded it for about 5 minutes - great fun! 

When it was smooth and elastic we divided it into 12 equal parts and shaped them into balls. We put them on a greased baking tray. 

Once on the tray we used a knife to mark out the cross on each one. Not too deep. 

We covered the tray with oiled cling film and put it in a warm place to prove for an hour and a half. 

The white crosses were easier than I thought. We mixed a desert spoon full of flour and a teaspoon of sugar with a little water to make a paste. We used a piping bag and piped on the cross. 

When each one had a cross we cooked them for about 20 minutes at 190 degrees. 

The kitchen was filled with a lovely smell. Once cooked we lifted them out of the oven amd while they were still warm we glazed them with a mix of sugar and water. 

Then we ate them! Yummy warm from the oven and just as yummy for breakfast toasted! 

Happy Easter.