There’s nothing like a homemade hot cross bun, straight from the oven, slathered in butter! Yes, they take a wee bit of effort and time but hey, it’s worth it once a year don’t you think?!

Follow these simple instructions to a batch of bliss this Easter. Read recipe thoroughly before you begin.

1 ½ cups warmed milk

2 tbsps brown sugar

1 ½  tbsps active yeast

In a large mixing bowl (from a electric mixer or regular mixing bowl), dissolve sugar in warm milk then sprinkle on the yeast and stir gently. Cover and leave for 10-15 minutes until really frothy.

4 ½ cups high grade flour

1 tbsps brown sugar

3 tbsps cinnamon

3 tbsps mixed spice

1 tsp cardamom

1 tsp nutmeg

1 tsp salt

2 tsp vanilla extract

2 large eggs, lightly beaten

Add the above ingredients and knead with a dough hook in a mixer on low or by hand, first with a knife then with your hands in the bowl, and mix until you have a scraggy lump. It is very sticky at this stage so if doing by hand you will be tempted to keep adding flour. Don’t. Just keep kneading, scraping hands clean every now and again.

100g butter, softened

Start adding in the butter, a tablespoon at a time and keep kneading, pushing dough away from you on the bench, stretching it, then pulling back towards you if you are doing by hand, until you have a smooth, elastic dough, Do this for 10-15 minutes.

Place in a greased bowl (I tip out of mixing bowl, scrape it clean, oil it, then put dough back in – saves on dishes!), cover with a plastic bag and place somewhere warm to rise and double in size – about 1-2 hours. Don’t rush it.

1 cup sultanas

1 cup currants

¼ cup fresh orange  + lemon peel, chopped

Add dried fruit and peel and knead again either in the mixer or by hand for 5-10 minutes. Return to bowl, rise again, this time for about 1 hour only.  Punch down gently, turn out on floured bench and divide into 14-16 small pieces. Roll each into a ball and shape into a bun and place in a large dish lined with baking paper.

Place buns close together, just touching. Cover with plastic bag again and let rise somewhere warm for 30-45minutes until puffed up and touching.  Add crosses (see paste recipe below).

Bake in oven preheated to 180 C for 20minutes or so, until golden and cooked through.

Glaze with orange sugar syrup (see below) as soon as they come out of oven.

Cool slightly and EAT UP!

Crosses

½ cup plain flour

1 tbsp sugar

¼ cup water

Mix together to form a paste. Put in piping bag or zip lock bag with corner snipped out. Pipe in crosses on buns.

Glaze

2 tbsps sugar

2 tbsps boiling water

1 tsp orange zest

Mix together until sugar dissolved and brush on cooked buns.