Bread Ahead Bakery’s Hot Cross Buns

Mix the yeast and milk together until the yeast has dissolved, then add to the dry ingredients. Use your hand or a dough scraper to bring the ingredients together into a rough dough. Ensure all of the ingredients have come together, there should be no pockets of flour or butter left.

Place the dough on the work surface and knead. Hold onto the dough with one hand and with the other hand stretch and fold for around 5 minutes until the dough is nice and smooth.

Stretch out the dough into a pizza shape and add your fruit combination and spices in the centre, fold over into a Cornish pasty shape covering your fruit.

Gently start to roll and fold the dough until the fruits are evenly distributed. Once distributed, place the dough in a bowl, cover with a damp cloth/plate or shower cap and leave at room temperature for one hour or until doubled in size.

Line a baking tray with baking paper.

Once proved, place the dough on a lightly floured surface and cut into 65g pieces.

Roll each one into a smooth ball and place on the baking tray, leave plenty of room as they will spread out. Cover with a damp cloth and leave at room temperature to double in size.

While the buns are proving, make the cross mixture and the glaze.

Mix together the flour, salt and 120g water until you have a smooth paste, pour into a piping bag with a 4mm plain nozzle.

In a small pan place the sugar, lemon juice and 80g water, bring to the boil to dissolve the sugar or about 5 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 200°C/Fan 180ºC/Gas 5.

Once the buns have proved, pipe a cross on the top of each one and bake for 16 minutes, until golden brown.

Remove from the oven and place on a cooling rack. After 2 minutes, brush with the bun glaze.

Serve warm with plenty of butter.