HOT CROSS BUNS
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INGREDIENTS:
- 250g Pernerka Plain White flour
- 40g of caster sugar
- A pinch of salt
- 8g of dried yeast
- 150ml room temperature milk
- 25g butter at room temperature – cubed
- 1 egg
- 40g of raisins
- 1 apple – diced
- 1 tsp of cinnamon
- Honey for glazing
For Crosses:
- 11 tbsp of cold water
- 75g Pernerka Plain flour
TIPS AND TRICKS:
Instead of using honey, you can glaze the buns with a warm apricot jam. You can also add candied fruit or a zest of chemically untreated orange peel to the dough.
INSTRUCTIONS:
1) Place flour, sugar, yeast, salt and cinnamon into a bowl or a food processor and gently mix together.
2) Add the butter. If using your hands, use your fingertips and ‘rub in’ the butter. If using a food processor, pulse the butter and the flour mix together until the mix resembles fine breadcrumbs.
3) If using your hands, make a little well in the centre of your flour/butter mix and pour in the beaten egg and milk. If using a food processor, just simply pour in the egg and milk into the mix. Bring everything together until you have a sticky dough. Tip onto a floured surface and knead the dough for about five minutes until you end up with a smooth, elastic dough.
4) Put the dough into a lightly oiled bowl and cover it with a lightly oiled cling film. Let the dough rest in a warm place for 60 minutes.
5) Whilst the dough is still in the bowl, mix in raisins and the diced apple. Cover it again and let the dough rise for additional 30 minutes, or until doubled in size.
6) Tip the dough onto a floured surface and divide it into nine equal pieces. Roll each piece into a smooth ball.
7) Place the buns onto a baking tray lined with baking paper (parchment), leaving enough space between the buns to let them expand. Cover the buns again with either a lightly oiled cling film or a clean tea towel and let them rise for 15 minutes.
8) To make crosses, mix flour and water in a small bowl until you get a thick runny paste. Pour the smooth mixture into an icing bag fitted with a narrow pointed nozzle. Pipe crosses onto the buns.
9) Heat oven to 220C/200C fan and bake for ten minutes. Lower the heat to 200C/180C fan and bake for additional 7-10 minutes.
10) Glaze the top of the buns with honey whilst they’re still warm. Enjoy!