Hot Cross Buns

I found this amazing Hot Cross Bun recipe on another blog - Thermolicious. I am never buying Hot Cross Buns again!

Ingredients

400g milk
60g raw sugar
15g dry yeast (4 tsp)
650g bakers flour
2 tsp salt
90g butter
1 egg
1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
1/2 tsp ground cloves
200g mixed dried fruit
1/2 cup milk chocolate chips
Extra butter

Method

Place milk into Bellini bowl and cook for 2 minutes at 60C on speed 1.

Place remaining ingredients (in order of the recipe list) into the Bellini bowl except the dried fruit and choc chips, and mix for 6 seconds on speed 7.

Place dried fruit into the Bellini bowl and mix for 10 seconds on speed 5.

Set dial to closed lid position and knead for 4 minutes on Speed 2.

Remove from Bellini bowl and put into a bowl to prove. As the dough is quite sticky, use buttered hands to make it easier to remove from the Bellini bowl.

Put in a warm place to prove for 1 to 1.5 hours until dough more than doubles in size.

Grease a large baking tray (30cm x 40cm) (you can use baking paper but I find that I get a better bun if it is baked directly on the tray).
With buttered hands pull off enough dough for a dinner roll size bun, press 4-6 chocolate chips into the base and fold over to enclose and create a smooth top on your bun. Makes about 24.

Place onto baking tray about 1cm apart so that they have room to grow. Cover and let prove for about an hour until the buns are touching each other.

Pipe with crosses and bake in a pre-heated oven at 220C for 12 minutes or until a golden colour. Leave oven on.

Brush with hot sugar syrup and then place back into the oven for another minute to set the glaze.

Piping Mixture

Place 50g water, 40g plain flour, 1/2 tsp light olive oil and a pinch of salt in Bellini bowl and mix to combine for 30 seconds on speed 4.

Scrape down sides if necessary and mix again until mixture is smooth and of pancake consistency. Pour into a piping bag (or a ziplock/freezer bag and snip a tiny bit off the corner) and pipe out the crosses onto the buns.

Sugar syrup

Dissolve 3 tbsp raw sugar in 3 tbsp of boiling water by stirring vigorously.

Best eaten straight from the oven whilst warm!