Hot-Cross Buns!

Ingredients

For the ferment:

• 1 tablespoon of dry yeast

• 150 ml (2/3 cup) ml lukewarm milk

• 1 tablespoon honey

• 100 gr (3/4 cup+1 tablespoon) all-purpose flour

• Finely grated zest of 1 orange

• Dissolve the yeast in milk. Stand for 5 minutes then add the other ingredients and mix with a wooden spoon until well incorporated.

• Cover with a tea towel and rest for 1 hour or until it has doubled in size

Dough:

• Risen ferment

• 250 gr (2 cups) of all-purpose flour

• 50 gr (1/4 cup) of soft butter, cubed

• 1 teaspoon of cinnamon

• 1/4 teaspoon ground clove

• 100 (1/2 cup) gr of sugar

• 1 egg

• 3 tablespoons of floured, mixed peel

• 3 tablespoons chocolate chips

Criss-Cross dough

• 4 tablespoon of flour

• 2 tablespoon of water

• Mix together of form a soft, pliable dough

Egg wash

• 1 egg+2 tablespoon of milk

• Beat egg with milk and brush on the buns just before baking

Glaze

• 1/3 of a cup ml of milk, 2 tablespoons of brown sugar, 1 teaspoon of cinnamon

• Simmer of milk with 2 sugar and  cinnamon.

• Stir until sugar is dissolved and the glaze is slightly reduced.

How to

1. In a large bowl, or using a stand mixer, add flour to the ferment, then the butter, a little at a time, the spices and the sugar. The dough will be a little dry at this stage.

2. Add 1 egg and knead for 15 minutes or until the dough is smooth and silky and is see-through if stretched with your fingers. Shape the dough into a ball and rest, covered with a tea towel for 20 minutes.

3. Stretch the dough with floured hands to shape a rectangle.

4. Sprinkle the surface with mixed peel and chocolate and roll the dough tightly, as if rolling up a cigar. Shape back into a ball and leave to prove in a floured bowl for 2-3 hours.

5. Stretch the dough one more time, fold it into three then shape into a log. Cut the log into 6. Shape 3 pieces into long ropes, roll them up to resemble snails and leave them to rest onto an oven try lined with baking paper. Shape the remaining 3 pieces into balls and place them next to one another on the oven tray.

6. Make the paste for the crosses. Roll it up and place on top of the balls in a criss-cross patters.

7. Leave to prove for 45 minutes.

8. Heat your oven to 180 C (340 F)

9. Glaze the buns and the scrolls with egg wash and bake for 20/25 minutes or until golden and cooked through.

10. While the oven does its job, make the milk glaze.

Take the buns and scrolls out of the oven, brush the milk glaze over them and allow to cool on a rack, at room temperature.