Hot Cross Buns My Daughter Made For Easter Breakfast

Makes 12 buns

Dough
3 cups flour
2 tsp breadmaker yeast
1/4 cup superfine sugar
2-3 tsp mixed spice (cinammon, nutmeg, allspice)
1/4 tsp salt
3/4 cup currants or raisins
1 cup warm milk
2 tbsp butter
1 egg

Flour paste for the cross
1/2 cup plain flour
1/3 cup water

Glaze
1/3 cup water
2 tbsp orange marmalade

Heat the milk gently in a saucepan over medium heat until milk is warm enough to melt the butter. Melt the butter in the warm milk.

Measure and mix all the dry ingredients flour, breadmaker yeast, sugar, spice, salt and dried fruits together. Add the warm milk mixture and the egg to the flour mix and mix until dough comes together. Use floured hands to finish mixing to form a soft dough.

Knead the dough for 10 minutes or until the dough is smooth. At this stage, add more flour if the dough is too wet, or add more water if the dough is too dry.

Place the dough into a lightly oiled bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Set the bowl in a warm, draught-free place (I put it in my oven) for 1 to 1 1/2 hours, or until dough doubles in size. After proofing, punch the dough down to expel the air, and divide into 12 even portions.

Line a large baking tray with baking paper. Shape each portion into a ball and place in the lined tray about 1 1/2 inches apart. Set the tray aside in a draft free place for 30 minutes for its final rising.

In the meantime, preheat the oven to 400 degrees and make the flour paste by mixing the flour and water in a bowl until smooth. Add more water if paste is too thick. Spoon into a ziplock bag and snip off a corner of the bag. Pipe flour paste over tops of buns to form crosses.

Bake in the preheated oven for 20 to 25 minutes until the buns are done. When they're
ready, the buns will sound hollow when tapped on the bottom. Make the glaze by dissolving the marmalade in hot water. Brush the tops of the buns with the glaze while the buns are still warm. The buns are best when fresh out of the oven. You can freeze some, unglazed for later.