Pull Apart Hot Cross Buns

Ingredients

3 cups flour
1 tsp cinnamon
1 ½ tsp mixed spice
1 tsp salt
¼ cup sugar
1 Tbsp fast acting yeast
½ cup boiling water
½ cup milk
25g butter, melted
1 egg, beaten
¼ cup Cinderella Currants
½ cup Cinderella Raisins
1 sheet ready rolled sweet short pastry, thawed
Glaze
2 Tbsp sugar
1 Tbsp milk

Method

1. Grease a 23cm springform cake tin. In a large mixing bowl place 1 cup of the measured flour, cinnamon, mixed spice, salt, sugar and yeast
2. Mix together boiling water and milk and pour into the dry ingredients and add melted butter and beaten egg. Stir to mix. Add Cinderella Currants and Cinderella Raisins. Mix well. Add a further 1 ½ cups of flour and mix well to form a soft dough.
3. Turn dough onto a floured board and knead the dough, incorporating as much of the remaining ½ cup of flour as necessary. The dough should be soft but not sticky. Knead for approximately 10 minutes or until the dough is smooth. Return dough to a clean mixing bowl. Cover with clingfilm and leave in a warm place for 20 minutes to allow the dough to rise.
4. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured board. Cut the dough into 8 even sized pieces. Shape into balls. Place them into the prepared tin in a circle, leaving 1 ball for the centre. Leave a gap between each ball. Cover with lightly oiled clingfilm and leave in a warm place until the buns have doubled in size.
5. Preheat oven to 200°C (fan bake). Cut thin strips from the pastry sheet. Brush the tops of the buns with a little milk. Place the crosses on top, cutting the pastry to fit.
6. Bake for 5 minutes. Reduce heat to 180°C and continue cooking a further 20-25 minutes until the buns are golden and cooked. Remove from the oven and stand for 5 minutes. Remove the buns from the tin and slide onto a cooling rack. Brush the buns with the glaze. Serve the buns warm with butter

Glaze: mix together sugar and milk

Hot Cross buns can be made, shaped and put in the cake tin. – covered with cling film and refrigerated overnight. Next day allow the buns to come to room temperature. Put on the pastry crosses and then bake as per recipe instructions.

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