I was so happy when these turned out so well! Definitely best eaten on the same day as they’re made but you can also toast them so they’ll keep up to 3 days in a tin. You can freeze them too if you want to save them for a later date 🙂
Ingredients:
• 300ml of milk
• Zest of 1 lemon
• 50g of butter – in small pieces
• 500g strong white bread flour
• 1 teaspoon of cinnamon
• 85g of sugar
• 7g sachet of fast action yeast
• 1 large egg, beaten
• 110g of dried mix fruit
For the cross:
• 3 tablespoons of strong white flour
• Enough water to make a thick past
Method:
1) Warm the milk and lemon zest in a saucepan until steaming. Remove from the heat and add the butter, swirl it until the butter has melted and the milk has cooled to hand temperature.
2) Mix the flour, cinnamon, sugar, yeast and a pinch of salt in a bowl. Pour the milk mixture and the beaten egg on to the flour and mix with a wooden spoon until it all comes together. Tip out on to a lightly floured work surface and knead until smooth and elastic.
3) Transfer to a clean bowl – lightly oiled – cover with a tea towel and leave to rise for 2 hours or until doubled in size ( if you’re house is pretty cold like mine, it will probably take a little longer!)
4) Dust your largest baking tray with flour. Tip the dough back onto the work surface and knead again to knock any air out. Add the dried fruit and knead until it’s evenly incorporated in the dough. Divide the dough in to 11 equal pieces. Roll each piece into a smooth ball. Arrange on the prepared baking tray in a ring, leaving a small gap between each one( if your tray isn’t big enough, they don’t have to be in a ring – I had an extra one in the middle of the ring)
5) Cover loosely with a piece of cling film and leave somewhere warm to prove again for a further 1 hour or until doubled in size – the buns should be just touching
6) Heat the oven to 180°C/160°C fan/Gas 4. Beat another egg and glaze each bun. Mix the 3 tablespoons with flour and enough water to make the paste. Use a piping bag to pipe the crosses over the buns. Bake for 25 minutes until golden and cooked through.
– Check on them after about 15 minutes, if you think they’re getting well baked on the top you can cover the buns with tin foil for the remainder of the time.
They’re super yummy and the perfect treat for Easter!
With a Hint of Lemon 