I love how the butter melts on delicious, fresh homemade bread!  Hot cross buns are easier to make than one would think. Like most of my bread and bun recipes I like to start the baking process the day before so that I can have some freshly baked bread or buns for breakfast. This homemade hot cross buns recipe is no exception!

As an alternative you can make these hot cross buns into chocolate chip hot cross buns recipe by replacing the mixed dried fruit for chocolate chips.

Ingredients, for the homemade hot cross buns recipe

• 500 grams strong white bread flour
• 75 grams caster sugar
• 50 grams butter
• 250 grams mixed dried fruit
• 250 ml milk
• 1 large egg
• 7 grams yeast
• 1 teaspoon mixed spice
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon salt

For the crosses

• 50 grams plain flour
• 1 teaspoon vegetable oil
• 1 tablespoon icing sugar
• Glaze for the buns
• 2 tablespoons caster sugar
• 2 tablespoons water

For the syrup

• 50 grams
• 50 ml water

Method

• Grease and flour a 13 x 9 x 2 inch (33 x 23 x 5 cm) baking tin or Swiss roll tray.
• Heat the milk and butter in a pot just until the butter melts and let it cool for a few minutes. If it is hot the yeast will be destroyed so be patient and wait for it to cool down.
• Put all your dry ingredients in a large bowl and then stir in your mixed dried fruit. Pour in the milk and butter and then add the egg and mix with a wooden spoon to form into a dough. Put the wooden spoon to one side and then start kneading with your hands.
• Tip the dough onto a work surface and knead for about 10 minutes. Brush some oil into the same bowl or a different large bowl and then put the dough into it and let it rise until doubled in size.
• Tip the dough out onto a work surface and gently knock the air out and then weigh your dough and divide by 20 because in this recipe we will be making 20 small homemade hot cross buns.
• Shape the dough into bun shapes and then arrange them in your prepared baking tray. It is ok for them to be quite close because they should touch. Cover the tray with oiled clingfilm and let them double in size again. (If you are going to bake them the next day do not let them rise at this point, just put them in the fridge immediately after you have arranged them on the baking tray and covered them with the clingfilm. The next day bring them out of the fridge and let them rise and then bake.)
• 10 minutes before the rising time is up, preheat your oven to 200 Celsius.
• Make the mix for the crosses by mixing the flour, icing sugar and vegetable oil and 4 tablespoons of cold water to make a paste and then put it in a piping bag fitted with a plain circle nozzle. If you do not have any nozzles just cut a small hole at the end of the piping bag.
• Pipe the crosses onto the homemade hot cross buns when they have risen and then bake them in the oven for 15-20  minutes or until golden brown on top.
• When the buns are baked make the syrup by putting the 50 grams of sugar and 50 grams of water and then heating them together and stirring until the sugar is dissolved and then let it simmer until it is sticky.
• Brush the buns with the sticky glaze as soon as they get out of the oven to make them nice and shiny.
• Put the tray on a cooling rack and then loosen the homemade hot cross buns with a spatula around the edges and then use another cooling rack placed on top to flip the buns over and then flip them again and leave on the cooling rack to cool and then serve warm or when completely cool.

Enjoy!