Description
Soft, sweet spiced buns studded with dried fruit, marked with the classic cross and glazed for a shine — a traditional Easter‑style treat.
Ingredients
Scale
- 375 ml warm milk
- 50 g unsalted butter, melted and cooled
- 75 g caster (superfine) sugar
- 1 large egg
- 640 g bread flour (or all‑purpose flour)
- 2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 2 tsp mixed spice (or all‑spice)
- ½ tsp salt
- 210 g sultanas (or raisins/currants)
- Zest of 1 orange
- 3 tsp (≈9 g) instant/rapid‑rise yeast
- For the crosses: 75 g plain flour + about 5 tbsp water
- For the glaze: 1 tbsp apricot jam + 2 tsp water
Instructions
- Warm the milk and melt the butter; allow to cool to hand‑warm temperature.
- In a large bowl, combine the flour, sugar, cinnamon, mixed spice, salt and yeast.
- Add the warm milk mixture, the egg, sultanas and orange zest; mix to form a soft dough.
- Turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead for about 10 minutes (or use a stand mixer with dough hook about 5 minutes) until smooth and elastic.
- Place dough into a lightly oiled bowl, cover, and let it rise in a warm place until doubled in size (about 1–1½ hours).
- Punch down the risen dough, divide into 12 equal pieces, shape into smooth buns and place them on a baking tray or in a baking dish slightly spaced apart.
- Cover loosely and allow to rise again until nearly doubled (about 40 minutes).
- Preheat the oven to 200 °C (or 180 °C fan). While it’s warming, mix the plain flour and water to a paste and pipe the crosses onto the tops of the buns.
- Bake for around 20–22 minutes until the buns are golden brown and well risen.
- Meanwhile, heat the apricot jam and water until melted and smooth, then brush the glaze over the hot buns as soon as they come out of the oven.
- Allow to cool slightly before serving (they’re lovely warm, perhaps lightly toasted and buttered).
- Prep Time: 30 mins (plus first rise ~1‑1½ hrs and second rise ~40 mins)
- Cook Time: 20‑22 mins
- Category: Bread / Sweet breakfast bun
- Method: Baking (yeast‑leavened dough)
- Cuisine: English
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 bun
- Unsaturated Fat: ≈ 2–3 g