Hot Cross Buns

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ingredients
Full cream milk (lactose free if required) 200 g 7.1 oz
2 sachets dried yeast 14 g 0.5 oz
4  5⅓  tbsp unsalted butter 55 g 1.9 oz
2 cups maize flour 250 g 8.8 oz
Rice flour 125 g 4.4 oz
Potato flour 125 g 4.4 oz
3 tsp xanthan gum 5 g 0.2 oz
1 tsp salt 3 g 0.1 oz
½ cup caster sugar 75 g 2.6 oz
1 large egg 58 g 2 oz
1 tsp cinnamon 1 g 0.03 oz
2 tsp mixed spice 2 g 0.07 oz
Currents, dried 78 g 2.8 oz
Cranberries, dried 78 g 2.8 oz
1  1⅓  tbsp extra maize flour 10 g 0.4 oz
⅓ cup mixed peel 50 g 1.7 oz
Cooking spray
3  4  tbsp strawberry jam (without high fructose corn syrup) 77 g 2.7 oz
1  1⅓  tbsp water 20 g 0.7 oz
1½ cups pure icing sugar, sifted 233 g 8.2 oz
3  4  tbsp butter, melted 39 g 1.3 oz
¼ cup milk 60 g 2.1 oz

Method

1. Warm milk until it is luke-warm stir in yeast to activate (it should dissolve and bubble). Set aside for 5-10 minutes.

2. Melt the butter.

3. In a large bowl mix flours (sifted), sugar, xanthan gum, salt and spices. Make a well in the centre and incorporate milk and yeast mixture, butter and egg, mix with a wooden spoon, a dough mixer or your hand to a cohesive and slightly sticky dough. Note: this does not need to be kneaded.

4. Place the dough in a large, lightly oiled bowl and cover with lightly oiled plastic wrap. Leave the dough to rise in a warm place for 1-2 hours or until doubled in size.

5. Mix the fruits and peel with the extra maize flour, breaking up any clumps.

6. Knock back the dough and re-oil the bowl and your hands. Sprinkle the fruit mixture over the dough and work together until the mixture is evenly incorporated.

7. On a lightly oiled work surface pat out the dough into a log (~4cm diameter) and cut into 12 even pieces (~85-90g each).

8. Prepare an oven tray with baking paper and roll dough portions into balls, place evenly on the tray leaving 1cm between each.

9. Leave this tray in a warm place until they have again, doubled in size (~2hours)

10. Preheat oven to 180°C/356°F. For better results, place a deep baking tray half full of boiling water on a rack near the bottom of the oven to provide some steam.

11. Bake the buns for 20 minutes, or until golden brown. Place the hot buns on a cooling rack and glaze whilst they are still hot.

12. Melt the jam with water until it is runny, then paint the hot buns with the glaze. (If your glaze is lumpy, try putting it through a sieve).

13. Melt the butter and add to the icing sugar.

14. Gradually add the milk using a fork to achieve a cohesive but stiff icing.

15. Place icing in a piping bag fitted with a small nozzle on the just cooled buns. Alternatively, use a snaplock bag and snip a tiny corner off to create a 2mm hole to pipe the icing.

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Nutrition Information (per serve)
Energy	1453 Kj / 347 cal
Protein	3.00g
Carbohydrates	67.20g
Sugar	38.20g
Total Fat	7.60g
Saturated Fat	4.70g
Fibre	2.00g