Hot cross muffin buns
An article by Sarah
Posted March 25, 2009 Ingredients
Makes 9 buns
450g strong white bread flour
½ tsp salt
50g butter, cut into pieces
7g sachet easy-blend dried yeast
2 tsp ground mixed spice
50g golden caster sugar
finely grated zest 1 lemon
275ml/9fl oz milk, plus extra to glaze
2 eggs, beaten
200g luxury mixed dried fruits, cherries halved
For the crosses and glaze
2 tbsp plain flour
golden syrup , to glaze
How to:
Put all dough ingredients, except the dried fruit, in the breadmaker, following the order in your manual. Set to dough programme. If you don’t have a bread maker, it’s all down to arm muscle!
Once the dough is ready, turn it out onto a lightly floured surface and punch down to deflate. Pat into a large flat circle, tip the fruit in the centre and enclose with the dough. Knead the fruit in, cutting through the mixture with a sharp knife, then re-knead a few times to distribute the fruit evenly.
Cut out nine 14cm squares of baking parchment and have ready a 12-hole muffin tin. Cut the dough into 9 even-sized pieces and roll each into a smooth ball. Push a square of the parchment into a tin hole and drop in a ball of dough. Repeat with the rest. Cover the tin loosely with lightly-oiled cling film and leave in a warm place for 30-45 minutes or until doubled in size. Preheat oven to fan 180C/ conventional 200C/gas 6.
For the crosses, blend the flour to a smooth paste with 5-6 tsp of cold water. Spoon into a small plastic food bag and cut a small hole off one corner or use a piping bag. Pipe crosses on the buns. Bake for 15 minutes or until golden. Lift onto a cooling rack. Brush with a little golden syrup while warm.
