Ingredients
For the buns
- 625g strong white plain flour
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp mixed spice
- 65g caster sugar
- 65g unsalted butter-cubed
- 250g mixed dried fruit
- 7g easy-blend dried yeast
- 250ml whole milk
- 3 eggs
For the crosses and glaze
- 75g plain flour
- Runny honey or golden syrup for brushing
Method
- Pre-heat the oven to 220°c/425°f/gas mark 7.
- Sift the flour into a bowl and stir in the salt, mixed spice and sugar.
- Rub in the butter and stir in the dried fruits and yeast.
- Gently warm the milk, ensuring you don’t make it too hot (if you can’t hold your finger in the warmed milk, it’s too hot).
- Beat the eggs into the milk and pour onto the dry mixture.
- Mix into a dough, then leave to stand for five minutes.
- Divide into 10 equal sized pieces, shape each into buns on a floured surface and place on baking sheets.
- Cover loosely with cling film or a cloth and leave somewhere warm to prove until they increase in size by half again. This will take around an hour.
- When raised, mix the remaining flour with a little water into a paste. Place the paste in a piping bag and pipe a cross on the top of each bun.
- Bake for 12-15 minutes until risen and golden.
- While hot, brush the buns with either the honey or golden syrup.
