← Nouns Cooking · Bakery

Ingredients

• 500 g strong white bread flour, plus extra for dusting
• 75 g caster sugar
• 7 g fast-action dried yeast (1 sachet)
• 1 tsp Salt
• 2 tsp Mixed spice
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 275 ml whole milk, lukewarm
• 50 g Butter, melted
• 1 large egg, beaten
• 150 g sultanas and currants
• 50 g Mixed candied peel
• 1 orange, zest only
• 75 g plain flour
• 5 tbsp Water
• 3 tbsp apricot jam

Method

1. Mix the flour, sugar, yeast, salt and spices. Add the warm milk, melted butter and egg and knead for 10 min until smooth and elastic.
2. Knead in the dried fruit, peel and orange zest until evenly spread (the dough gets sticky; push stray fruit back in). Cover and leave somewhere warm for 1 hour until doubled.
3. Divide into 12 equal pieces (about 95 g each) and roll into tight balls. Arrange on a lined tray in rows, about 1 cm apart, cover and leave to rise for 45 min–1 hour until they touch.
4. Heat the oven to 200°C (180°C fan, 400°F). Mix the plain flour and water to a thick, pipeable paste and pipe a line along each row of buns, then across, to make the crosses.
5. Bake for 18–20 min until golden brown and hollow-sounding underneath, or about 90°C (195°F) in the centre.
6. Warm the jam with a splash of water, sieve it and brush over the buns while they are still hot. Eat warm or toasted with butter.

Tips

• Fruit-free version: leave out the fruit and peel and add 100 g chocolate chips after the first rise.
• Weigh the dough balls for even buns that bake at the same rate.

Sources

Written in our own words after cross-checking these recipes:

BBC Good Food BBC Food (Paul Hollywood) King Arthur Baking