Easter is just around the corner and other than chocolate, the number one Easter treat has to be hot cross buns. Here is a great recipe to make your own and get in the Easter spirit!

Ingredients for dough

• One tablespoon of dried yeast
• Five hundred grams of plain flour
• One free-range egg
• Four tablespoons of butter
• One teaspoon of cinnamon
• 220ml of milk
• Sixty grams of caster sugar
• Two teaspoons of mixed spices
• 200g of mixed fruit (or chocolate… obviously choose chocolate)
• A pinch of salt

Ingredients for the cross

• Two tablespoons of flour
• Half a tablespoon of caster sugar
• Two tablespoons of water
• Ingredients for glaze
• One tablespoon of caster sugar
• One tablespoon of boiling water

Step one

Making the dough is simple. First boil your milk and while that’s boiling whisk your egg. Add the two into a mixing bowl along with your flour, butter, yeast, sugar and a pinch of salt then use a wooden spoon and mix together until a sticky dough has been formed.

Step two

Sprinkle flour onto your bench top and begin to knead the dough for around seven minutes or until the dough is smooth and elastic. Then place the dough in a bowl covered with cling wrap and leave for one hour so the dough rise.

Step three

Decide whether you’re going to be naughty or nice, add either fruit or chocolate to your mixture. Then add cinnamon and mixed spices and begin to knead the dough again to ensure your fruit or chocolate is evenly distributed through the mixture. Now make yourself a cup of coffee and relax because it’s time to leave your mixture to rise for another hour so it doubles in size once again.

Step four

Stop relaxing now, you need to divide your mixture. Sprinkle more flour onto your worktop and begin separating your mixture, try to make them around the size of your palm. I did lie, you can relax again because you’re going to have to cover them once more for another hour.

Step five

Heat your oven to two hundred degrees and cook for twenty minutes or until golden brown.

Step six

To make the cross, mix together two tablespoons of flour, half a tablespoon of caster sugar and two tablespoons of water. Add into a piping bag and once the buns are cooled, begin crossing.

Step seven

To glaze the buns, mix together one tablespoon of caster sugar and one tablespoon of boiling water and brush over the top of the buns while they’re still warm.

Step eight

Attempt to refrain yourself from eating seven in one sitting. Good luck.