Hot Cross Buns

 After two-weeks in London, where I ate out a lot and the only meal I actually cooked was a bowl of pasta, I woke up this morning feeling that it was definitely time to regain my kitchen mojo. A quick glance through some books, magazines and online and I decided that with Easter fast approaching, what better time than to whip up a batch of hot-cross buns. This is a first for me, and I rather ashamedly have always been more than content with the shop-bought variety. Always one to want to attempt such a recipe from scratch I embarked on the mission in a fog of flour and scattering of currants. I find that the prospect of hand baking any bread-like recipes often tend to fill people with dread, a long with thoughts that it'll either be the most time-consuming of activities or it will simply, all too easily and rather disappointingly fail.

After some mixing and kneading, and some rather rustic cross-piping, out of the oven came 6 golden buns as well as a rather delicious spicy, citrus aroma. Nothing better than served with lashings of butter, straight from the oven- delicious.

Why not make a batch this Easter bank holiday:

310g strong white flour           zest of 1 lemon                    For the cross and glaze:

½ tsp salt                                 1 egg, beaten                              1 tbsp golden syrup

2tsp ground mixed spice         140ml warm milk                       2tbsp plain flour

20g melted butter                    1tsp fast-action dried yeast         1tsp sugar

50g sugar                                60g currants                               6tbsp water                       

- Sift the flour into a bowl with the salt, mixed spice, sugar, lemon and orange zest and yeast

- Make a well in the centre and pour in the melted butter, milk and egg and mix together

- When the mixture is coming together to form a dough get your hands in and transfer the dough to a floured surface and knead for ten minutes.

- Place the dough in a greased bowl and cover and leave in a warm place for an hour

- After an hour the dough should have risen and you will have to knock it back and leave it in the bowl for a further 30 mins

- Split the dough into 6equal sections and roll into bun shapes and place on a greased baking tray

- For the cross mix together the flour, sugar and water to form a paste (you may need to add more water), put into a piping bag and pipe on crosses over the buns

- Bake in a 240C oven for about 15mins or until a light golden brown

- Heat the golden syrup until it is runny and as soon as the buns are out of the oven brush them with the golden syrup to give a lusciously lacquered glaze