Ingredients:

450g strong white flour

1 tsp fine sea salt

75g unsalted butter

20g fresh yeast/1 sachet Easy Bake dried yeast

40g caster sugar

120ml water

120ml milk

1 egg, beaten

180g mixed dried fruit (I use 150g sultanas and 30g mixed peel)

2 tsp mixed spice

½ tsp ground nutmeg

½ tsp ground cinnamon

For the crosses:

4 tbsp plain flour

1 tbsp caster sugar

3 tbsp cold water

For the glaze:

3 tbsp sugar

3 tbsp water

Method:

1.     Place milk, water, butter, and yeast in bowl and heat 2 min/37°C/speed 1

2.     Add remaining ingredients except for the dried fruit and mix 6 sec/speed 6

 3.     Knead dough for 2 min 30 sec/dough setting

 4.     Add dried fruit and knead again until just incorporated (approx.. 1 minute)

 5.     Place in a large oiled bowl, put in a cold oven, placing a baking tin with a small amount of boiling hot water underneath, to create steam.  Close oven door and leave to rise (no need to cover dough with a damp cloth or cling film)

 6.     After proving (approx. 1 hour to an hour and a half), cut dough into 12 portions, shape into buns and place on a lined baking tray.  Put back into oven and replace the water in the baking tin with a little more boiled water.  Leave to rise for around 30 minutes

 7.     Take buns out of oven and pre-heat oven to 220°C/200°C (fan)/gas mark 7

 8.     Mix a paste for the crosses and place in piping bag.  Pipe crosses on buns before placing in the oven

 9.     Cook for 12 – 15 minutes until golden brown and hollow sounding when tapped on the bottom

 10.  When buns come out of the oven, brush with sugar glaze straight away, while they’re still hot

 11.  Leave to cool on a rack and eat warm or toasted with butter

 Make ahead:

 The dough can either be refrigerated or frozen.  After shaping into buns, either refrigerate, covered with oiled cling film, or place buns in freezer on a baking tray and when hard, they can be stored together in a freezer bag.  When taken out of the fridge, place in oven with baking tin of boiled water below to help the second rise, or if taking out of the freezer, allow to defrost and then place in oven as above

Tip: The night before making the buns, soak the mixed fruit (apart from the mixed peel, if using) in just enough cold water to cover the fruit (about 4 tbsp).  Cover and leave overnight to ‘plump’ up.  This will make the buns even more moist and delicious!