HOT CROSS BUNS

by baker Adam Robinson

Makes 12 

INGREDIENTS

The buns

150g raisins, soaked in boiling water for 30 minutes

25g dried citrus peel, chopped

450g flour

125g sourdough mother culture

1t salt

3t mixed spice

75g melted butter

80g sugar

1 egg

215g water

grated zest of 1 lemon

Crosses

125g milk

115g flour

salt

METHOD

The buns

1. Mix all the ingredients and tip it into a lightly oiled plastic container. Leave for 20 minutes. Do not knead.
2. After the time lapse, return to it and fold it. To fold the dough put your well wetted hands underneath one of the four corners of the dough, lift this corner to stretch it and deposit your stretched corner onto its opposite side. This should be repeated for the other three corners. If a wet dough, you might need to use a plastic scraper to incorporate the bits of flour from the edges of your container back into the bulk of the dough. Try to make sure that there are no lumps and that you have a homogenous mass.
3. Repeat folding every 30 minutes, three or four times. You will end up with a transformed, sleek homogenous mass. Cover the dough and put it in the fridge overnight for a long, slow fermentation.
4. The next morning, fold your dough as above one more time. Tip the dough out onto a floured surface and divide into 90g lumps.
5. Flour your hands, but not the surface. Roll these lumps between the cupped palms of your hands and the work surface to form a smooth ball.
6. Lay the balls onto a baking sheet with a 2cm gap between each roll. As they rise, they will touch and this will help keep them soft.
7. Preheat your oven to 180°.

Crosses

1. When buns have risen (+- 2 to 3 hours), mix your cross ingredients.
2. Pipe gently onto your well risen buns.
3. Bake for about 20 minutes.

SERVING

Eat with butter and thoughts of the road to Calvary.