Takes a little effort Archives

Fruity dessert

Milk stout-and-chocolate cake with butterscotch sauce, caramel chocolate shards and dark chocolate icing

30 minutes

Aliums

Beef-and-beer pie with slow-roasted cipollini onions

30 minutes

Curried spiral breads with satay-style chicken strips

15 minutes

Prawns and

Orecchiette with West Coast mussels in a lemon-garlic cream sauce

25 minutes

Asparagus recipes

Asparagus and fennel souffle

40 minutes

Traditional homemade hot cross buns

Serves Makes 12

Difficulty Easy

Prep Time 2 1/2 hours

Cooking Time 15 minutes

Ingredients

480 g flour
2 x 10 g instant yeast sachets
100 g brown sugar
1/2 t cinnamon
1/2 t nutmeg
Salt, a pinch
1/2 t baking powder
1/2 t bicarbonate of soda
1 lemon, zested
1 1/4 cups milk
3 T butter
2 free-range eggs
1 t vanilla extract
135 g sultanas and raisins

For the flour paste:

125 g flour
5 T water

For the glaze:

65 ml golden syrup
65 ml boiling water

Method

Preheat the oven to 180°C.

To make the hot cross buns

Combine the flour, yeast, brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, salt, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda, lemon zest and dried fruit in a large mixing bowl.

Place the milk and butter in a saucepan and heat gently until the butter has melted. Lightly whisk the eggs and vanilla together and add to the dry ingredients, along with the milk-and-butter mixture.

Gently mix the dough using your hands or a wooden spoon until the mixture comes together.

Turn the dough out onto a clean surface and knead for 10 minutes. Place in a lightly oiled bowl, cover with clingfilm and place in a warm spot for 1½ hours until doubled in size.

After the dough has risen, knock it down to its original size and then roll into 12 evenly shaped buns.

Place the buns on a greased baking tray and cover with clingfilm, leaving enough room for the buns to rise. Allow the buns to rise for another 30 minutes.

To make the flour paste, mix the flour and water together to form a smooth paste, place in a Ziploc sandwich bag and cut off one of the corners to make a piping bag.

Pipe a cross onto each bun and bake for 15 minutes, or until the buns are golden and cooked through. Glaze the buns while they are still hot.

Discover more recipes starring hot cross buns here.

Creamy Kashmiri chilli prawns

Spinach lasagne

Air-fryer nachos

Wok-fried garlicky prawns with ponzu aioli and crunchy celery salad

Candied beetroot with salmon carpaccio

Easy lime baked puddings with warm citrusy curd

Cheddar crust apple pie

Milk stout-and-chocolate cake with butterscotch sauce, caramel chocolate shards and dark chocolate icing

Beef-and-beer pie with slow-roasted cipollini onions

Curried spiral breads with satay-style chicken strips

Orecchiette with West Coast mussels in a lemon-garlic cream sauce

Asparagus and fennel souffle

Lemon-and-ginger treacle tart

Cranberry and orange hot cross buns with milk chocolate drizzle

Traditional homemade hot cross buns

Traditional homemade hot cross buns

Ingredients

Method

To make the hot cross buns