Food processor with dough hook (or use your hands)
Small saucepan
Bowl for dough
Baking tray dusted with flour
Sharp knife
Oven preheated to 170 degrees Celcius
Piping bag with nozzle OR sandwich bag (for piping cross) Optional.
Pastry brush (for glaze)
Ingredients
Buns
4 cupsplain flour
14gramsdried yeastThis is 2x7g packets.
1/4cupWattle Sugar
2tsp Oz El Hanout (or other native spice)
1pinchsalt
1½cupscurrants
40gbutter
300mlmilk
2eggslightly beaten
4tbspwater
Cross (for hot cross buns)
1/2cupplain flour
4tbspwater
Glaze
1/3cupwater
4tbspapricot (or other) jam or plain sugarQuandong jam is excellent if you can find it.
Instructions
Make the buns
Combine the flour, yeast, Wattle Sugar, Oz El Hanout, salt and currants in a large bowl.
Melt butter in a small saucepan over a medium heat and add the milk. Heat for 1 minute, or until lukewarm.
Add warm milk and butter mixture to currant mixture. Add the eggs.
Use a flat bladed knife, or the dough hook on a mixer, to mix until it's a soft dough. You may need to use your hands to bring the final parts together.
Turn dough out onto a floured surface OR continue with the dough mixer. Knead for 10 minutes, or until dough is smooth.
Place into a lightly oiled bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Set aside in a warm, draught free place for 1 – 1 ½ hours, or until dough doubles in size (OR place in fridge for at least 5 hours).
While this is happening, line a large baking tray with non-stick baking paper.
When dough has risen, punch dough down to its original size. Knead for 30 seconds on a lightly floured surface until smooth.
Divide into 12 even portions and shape each portion into a ball.
Place balls on baking paper, just touching eachother.
Cover with oiled cling film and set aside in a warm, draught-free place for 30 minutes, or until buns double in size.
While they're proving, preheat fan-forced oven to 170C and make the flour paste for the cross.
Make the cross (optional)
Make a flour paste by mixing ½ cup plain flour and 4 tablespoons of water together in a small bowl until smooth, adding a little more water if paste is too thick.
Pipe the cross (optional)
When the buns have finished proving, add the cross if you want it.
Spoon the paste into a small snap-lock bag and snip off one corner about half a centimetre up, to create a small-nozzled piping bag, OR pour into piping bag with the smallest nozzle.
Pipe flour paste over tops of buns to form crosses. (Or any other shape you want!).
Place buns into preheated oven and bake for 20 – 25 minutes, or until buns are a darkish brown and cooked through.
Make the glaze
Place water and jam into a small saucepan over low heat and stir until jam or sugar dissolves. Bring to the boil for 3-4 minutes, then remove from heat.
Remove the buns from the oven.
Immediately brush glaze over warm hot cross buns.
Allow to cool, then gently separate.
Notes
Serve warm, or split and toasted with butter spread in the middle.