<p>Easy Hot Cross Buns</p><p>160 mixed dried fruit ¼ tsp ground nutmeg, freshly grated 50ml orange juice ½ tsp ground cinnamon 180 ml warm water 1 egg lightly beaten 200ml warm mild Cross paste 60g caster sugar 60gm plain flour 2 satchets (14g) dried yeast 20g caster sugar 60g butter soften 80ml water 620g plain flour (strong “00”) Glaze Pin salt 40to 60gm apricot jam 1 tsp mixed spices</p><p>Grease a 20cm x 30cm baking tin with 4cm-high sides or a large, flat try and set aside. In a small bowl soak dried fruit and orange juice for 30 minutes. In a jug combine water, milk, sugar and yeast. Cover and put in warm spot for 10 minutes or until mix starts to froth. In a large bowl rub 60g butter into flour until all is combined and looks like fine breadcrumbs. Add salt and spices, mixing through. Pour in yeast mix and egg, using your fingers to mix. Add fruit and juice, mixing in until all combined. Cover bowl with tea towel and place in a warm spot, allot to sit for 40 minutes or until dough doubles in size. Lightly flour the benchtop, turn out dough and knead for 5 -7 minutes. Divide dough into 12 to 18 pieces and knead into balls. Place into tin or on tray, making sure there is a little room around each. Cover and place in warm spot to rise. This takes about 10- 15 minutes. Preheat the oven to 220C and mix paste for cross. Paste: mix together all ingredients and transfer to piping bag with a plain nozzle. Once buns have risen, pipe over cross on each bun. Pop into oven and bake for 20-25 minutes. Remove from oven turn out of tin. While still hot, brush the top of the buns with warmed apricot jam. Serve hot with lashings of butter. Tip: this recipe is best made on the day you wish to serve them. If you are short on time, you can make them up to bun stage the day before and pop them in the fridge. Remove from fidge an hour before baking. Pipe on cross. Makes 12 large or 18 regular. Rochelle Smith: Fresh Easter Baking West Australian 6th March 2012</p>